Daily Scripture Reading – Exodus 3

Verse of the Day – John 10:14
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

Devotional Thoughts

Jesus reiterates that He alone is the Good Shepherd. He is good, and our shepherd. He cares for us and places Himself in direct contrast to the hirelings who would forsake the flock for personal safety or out of fear.

Our great comfort comes from the fact that Jesus knows us. He knows us and He loves us with an eternal, covenantal love. His knowing us speaks to His personal care for us as well. He knows us individually and He also knows us corporately, as His Body. The hireling would did not take the time or make the effort to get to know and love the sheep in his care because he was concerned only with the himself, not the flock.

Matthew Henry puts it beautifully when he writes, “See here the grace and tenderness of the Good Shepherd set over against the former, as it was in the prophecy (Ezekiel 34:21-22). It is a matter of comfort to the church, and all her friends, that, however she may be damaged and endangered by the treachery and mismanagement of her under-officers, the Lord Jesus is, and will be, as He ever has been, the GOOD SHEPHERD.”

He knows those who are His and He knows those who are not His, but it is not the same kind (level) of knowledge. In contrast, He knows His people as a matter of intimate acquaintance and relationship. His knowledge of those who are not His sheep, however, is an awareness of who they are and what they are, but there is no intimacy or affectionate relationship. It is relational knowledge vs objective knowledge. We see that His knowledge of people is dependent upon His relationship to them. Those who have been foreknown will respond in faith and are family; those who have not may be His beloved creation, but they are not His purchased possession.

He looks to us with favor (grace) and we in turn look to Him with faith. The grace He gives is sufficient for the day in which we live, and His mercy is new every morning. The mercy given today remains everlasting. Henry’s commentary goes on to say that He is “continually mindful of [us], visits [us] graciously by Spirit, and has communion with [us].” He knows us, approves of us, accepts us, forgives us, and will keep us safely in His embrace forever.

Bible Reading For Further Study

Psalm 1:6
Psalm 37:18
Psalm 141
Psalm 146

Recommended Songs for Worship

Redeemed How I Love to Proclaim It!
God Leads Us Along