Shepherd What God Has Placed in Your Hands (Proverbs 27:23–24)
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Proverbs 27:23-24
Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
for riches do not last forever;
and does a crown endure to all generations?
At first glance it sounds like farm management. Count the sheep. Close the gate. Be responsible.
But look again. This isn’t bookkeeping; it’s shepherding. The proverb gives us a command: ‘Know well the condition of your flocks. Give careful attention to your herds.’ That’s not casual awareness — it’s sustained, personal attentiveness.
Then it gives us the reason: ‘For riches do not last forever.’ In other words, the motivation for attentiveness is not optimism, but fragility.
And then comes the sharp question that reframes everything: ‘Does a crown endure to all generations?’
That’s not an agricultural question. That’s a power question. A leadership question. A question about influence, legacy, and control.
Proverbs is saying this: the very things we are most tempted to rely on—success, position, even calling—are the least permanent.
Which means wisdom isn’t about securing your future; it’s about stewarding what is actually in your care today, knowing it could all change tomorrow.
So, who’s your flock? Name them.
Your spouse or roommate. Your kids. That teammate who’s struggling. The member who drifts to the back row. Your aging parent. Your own soul. Don’t guess—know their condition.
How can you do that? You could:
Look them in the eye and ask one real question.
Pray for them by name.
Review your finances with honesty.
Put your phone down at the table.
Make a list of five names and check in this week.
And before we pray let us not forget the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. He knows His sheep by name. He laid down His crown to carry a cross, and He rose to give an unfading crown to those who shepherd willingly and well. That frees us.
Let’s go to him in that freedom.
