The term was applied to Yahweh in the Old Testament. He is depicted as leading his flock to pastures (Jer. 50:19), and securing places for them to rest by the waters (Psalms 23:2; Isa. 49:9-10). He carries the lambs in his bosom (Isa. 40:11) and protects his flock with his staff (Ps. 23:2).
Jeremiah also prophecies that Yahweh will raise unto David a righteous Branch, a king, who is called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS. He will bring justice and cause Judah to dwell in safety. In the same text, he identifies the priests and prophets as the pastors (vs. 9-34). Ezekiel writes that Yahweh will save his flock by providing one shepherd over them, namely, my servant David (34:22-24; 37:24). Ezekiel is applying the term to the Messiah referenced by the phrase, “my servant David.” In tending his Father’s flock, young David had killed a lion and a bear (Samuel 17:34-36). The Messiah would care for Israel in the same image of a shepherd. He “tended” Israel like a flock (2 Samuel 5:2, 24:17). Jesus came to fulfill that role as the “good shepherd.” He is not like any shepherd. He is the “chief shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4) to whom all other shepherds will give an account.
More than a job description, it is a work and labor of love that knows no constraints of time or sacrifice. The shepherds know their flock by name (John 10), diligently seeks the lost sheep (Luke 15:4-6) and is so dedicated to protecting them that they would be willing to sacrifice their life (Jn. 10:11). This positive view of the shepherd reflects the life of Jesus, who is “sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Mat. 15:24). When the shepherds of the exile were destroyed, the sheep scattered (Zechariah 13:7), but when the “good shepherd” arrived, he sought them and gave them salvation through his voluntary death. This salvation is ultimately viewed in a judgment scene found in Matthew 25:32-33. Here, all nations will come before his glorious throne, and the “chief shepherd, who gives an eternal crown of glory, (1 Peter 5:4) will separate the (white) sheep from the (black) goats. The “good shepherd” in the person of Jesus is contrasted with hired shepherds who most often did not use the same care for the sheep as the owner (cf. John 10).
Since the kingdom is given to the Father’s “little flock” (Luke 12:32), Christ Jesus rules that flock as the shepherd of our souls (1 Peter 2:25, Hebrews 13:20). Yet, he has made provisions for his flock to be led by shepherds who must give an account to him. Many are careless stewards like hirelings who see in their work a position of authority rather than a work of service. For example, the prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Micah, and Zechariah used the term to describe Israel’s spiritual leaders who were unfaithful. A woe is given to the “pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture.” Yet, Yahweh promises to set up shepherds who will feed them and give them safety (Jer. 23:2-4; 3:15; cf. Micah 3; Zech. 11:4-16, 13:7). In this sense, apostles are shepherds (cf. 1 Tim. 4:14).