Metaphors for God - The Lord is My Shepherd

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Last week we wondered how we can know what God is like. Today we’re going to explore one way that we can learn what God is like: metaphors in the Bible! As we mentioned last week, a metaphor says that one thing is another thing. It equates those two things not because they actually are the same, but as a symbol to help us compare the two. A metaphor can help us know what God is like by comparing God to things we understand well.

Here is an excerpt from Growing In God’s Love: A Story Bible, by Elizabeth F. Caldwell and Carol A. Wehrheim.

“What is God Like?” (p 172)

My eyes are blue like the ocean.

You are the light of the world.

Okay, so my eyes aren’t actually like the ocean - but they are blue. We are not actually walking, talking candles or flashlights–but we can bring joy and warmth to the world, just like a light. What are you like?

People who wrote the books in the Bible did call God by name. But sometimes names weren’t enough to describe God. These writers often needed another way to talk about God. So they used words that the people who read the Bible would know. These words are familiar to us even today. They are called metaphors because they help people know what God is like. Here are a few:

God is like a mother and a father. Many times, God is said to be like a mother, comforting God’s children. Like a mother hen, God protects her children. Jesus called God his father.

Shepherd is another image used to write about the ways God works in the world. God guides, leads, and provides for God’s “sheep” (us!).

Let’s pause there and think more about God as a shepherd.

The Lord is My Shepherd

In Psalm chapter 23 in the Bible, we hear the metaphor that God is a shepherd.

Psalm 23 .png

Wondering Questions

  • Can you imagine God as your shepherd and you as a sheep?

  • I wonder what would that feel like to you?

Here is a video of some other children thinking about what it might mean.

I just love to see those wooly sheep and think about how much God must love us to protect us and care for us like a shepherd. When you feel scared or alone, remember that you have a God who cares for you and wants to keep you safe.

Next week we’ll look at some more metaphors for God!