Isaiah 49:10, “…they shall not hunger or thirst, neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them, for he who has pity on them will lead them, and by springs of water will guide them.”
And the one who leads us has pity on us because He is one of us (Revelation 7:17, the Lamb is the Shepherd).
In this passage, Isaiah envisions YHWH’s eschatological salvation in terms of the Messianic Shepherd leading and caring for His people. What’s especially interesting to see is that the “for” in verse 10 implies that the character of the Messianic Shepherd–especially His pity on those whom He leads–is the ground for their satisfaction and safety:
“they shall not hunger or thirst (satisfaction), neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them (safety), FOR (logical grounding) He who has pity on them will lead them…”
All the hope of YHWH’s people (including those gathered from “afar,” v.12) is bound up in their Shepherd and His character as one who has pity on them.
Now, what I find especially beautiful about this passage is that John–under the inspiration of the Spirit–picks it up 700 years later and tells us that this empathetic Shepherd is, in fact, Christ Himself:
“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd…”
John has lifted many of the same words from Isaiah and now tells us that this end-time salvation has been / is being / and will be worked in Christ. But then, notice also how John’s close adherence to Isaiah’s original wording makes one particular difference stand out clearly….rather than the shepherd being “He who has pity,” John tells us that the shepherd is “The Lamb in the midst of the throne” — and in doing so, he explains to us WHY the Messianic Shepherd of Isaiah 49 is one who has pity on his sheep…..he has pity on them because He is one of them. The LAMB is the SHEPHERD….
Who is a more sympathetic shepherd than He who is Himself a Lamb? And because He is the Lamb, He can lead His sheep with gentleness and wisdom to their desired rest. But then we have to say at least two more things quickly about this Johannine Lamb-Shepherd.
First, He is in the midst of the throne. No one is in the midst of God’s the throne except God Himself. This sympathetic Lamb-Shepherd is also the Covenant Lord, YHWH Himself. So not only is He compassionate and gentle, but He is infinite in power and able to invincibly care for those under His charge.
Finally, though, recall the introduction of this Lamb in Revelation 5:6…He is a Lamb who has been slain. Yes…..this Lamb–who is God–can lead His flock with gentleness and compassion because He Himself has endured every suffering, every hardship, every horror that they could possibly endure–and He has overcome. Who but the Lamb can set His hand on the head of one of His own and say, “Fear not….I [too] died…” and who but God can follow those words with, “but behold, I am alive forevermore…..be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”
If we are trusting in Jesus as our life today, the Lamb in the midst of the throne is our Shepherd, and His sympathetic sovereignty surrounds us as He leads us to the springs of living water that flow from the heart of the Triune God.
