The Voice That Gathers

"...they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd."

John 10:16

The Voice of the Shepherd gathers His sheep to Him. The voice of a true shepherd doesn't scatter sheep out of the pasture and away from the Lord. The Voice of the Shepherd is to be heard through the voice of his under-shepherds, leading the sheep into the pasture of the Lord, attending to them, accounting for every one. When the Voice speaks, the sheep gather. It's the Voice that gathers. It doesn't necessarily mean a large number gather, but those who are His will flock together at the sound of His Voice. They gather and join, rather than divide. This Voice doesn't divide the sheep, however it does divide the believers from the unbelievers. 

John the Baptist was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. This voice in the wilderness gave way to the Voice of the Shepherd. The Voice of the Shepherd doesn't slaughter the sheep. It doesn't whip them as you would a yoke of oxen. It doesn't drive them to work, rather it calls them to Jesus, The Shepherd, the Word, into His pasture where they may find rest.

"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, 
who will feed you on knowledge and understanding."

Jeremiah 3:15

There are other voices. The Voice of the Prophet, the Teacher, the Evangelist, the Apostle. These voices are important too. Some voices send out, exhort, call to action. Some voices reveal truth or instruct. The Lord is to be the Voice that speaks through the voice of these ones too. Yet each voice needs to be in proper positioning in order for God's people to be nurtured, trained and discipled into maturity. If a voice is out of position, it may harm the sheep rather than help. Whatever the Voice, it will always be the Voice of the One who loved us enough to die for us and bring us to share in the love that He and the Father share.

John 10:19; Jeremiah 23; Hebrews 10:25