Chapter 23: Christ the Good Shepherd

God was the Shepherd of His people.  But the Shepherd became the Sheep and the sacrifice for His people.  And His people in servitude would be sheep on the altar.  And now His people shall shepherd the sheep of mankind.

God is a merciful God, for He sent His Son to be the Lamb, for His sheep the f lock of the earth. When Abraham was told to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord withheld His hand from his son. (Genesis 22:7-8) And He spared the lives of His chosen people, when He passed them over from Egypt. For He commanded them to sacrifice a lamb, and to spread its blood 'on the two doorposts, and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it', so the angel of death would pass over them. (Exodus 12:5-6) And on the fourteenth day of the month, the lamb of the Passover was sacrificed. And on the fourteenth day of the month, the Lamb of Christ was sacrificed. And on the fourteenth day of the month, the lamb that is His witness will be sacrificed. But did God truly want the sacrifice of the lambs? NO. For what He wanted was the sacrifice of obedience, that His people would obey His commandments. For He commanded a different sacrifice, 'Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.' (Isaiah 1:11-17) But His people sinned greatly and transgressed His commandments, and would sacrifice the lamb to be reconciled with God. And by their transgressions and sins, He removed His blessings from His people. And the punishment and suffering was great, for all of His sheep had gone astray. But God in His infinite mercy, promised He would come as the Lamb, and by the blood of His sacrifice, His people would be saved. For He was Lamb that would cover their transgressions. (Isaiah 53:6-12) And when His people passed over from Egypt, God asked for the sacrifice of an 'unblemished lamb'. But truly there is only one unblemished lamb, that is sacrificed for the sins of the world; for He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (1Peter 1:17-18)