May God save and bless his people and be their shepherd and carry them forever

Psalm 28 (NIV) 9 Save your people and bless your inheritance;
be their shepherd and carry them forever.

To even hear this kind of prayer that David prayed to God, asking God to be our shepherd and carry us forever is touching and humbling: This is even a sense of almost too much to bear that kind of emotional prayer. David has such a pastoral heart and a passionate heart to God indeed and for God to hear this kind of prayer and He recorded this in the closed canon of sacred scriptures, speaks of the profound affection of God towards his people. I have no doubt God delights to do that perfectly, and it would not be a burden for him to do that, because he delights and loves his people. Even as we sometimes rebel and are problematic, God will discipline us and would not forsake us.

And of course there were times God were very frustrated with Israel, as they are sinning against the Lord again and again, and pushed Moses to the limit, and with God fuming at them. There is a love-hate relationship between God and Israel, in old testament in particular, because of the intensity of who God is as a person and God , his expression of affection, no holiness , and frankly, it is hard for anyone to keep up with! And that’s why God instituted the circumcision of the heart as the new covenant to replace the old because to be honest, God knows it is hard to keep up with him.

And when it comes to David’s time, you can see David’s pastoral heart, and his immense love for God seems to be having a special direct line with God. And David’s personal worship, prayer, praise, exhortation, lament, all over the book of Psalms, has an incredible impact on all of us through all generations as the people of God. Truly, Psalms is the most read and impressible book in the Bible, and totally outstanding literature, that captures all the emotions across the board of a man and a woman.

David prayed that “God be their shepherd and carry them forever” speaks of the affectionate relationship between a father and a toddler kid, because that is the relationship most intimate with his or her father. And that’s the kind of language David used to describe the relationship between God and Israel, and the church, because we are all children to God. And Jesus also said, “unless you become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.” God delights in us as children, like faith with childlike innocence, but he detests the sophisticated, hypocrisy and deception of the adults. And for David to pray and ask God to carry them for it ever is a term for affection and for love and for protection. It’s not just “to carry” only, but ” forever carry”. Oh, this is the height of the Father’s heart or pastoral heart, that makes God look after his people for all eternity, and that was exactly fulfilled when Christ opened the door the way to eternal life, and he indeed carries as forever. Amen.