John 10:1-21 says,

1 “Truly, truly, [When there is a doublet of a word such as truly, truly, what is about to be said is of utmost importance.] I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Yeshua spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.

7 So Yeshua said to them again, [In order to help them understand.]“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11 “I am the good [Tov] shepherd; the good [Tov] shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. [Leaders who refuse to protect and lead the sheep, but instead leaves the sheep.] 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good[Tov] shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

19 A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one demon-possessed. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”

♦ The Hebrew word for door is the word “dalet”.  The dalet is a representation of the tent door. The door of the tent is the most important part of the tent, not because of its appearance, but because of its function as the entrance into the tent.  (In Genesis 18:1)”He [Abraham] was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot”.

♦ The door of the tent can be equated with the throne of a king. In the Hebrew culture, the father of the family is the “king”, the one who holds full authority over the family. The father will often sit at his door much like a king will sit on a throne. All family legal matters were performed at the tent. Here he will watch over his household as well as watch for passing travelers. This, too, is the role of the Shepherd/Pastor as an under Shepherd of Yeshua and an overseer of a congregation.

♦ The Hebrew word dalet is made of the Hebrew letters:

o    ד   Dalet pictures

• A door
• A path or way of life
• Movement especially into or out of
• The dalet is also the fourth letter in the Hebrew Aleph Bet.  Four is the number for creation, the four corners of the earth, the world, etc… The fourth commandment is represented by the Dalet. What is the fourth commandment?  Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.  Keep this in mind as we progress with the letters.

o   ל Lamed pictures

• A cattle goad or shepherd’s staff
• To control
• To prod or urge forward
• To go toward
• The Lamed is the twelfth letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet.  Twelve is the number for governmental perfection

o   ת Tav pictures

• Ownership
• To seal
• To make a sign or a covenant
• To join two things together
• The Tav is the Twenty-second letter of the Hebrew Aleph Bet.  The number 22 is the number for light.

♦ So what is Yeshua really saying when He says at least two times in John 10 “I am the Door”? Anyone that receives me, I, the one with the Shepherd’s staff [the Lamed], the one who’s government rest on His shoulders, will make a covenant [the Tav] with you and lead you with my staff [again the Lamed] down the path or door of life [the Dalet].

♦ Verse 4 says “…and the sheep follow Him.”  They follow the Shepherd down the path of life.  What did Moses say about the commandments?  This is your life.  When He says that His sheep follow Him, this is another way of saying that He leads the sheep.

♦ New Zealand is known as a sheep country.  The sheep farmers do not have just a little flock of sheep like the eastern shepherd. They have thousands of sheep. When bringing the sheep in from the paddocks for drenching, crutching or shearing, the shepherds drive the sheep. They do this riding on their horses and with the help of trained barking dogs.

♦ However, the Eastern shepherd to whom Yeshua is likened, does not drive his sheep. He walks in front of them and leads the way. He watches out for the pitfalls. He faces the danger first and protects them.

♦ Yeshua leads His sheep…He does not drive His sheep. And He led by example.  As He walked, so are we to walk.  As I was studying this from Scripture I discovered some principles that really ministered to my heart.  Let’s read Exodus 13:21-22;

21  YHVH was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 

22  He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

♦ What did He do?  He continued to lead all those who would follow and removed the enemy.

♦ Exodus 23:31-33 says;

31  “[YHVH talking] I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River {Euphrates;} for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you. 

32   “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. 

33   “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for {if} you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” 

♦ So what is He saying?  As I lead you and you follow Me and My ways, by not making a covenant with them or with their gods…in other words, don’t learn their ways so that you won’t sin against Me, then I will drive out your enemies before you by giving them into your hand. 

♦ So while He’s leading in front of us, He’s also driving out our enemies.  He leads His sheep, but drives the enemies away.

♦ Isaiah 42:16 says; “I will lead [With what? A shepherd’s staff ~the Lamed] the blind by a way they do not know, in paths they do not know, I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them and rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, and I will not leave them undone.”

♦ And in Isaiah 63:14 it says; As the cattle which go down into the valley, The Spirit of YHVH gave them rest [Again, by the shepherd’s staff ~the Lamed]. So You led Your people, [Why?  He goes onto say] To make for Yourself a glorious name.

♦ When we allow the Spirit to lead us down His path of righteousness, through His door, Yeshua’s example…then His name is made glorious.

♦ The following I find fascinating. Yeshua said in John 10:11 that “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” And again in verses 15, 17, & 18 he says that He lays down His life for the sheep.  This becomes more meaningful when we understand the culture of that day.  There were times that a shepherd would sleep on the ground in the opening of the sheep pen thereby using his own body to block the opening and keep the sheep in for the night.  Thus the shepherd literally is the door or gate for the sheep.  No harm could come to them as long as the shepherd is the door.

♦ So, not only does it mean that Yeshua’s going to die for His sheep in order that we may have eternal life, but once we are in His kingdom by becoming born again, He will lead the way, while we’re on this earth and He will be the door to the sheep pen, driving out our enemies from before us…as long as we follow the way of the Good Shepherd.

♦ Blessing, abundance, & protection are all ours while on this earth.  He has one flock!!  Yeshua is both the Living Torah and the Written Torah (the Word) which IS the door.  May we understand and be led by it!

Have a blessed and shalom filled day!!

Tammy

Courtesy of
River of Life Tabernacle
Tammy McLendon
Great peace have they who love Your law. Psalm 119:165a