There will be times where we must lead our flocks through dark valleys and dangers. Perhaps that danger comes in the form of a cancer diagnosis. Maybe the dark, shadowed valley is the loss of a child – I have been through that valley. Perhaps leading the flock in dark valleys looks like (instead of placating the sheep) calling the comfortable, fat, and lazy sheep to greater investment, obedience, and engagement in Kingdom ministry. Leading in the valley might mean making decisions as leaders that might be hard or challenging for the flock to follow – decisions that might risk offending or upsetting the flock because it calls out their intolerance, arrogance, or disobedience.

The imagery of God as our heavenly Shepherd, contained in Psalm 23, has captivated, and comforted us for thousands of years. It has aided to comfort us through times of loss and has well-reminded us of God’s intimate presence with us in all seasons of life. For many of us, we can join with Jacob and confidently state that God, “has been my shepherd all my life long to this day” (Gen. 48:15).
However, as we consider the shepherding imagery of God’s care in Psalm 23, we often have missed the leadership imagery that is latent in the concept of shepherding. In Ancient Near Eastern cultures, shepherding was often associated with kingly responsibilities and duties. As Timothy S. Laniak explains, “Pastoral images conveyed notions of rulership – both divine and human – in a wide variety of historical periods, geographical regions, and literary contexts in the Ancient Near East. Shepherd language was used in stock titles and epithets to define a king’s role as just ruler, benevolent provider and/or powerful defender. Ancient sources describe a country’s citizenry (or army) as a flock and their experience of plenty as green pastures.”[1]
This shepherd/leadership imagery is found littered throughout the Scriptures. Often, in the OT, to shepherd is also to rule. When David was anointed as King, the tribes of Israel came to him at Hebron and said, “’In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” As well, Psalm 77:20 describes God’s leadership with shepherding language, “You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” In Isaiah 40:11, the prophet foretells of the perfect Shepherd, Jesus Christ, and describes Him in shepherding language, “He will tend His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”
The Perfect Shepherd is also a Perfect King, and the Shepherd King leads His flock.
This means that biblical leadership shares similar principles with shepherding. It is no surprise, then, that the tasks of shepherding and leading are tied to the role of Pastor and Elder in the New Testament. Listen to what the Apostle Peter says to the elders in the churches of Asia, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you…” (1 Pet. 5:1-2). To be an elder of a church is to also be a shepherd!
As elders, then, we ought to look at how the scriptures describe our Shepherd King for guidance on how we ought to be shepherd leaders. As Psalm 23 describes (in vivid detail) how the Good Shepherd leads us, we, as elders and shepherds, therefore ought to emulate His leadership.
If Psalm 23 presents a picture of how God shepherds His people, what might Psalm 23 teach elders how to shepherd the flock of Christ? I want to suggest a few key pastoral lessons that we might take away from this famous Psalm.
1. Elders Lead the Flock to Contentment in Christ
The Psalm begins by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me by still waters. He restores my soul.”
Many commentators of this Psalm have suggested “I shall not want” might be also translated, “I lack nothing” or “I do not lack”.[2] The idea here is simple yet profound – if the Lord is my shepherd, all my needs are met. True contentment is found alone in the Shepherd King. This lack of wanting is not found simply in participating in the practices of Christianity – in bible reading, church attendance, prayer, family devotions or good deeds – but rather is found in and from the person, work, will, and fellowship of Christ. The Shepherd is the source of our satisfaction.
Our desires vanish in the face of the provision that being in Christ offer us. It leads the porn-addict to see how their deepest desires are met in the grace, forgiveness, Holy-Spirit-empowered-resistance, and affections-resetting power of the presence of Jesus. It leads the social-media scouring teenage girl – who looks for affirmation from peers, boys, and strangers – to understand that the world’s shallow definition of value only leaves her empty and hungry in comparison to the dignity and worth she has in Christ.
Elders and pastors lead in this way. They enjoy Christ in such as a way that there is powerful authority when they point to Jesus and say, “THERE is life! THERE is peace! THERE is contentment! Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Turn away from your sins and come find rest in Jesus!” Elders know this lack of want, and they call others to be satisfied and restored in Christ alone.
2. Elders Lead the Flock in Christ’s Paths
The Psalm continues, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness….”
As God leads us as our Shepherd, He directs us in good ways. The paths He leads us on lead to fruitfulness, to godliness, and shape us into the image of Christ along the ways. The paths of righteousness are not filled with jealousy, anger, lust, selfish ambition, greed but rather are filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. The paths lead us to the cross of Jesus Christ, where our sins were atoned for, and to the tomb of Jesus, where we died in His death and rose in His resurrection. The paths lead us to love God and love our neighbors. God leads us to Himself, on paths that conform us into His image.
There are other paths that we could go down, paths we think can lead to satisfaction or contentment. We could chase after satisfaction through individualism, indulgence, innovation, and immorality. There are some who claim to follow the Shepherd who seek the path of self-righteousness and think their own good deeds justify them. But our Shepherd says, and His under-shepherds both model and say, “Don’t forge new paths in the wilderness. Seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”
As elders and pastors, we lead our people in these paths as those who have traversed them first, and the paths lead them to look more like Jesus (Eph. 4:11-13).
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As Christians, one of our primary tasks is to share the good news with those who desperately need it, and who needs it more than those who are lost. In order to do this our attitudes need to be completely re-shaped and conformed to Christ.

You wake up in the morning, scratch your back and stretch. You grab some coffee and then sit down to read the news. The first story that catches your eye includes a photograph of people doing something that makes your blood boil. You grit your teeth and mutter something under your breath and then share the link with your friends on your favorite social media site with some choice comments.
You decide to go shopping. While walking through the local store, you see a group of teenagers. They are brash, loud, and obnoxious. Several of them have multiple tattoos and piercings. The band logos and art on their clothing are offensive to you. They cast a sneering glance at you as you walk by. You can feel your blood pressure rising. You pull out your phone and write a quick tweet about how much you dislike the younger generation.
I was one of the lost people we see every day.
I could go on, but the point I want to make concerns our attitude as Christians towards the lost people we see every day. This is important to me because I was one of those lost people, and not once did any Christian even attempt to talk with me about the Gospel of Christ. I’ve often wondered why.
I grew up near Houston, Texas, deep in the southern part of the United States. It’s often called “the Bible Belt” because there are so many churches and so many Christians. Presumably, I ran across some of them during those years. If so, not one of them spoke a word to me about Jesus. (While in high school, I did encounter an elderly gentleman handing out Gideon’s pocket New Testaments to students. He gave me one but didn’t speak. I’m thankful that he showed at least that much care because several years later, God used that New Testament to draw me to Christ).
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Dr. Prather elaborated: “In the family that chooses to give their children more freedom in how they’re educated, that parent is now free to protect and advocate for their child’s freedom to learn. If the family is Christian, the parent has the freedom to disciple that child in the faith. If that family is Afrocentric, that family has the freedom to make all of their lessons geared to the child learning their African heritage.”

Editor’s note: This article first appeared at The American Spectator.
Parents are taking their children’s education into their own hands in record numbers after a disastrously tumultuous school year.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey, which is an online survey recording social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrates a dramatic shift towards homeschooling within the past year and a half. The survey included roughly 22–23 million American households spanning from the spring of 2020 to the fall of 2021.
During Phase 1 (April 23 to May 5, 2020) of the survey, about 5.4 percent of households with school-aged children said they were homeschooling. By the fall (September 30 to October 12, 2020), 11.1 percent of households with school-aged children reported homeschooling. The number increased to a staggering 19.5 percent by May of 2021. Fall 2021 statistics on homeschooling have not yet been published.
This embrace of home education is diverse. The survey respondents indicated that homeschooling in black households increased from 3.3 percent in the spring of 2020 to 16.1 percent in the fall of 2020.
The possible reasons for such a monumental and unprecedented switch to homeschooling are numerous, and include pandemic shutdowns, strict masking, and critical race theory.
The profound failure of school shutdowns during the pandemic was evidenced by the drop-off in student test scores in reading and math and soaring rates of students attempting suicide.
Unscientific mask mandates for school-aged children also received outcry from concerned parents. Even though many young students have reported headaches, dizziness, and brain fog from masking for 8-hour or more school days, some school boards and states still require them. From Broward County to Loudoun County, parents have protested nationwide against mask mandates.
The immense, national backlash to critical race theory in schools may have also catalyzed the turn towards homeschooling. Parents across the country have protested against CRT at school board meetings, claiming the instructional tool promotes racism and hatred. Some states, including Oklahoma, Idaho, and Florida have even banned CRT from schools.
Dr. Anika Prather, a professor of Classics at Howard University and founder of the Living Water School, is an advocate for diverse classical education and a supporter of school choice. Prather told The American Spectator that personalization is a benefit of homeschooling, as parents maintain direct agency over their children’s education.
Dr. Prather elaborated: “In the family that chooses to give their children more freedom in how they’re educated, that parent is now free to protect and advocate for their child’s freedom to learn. If the family is Christian, the parent has the freedom to disciple that child in the faith. If that family is Afrocentric, that family has the freedom to make all of their lessons geared to the child learning their African heritage.”
Similarly, radical gender theory and progressive sex education have infiltrated schools, and have even reached preschools. Schools across the country have adopted LGBTQ+ curriculums, taught “porn literacy” courses, and embraced sexually explicit books accompanied by the use of “sex apps.”
Jeremy Tate, CEO of the Classical Learning Test, an alternative standardized test to the SAT or ACT with a classical approach, is an advocate for classical education. He told The American Spectator that parents are becoming aware of what their children are actually being taught. He said, “Parents are waking up to the reality that mainstream education has gone completely off the rails. It is now radically disconnected from the kind of education that gave birth to America.”
Parents may be flocking to homeschooling because what our Founding Fathers believed about education is now fundamentally lost, Tate said. He also echoed Dr. Prather’s insights on minority families and homeschooling, saying that “We have witnessed the largest exodus of black families from public schooling in American history. The founder of National Black Home Educators, Joyce Burgess, reports a three times growth in homeschooling among blacks. They are voting with their feet.”
Prather summarized this shift in education: “Homeschooling is powerful because it gives the parent complete authority in how their child is educated . . . There is a joy in being able to design the educational experience you want for your child. Our founders knew that this freedom was important, and the Constitution protects our rights as parents to choose the education we prefer for our children. That is something to be celebrated.”
Emily Burke is a Student Fellow for the Institute for Faith & Freedom. Studying English, Philosophy, and Pre-Law at Grove City College, Emily also serves as an Editorial Intern for The American Spectator through the Young Writers Program. Heavily involved in political writing, editing, and research, Emily aims to apply those skills in the fields of journalism and public policy concerning issues of constitutional government and the future state of education. You can follow her on Twitter @emilyfburke. This article used with permission.