Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd — Moses' petition specifies the qualities needed: a leader who goes out before them in warfare, who goes in before them (entering the sanctuary, perhaps), who leads them out and brings them in (guides them in all circumstances). The shepherd metaphor emphasizes pastoral care and guidance. Without leadership, the people are vulnerable, like sheep without a shepherd—a metaphor that echoes through the Old Testament (Ezekiel 34, Zechariah 11) and into the New Testament (Matthew 9:36).

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse