He will feed his flock like a shepherd he will gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom; he will gently lead those that give suck.
Isaiah 40 comforts a broken people by pointing them to God Himself — the One who measures the oceans in His hand. The surprise of verse 11 is that this same God stoops to carry lambs in His arms.
The Shepherd Is God
The verse sits inside a message announcing the coming of the Lord in power, and the Shepherd here is not a lesser rescuer.
"Say to the cities of Judah, Behold, your God! Behold, the Lord Jehovah will come with might, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him" (vv. 9-10). There can be no doubt that the One who came long ago and will come again is Christ. In a word, the same Jesus is not only Christ but Jehovah. First comes His coming in power. Next comes His full tenderness of heart, as One who takes pity on them because they are defenceless and exposed.
So a second question follows: could Jesus of Nazareth be this Shepherd?
It is clear from those Old Testament Scriptures which speak of the Shepherd that He is God the Creator. Take Isaiah 40 as an example... Can the lowly Nazarene, whom the people despised, really be this Shepherd? Can He be so great beyond measure, and yet so good and gentle, as this glorious Scripture describes? Well, in our chapter twice over He says, "I am the good Shepherd," and in so saying He declared that He was God.
The Hand That Holds the Sea, the Bosom That Holds the Lamb
Verse 11 and verse 12 stand side by side on purpose. The same God does both.
The sea lies in the hollow of God's hand, and His power restrains all its fierce rage. In the same way He held us and restrained us in those days... His hand upholds creation, but His bosom is the place of rest for His lambs. All creation must acknowledge His power. His bosom is open for the weakest of His lambs, and they know His love. And if He has restrained us by His mighty hand, it is that we might know the rest and the safety and joy of His bosom.
What "Bosom" Means
In Scripture the word "bosom" carries a settled sense, and it also comes from an everyday sight.
Used symbolically for the seat of deep affection. John speaks of the Lord Jesus as the only begotten Son "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18)... With a loose robe and a belt, people regularly carry many things in the bosom, even a lamb. Isa. 40:11.
The Lambs Get Both Arm and Heart
The verse singles out the young of the flock, and the two clauses about them are not saying the same thing twice.
The prophet Isaiah likens God's people to a flock that God delights to feed. The lambs of the flock are the ones the enemy can scatter most easily. He gathers them with His arms of power and holds them close in His heart of love... The wolf may seek to scatter the lambs, but the great Shepherd of the sheep will gather them with His protecting arm. The enemy may seek to bring about their fall, but the Shepherd will carry them, and bring them home to glory at last.
Gently Leading Those With Young
This care for the slowest is not new. It showed when God brought Israel out of Egypt.
The royal Shepherd of Israel cares for the lambs of His flock... He cared for the weakest of the flock when He led His people Israel out of Egypt and through the sea. "Not a hoof was left behind." He gave food to them all, around their tents each morning, as they travelled through the empty, howling desert.
The Shepherd Went Further Than Carrying
Commentators note that the shepherd care promised here was afterwards outdone by the Shepherd Himself.
In Isaiah 40:11 it is said of the Lord Jehovah that He feeds His flock like a shepherd and carries the lambs in His bosom. Here He Himself goes much further. He proves Himself the Good Shepherd by laying down His life for the sheep. No one else would do it. And if you could imagine another doing it, it would not count with God or for man.
Summary
- Behold your God. The Shepherd of verse 11 is the Lord who comes with might. He is the Creator, and He is the same Jesus who said, "I am the good Shepherd."
- The same hand. The hand that holds the seas in check is the arm that gathers lambs. His power restrains creation; His bosom gives rest to the weakest.
- Arm and heart. Lambs scatter most easily, so they get His arm of power to gather them and His heart of love to carry them home.
- Pace set by the weakest. He sets the pace by the slowest, those with young. The same care left not one hoof of Israel behind.
- Further than carrying. The Shepherd who carries went on to lay down His life for the sheep. No one else would give that care, and no other could count with God or for man.