by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/lamb-201x300.jpg\")
In Genesis 48:15-16, Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons and describes God as the One who has shepherded him all his life. This is the first time God is called a shepherd in Scripture. Jacob looks back and sees that God has guided, protected, and sustained him through every season.<\/p>\n
This reveals a foundational truth about God’s character. He is not distant. He is a shepherd who walks with His people, even when they wander. Jacob’s life was full of twists, yet he recognized that God’s care was constant.<\/p>\nThis image of God as shepherd becomes central throughout Scripture. It shapes how we understand His leadership, His protection, and His love.
\nIf you feel uncertain or weary, remember Jacob’s testimony. God has been shepherding you even when you didn’t notice. His care is steady, and His guidance is sure.\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Zeke Flores In Genesis 48:15-16, Jacob blesses Joseph’s sons and describes God as the One who has shepherded him all his life. This is the first time God is called a shepherd in Scripture. Jacob looks back and sees that God has guided, protected, and sustained him through every season. This reveals a foundational…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[90,517],"class_list":["post-94493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-god","tag-shepherd"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67144,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-the-good-shepherd\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":0},"title":"Jesus, the Good Shepherd","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 22, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer One of the great figures for the Messiah is that of the Good Shepherd. Jesus refers to Himself as the \"door of the sheep,\" but He is more than that. \"I am the good shepherd,\" He claimed (John 10:11). We will consider more in that context, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/elders-as-shepherds\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":1},"title":"Elders as Shepherds","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 1, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Charles Brackett A shepherd is literally one who feeds. He is a pastor. In Bible times, the typical shepherd tended his own flock or delegated the work to his children or close relatives. By virtue of ownership, he was highly motivated to the work. No sacrifice was too great\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60579,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":2},"title":"The Valley of the Shadow of Death","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Earl Kimbrough Via\u00a0Guardian of Truth XXXII: 17, pp. 534-535, September 1, 1988 The beautiful twenty-third Psalm is a song of faith. It abounds with an assurance of God's guidance and protection. There is mention of the danger of enemies, both past and present, but it is muted by David's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":82803,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-brief-reflection-on-ezekiel-34-faithful-and-unfaithful-shepherds\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":3},"title":"A Brief Reflection on Ezekiel 34: Faithful and Unfaithful Shepherds","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Rowland Femi Gbamis via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol. 5, No. 1, January-March 2025 Over the years, God has blessed me by working and interacting with many leaders in the Lord's Church in Nigeria, Canada, and the United States. I have seen the finest sides of these men as they serve\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/shepherd-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94465,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/difficult-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":4},"title":"Difficult Years","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores In Genesis 47:9, Jacob tells Pharaoh, \"Few and difficult have been the years of my life.\" This is not self-pity; it's honesty shaped by experience. Jacob has walked through conflict, loss, fear, and hardship, yet he stands as a man preserved by God. This teaches us that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2280,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-song-of-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":94493,"position":5},"title":"A Song of Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Psalm 23 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The most famous psalm is a song about faith. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It weaves in a few brief words the clear message of a special relationship between man and God \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It speaks of trust and security in good times and bad. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Faith in Times of Quiet - Psalm 23:1-3\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94493\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}