Book Review: Shepherds After My Own Heart
by Craig Batts
What does it mean to be a shepherd in the church? What does it involve? When we consider these questions, it rightfully leads to a discussion of leadership. Unfortunately, there often seems to be a flaw in the way we proceed from that point forward. There is a temptation to look to the corporate world or to socially-established practices in order to develop an understanding of what qualities leaders ought to possess. Since the term shepherd (as it concerns the church) applies specifically to a role established in Scripture, we should look there for developing our understanding of what shepherding entails.
That is exactly what Timothy Laniak sets out to do in his contribution to the New Studies in Biblical Theology series. In Shepherds After My Own Heart: Pastoral Traditions and Leadership in the Bible, Laniak seeks to plant our feet firmly on ancient Near Eastern soil and to guide us through God’s revelation of what He values in a leader of His people.
Approach
To call this a scholarly work would almost be a disservice to its author. With a twenty-eight-page bibliography with hundreds of sources, it is incredibly dense. In fact, the author includes within his introduction a section titled “Critical Paths for Reading,” where he suggests how those with a purely academic interest versus those with a more practical, pastoral interest ought to proceed. The latter are cautioned that they “may need to skim at times with an eye towards the main points. Consider especially the introductions and concluding summary statements in each chapter, and hang on till the end” [1].
To follow those instructions, tempting though it may be at times, would rob the reader of great value. The book is extremely detailed, and it builds upon those details as you progress. The whole work’s premise is to better understand (in every sense: historically, culturally, Scripturally, et cetera) what’s being conveyed by the use of pastoral language throughout the biblical context. Much of what is being explored in the New Testament books will be lost if the previous material is merely skimmed.
Summary
Unlike many books, the introduction is an integral part of the work, clearly plotting the course forward. The book is then divided into four major sections, the first of which contains chapters that provide textual and cultural background information. While its inclusion is somewhat understandable, the opening chapter’s general discussion of metaphors ultimately feels somewhat superfluous. The same cannot be said of the next two chapters, though.
Laniak declares that in order “[t]o understand pastoral imagery, modern Bible readers need an immersion in the sights and sounds (and smells!) of ancient shepherd life” [2]. This is accomplished through a detailed account of the economic and social role, physical surroundings, and day-to-day tasks of shepherding in the Scriptural times. The following chapter continues in the same vein by presenting the prevalence with which pastoral imagery was used in the writings of pagan societies of those times. It becomes clear that such language was an extremely common tool for discussions of leadership, driving home how apropos the Scriptural usage was for the culture.
The second major division provides the meat of the Biblical analysis, working chronologically through the corpus. As the storyline of Scripture developed organically, the author observes that “foundational events and persons appear and become paradigmatic in the rest of Scripture” [3]. He highlights the emphasis given to the archetypes and prototypes established in the early stages of the Old Testament. Thus, much attention is given to Moses, the Exodus/wilderness wanderings, and David as the primary foundations for the use of pastoral metaphors in Scripture. The deep concern for and identification with the flock by the shepherds is especially highlighted. This portion of the book is followed by a division devoted to the significant shepherd imagery of the prophets.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah each receive a chapter examining the ways they refer to the established aforementioned prototypes in commentary and critique of the leaders of their time, as well as their usage of the shepherd metaphor to cast a vision for the ultimate Shepherd that was to come. The criticism is chiefly directed at the leaders’ hubris. Their use of the leadership position for selfish purposes as a result of failing to recognize God as both owner and sustainer of the flock is the theme of their faulty shepherding.
The next two primary divisions of the text give attention to the New Testament, the first of which dissects the pastoral usage in the Gospels. This portion of the book clearly ties Jesus’ life and work with the foundational elements presented in the Mosaic and Davidic discussions throughout the Old Testament. It also links Him with the pastoral references present in the prophets, establishing the qualities that made Him the perfect Shepherd. Here the book excels at tying all the previous details and imagery together, including such examples:
– Identifying the motif/use of artos (bread) by Mark, and tying it to the manna of the wilderness and the purpose that it served: not just for physical provision, but to teach spiritual reliance upon God, eventually leading to: “Artos is, thus, a cipher for God’s word. . . . It was the teaching of this shepherd—in contrast to the teaching (i.e. ‘leaven’) of the scribes and Pharisees—that would bring them to life” [4].
– Linking the healings in Matthew with Jesus’ fulfillment of the role of Davidic Messiah, chiefly referencing Ezekiel and the notion that God brings healing by replacing poor leadership with good leadership (correcting bad shepherding).
– Connecting Jesus’ “I Am” sayings in John to the Exodus 3 “I Am” account, as well as the “signs” and “wonders” located in both texts according to their purpose (“means by which the Egyptians and the Israelites would ‘know YHWH’” [5] in Exodus and “miraculous manifestations of God’s glory and revelations of his identity” [6] in John) and response (“faith (Exod. 14:31; John 2:11; 20:8), and hardness of heart (Exod. 4:21; 7:3, 13 et al.; John 12:40).” [7]).
All of this is accomplished through careful attention to the use of specific terminology and phraseology in key passages and contexts.
Section V covers 1 Peter and Revelation. Laniak states that Peter’s focus on believers’ condition as “aliens and sojourners” was meant to elicit a connection with “the patriarchs, living as strangers on this earth . . . [and] . . . Old Testament Israel, a people in exile, awaiting their promised homeland” [8]. The detailed attention to the prophets’ use of pastoral language really provides depth and understanding relative to 1 Peter 5:1-4:
Peter’s concern is that the hard work of oversight be done ‘willingly’ (hekousios; 5:2) . . . In contrast to this response is the self-seeking interest in financial gain mentioned in verse 2 (cf. Ezek. 34:3; Acts 20:32-35; 2 Cor. 11:7-21; 1 Tim. 3:8). Feeding on the flock is a sign of predators, not shepherds (Ezek. 34:7; 1 Tim. 6:5-6) [9].
The related discussion serves to further establish the principles of self-sacrifice and close attention to the needs of the flock as essential to Biblical shepherding.
The book closes with a brief section summarizing the leadership principles that are gleaned from the preceding exegesis. Short and straightforward, Laniak resists the urge to belabor the points with unnecessary additional analysis and allows the Scriptural evidence to drive home the weight and value of these precepts. Among all the principles, the most powerful were the desire that God has for His under-shepherds to care for His people as He does (wonderfully traced through Moses’ God-driven changes in attitude, prayers, and word selection [10]), and the widespread reminder that the flock belongs to God. As Laniak succinctly summarizes, “To be a shepherd is to be both responsible for (the flock) and responsible to (the Owner)” [11].
Conclusion
This is neither a work for leisurely consumption, nor is it a typical leadership manual. Laniak allows the Scriptures to paint the portrait of the shepherd, not as a list of things to do, but rather as a picture of what to become and the qualities that should be pursued as the process.
The work’s value does not lie in novelty or cleverness. The basic leadership qualities are probably nothing that you haven’t heard before. However, through the volume and depth of details presented the reader is taught to appreciate those leadership qualities as not only valuable, but as absolutely necessary. Convicting and motivating, the cumulative effect of all that is presented is accurately summed up by the author in his introduction: “ . . . as being like a tide. Each wave will move you a little, and by the end you will find yourself surprisingly far up the shore . . . The mounting force of the metaphor should make some lasting impressions” [12].
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[1] Timothy S. Laniak, Shepherds after My own Heart: Pastoral traditions and leadership in the Bible, ed. D. A. Carson (Downers Grove, IL: Apollos/Inter-Varsity Press, 2006), 27.
[2] Ibid., 42.
[3] Ibid., 78.
[4] Ibid., 177.
[5] Ibid., 208.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid., 226.
[9] Ibid., 233.
[10] Ibid., 88-90. The subsection “A priest for Israel” in the discussion of Moses’ leadership is a microcosm of the detailed textual analysis that deepens seemingly basic principles to drastically more impactful levels. It is one of the best in the work.
[11] Ibid., 248.
[12] Ibid, 27.
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About the Author: A graduate of Welch College in Nashville, Tennessee, Craig is the pastor of Mount Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in Rose Bud, Arkansas. He and his wife have five children. He enjoys exploring and teaching the practical application of theology.
December 19, 2013
Thank you, Pastor Batts, for this thorough yet succinct analysis of a book from one of my professor’s at Gordon-Conwell. Although the book has been out for some time, its value hasn’t diminished. Dr. Laniak has a unique gift of offering cultural and historical insights into the biblical text. This is a book every pastor should read.