All We Like Sheep

Early next week I will post more 'Reasons to believe that the Bible is God's book'.

We have a sheep pasture near our house. I love driving past it, because those sheep remind me of myself. I recently went through a couple commentaries on Psalm 23, Spurgeon, Leupold and MacArthur all gave me the information below. I hope you benefit from it.

The Lord is my Shepherd... 'This Psalm is NOT worn out – it is as sweet in a believer’s ear now as it was in David’s time' – CH Spurgeon

A common analogy in the bible is that of us being sheep and the Lord being the shepherd.
‘Shepherd’ appears 56 times in the bible. ‘Sheep’ appears 174 times in the bible.
‘Lamb’ appears 98 times in the bible (OT mostly referring to the animal, NT mostly referring to the Spotless Lamb, Christ.

• Psalm 110:3 – We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
• Psalm 119:178 – I have gone astray like a lost sheep…
• Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray…
• Jeremiah 50:6 - My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray.
• Matthew 25 – the separation of the sheep and the goats
• Mark 6:34 - When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.
• Luke 15:3 – 7 - So He told them this parable, saying, What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance

Psalm 23 is a psalm of David. Imagine David tending the sheep and contemplating his relationship as guardian over the sheep and his relationship with them. And then imagine him drawing this analogy of him being the sheep and his Lord being the shepherd.

Why would God use this sheep/shepherd analogy? We are just like sheep. We need to be led, we need to be rescued, we need to be comforted and we need to be protected.

To gain a better appreciation for the Shepherd, it helps to know a little about SHEEP.

• Sheep need to be led: Psalm 23:2 –
  Sheep are indiscriminate about what they eat and drink. They don’t know the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous plants. Their diet must be carefully controlled and guarded by the shepherd. They MUST be led to greener pastures or they will continue to eat the stubble of the old pasture down to the dirt, and then they will die. They MUST be led to clear water that is not stagnant or filled with potential disease. Can’t be too hot or too cold or flowing too fast. It must be nearby and easily accessible. They must be led BESIDE THE STILL WATERS. What are our green pastures and still waters?? Scriptures of truth which are never exhausted – they are always fresh and rich. The influences and graces of his blessed spirit.
• Sheep need to be rescued: Psalm 23:3 –
  Sheep have no sense of direction – no sense of finding its way home. A sheep can be lost within a few miles of home and will walk in endless circles in a state of confusion or even panic. If it wanders from familiar surroundings the results can be disastrous. (All we like sheep have gone astray). Like lost sheep, lost people need a rescuer. And its all for HIS names sake! It's for his ‘character and reputation’. He does all this because HE has a reputation among his saints for faithful dealings with them, a reputation that must be cautiously upheld!
• Sheep need to be comforted: Psalm 23:4 –
  Sheep lack the instinct for self-preservation. If you mistreat a sheep, he can simply give up with a crushed spirit and possibly die. The shepherd must know his sheep’s individual personalities and know how to treat them, taking care not to inflict undue or excessive stress on them. Sheep have a reluctance to move on their own when it is dark. They need a shepherd to give them confidence and assurance. The shepherds rod/staff was often employed as a defense system in some cases, warding off harmful predators. Walking through the ‘darkest valley’. – Notice the walking ‘through’. The Hebrew phrase contains no reference to DEATH. This refers more to dark and bitter experience, which certainly could include death. Spurgeon says 'where there is a shadow, there is light'.
• Sheep need to be protected: Psalm 23:5 –
  Sheep are almost entirely defenseless. The can’t kick, scratch, bite, run or jump. They need a protective shepherd to be assured of survival. When attacked by an enemy or predator, they huddle together rather than run away, and that makes they easy prey.
  If a full-wooled sheep falls on its back, often it is unable to roll back onto its feet, again making it easy prey. If it lies there long enough, its circulation will be cut off and it will die. It needs a shepherd to come to its aid, and the shepherd may carry it for a long time on his shoulders until it can walk again. Part of protection would also include cleaning the sheep. Older sheep are almost never white, since the lanolin in their wool attracts dirt, seeds, weeds, etc. They have no capacity to clean themselves. Eating wet weeds can cause diarrhea which is not a good combination with the matted greasy wool. The elimination process doesn’t work like it is supposed to and the shepherd must dip the sheep and clean him up. Wet ground is also a threat. The sheep can develop hoof rot or get diseases which quickly spread from sheep to sheep potentially ravaging the whole flock. Anointing the head with oil – shepherds would carry flasks of oil to smooth on the scratched faces of the sheep that sought food in the brambles or thorny areas. After a ‘bout’ with an enemy or a stressful situation, it would not be beneath the dignity of the faithful shepherd to carry an overflowing drinking vessel to the over-tired and out-of-sorts sheep for his refreshment.
  

So, if I am a sheep, and I have a shepherd, I really do have everything I need, and in abundance! Knowing this truth about literal sheep has staggering implications on how we respond to knowing that WE have a shepherd in Christ…

The Lord is my shepherd – I have everything I need (23:1). And because of that, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me (23:6) .