My father was a farmer who raised sheep. When I was very young, I spent much time helping him care for them and the other animals.
What I remember most was the great love my father had for all the animals, but especially for his sheep. It wasn't because they were the smartest of the barnyard crew; they weren't. They were the stupid ones. Yet my father saw in his sheep a gentle and quiet spirit the other animals didn't have.
Every spring there would be at least one orphan lamb to be fed because its mother didn't accept it. It was my job to feed it milk from a baby's bottle until it was old enough to eat grass. Nothing was too much trouble to care for these little lambs.
I see myself as one of these lambs which my Father in heaven has cared for over the years. Even though I have done some very stupid things, His hand has always been there to protect me from those which might trap me permanently. He has always removed me from the thorny thickets in which I have constantly entangled myself.
The 23rd Psalm was written by King David who had been a shepherd boy. He said, "The Lord is my Shepherd." Although written many years before Jesus lived on the earth, Jesus later referred to Himself as a Shepherd and His followers as sheep. It is a Psalm of comfort and assurance of His love and care for His own dear sheep. We are assured of green pastures-- spiritual food and a quiet place of rest in the midst of the trials of life.
Most of us prefer not to have a Shepherd; we want to do our own thing. We stray from the sheepfold and become entangled in our own sin, forgetting to remain close to the only One who can help us.
Sheep sometimes get on their backs and can't get up by themselves. Shepherds refer to this as being `cast down.' When the Bible speaks of "Why art thou cast down, O my soul"? (Ps.42:5), it refers to sheep. But David says, "He restores my soul." Just as the shepherd is the only one who can set the `cast down' sheep on its feet again, so our Jesus is the only One who can get us out of our predicaments.
Jesus told the parable about the 99 sheep who were safely in the fold, but the shepherd continued to search for the one missing. He said there was more rejoicing in heaven over the one who was rescued than over the 99 who were already in His care (Luke 15:1-7). Jesus is out today looking for His stray lambs to bring them all safely into the fold because He loves them all so much.
Shepherds in Palestine search out `tables' of good grazing high up in the mountains, and take the sheep there where the food and water are excellent. The shepherd goes up first to check for poisonous weeds or falling rocks which might harm them.
In the same way, Jesus always goes ahead of you and me knowing what we must face and preparing a solution to our upcoming problems. The Psalm says, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." Jesus knows what the devil is going to try to do to us, so he clears the way ahead so that the devil's snares cannot hold us in bondage. But we humans are apt to rush up to the green pastures ahead of the Shepherd and meet the devil head-on, without the protection of the Shepherd.
Shepherds use a rod to fend off wild animals. Moses used a rod, the rod of God, to free the people from the slavery of Egypt. Egypt represents sin, so the rod represents God's power to free us from sin. Sin is our greatest enemy because, through it, we lose the power of the Shepherd, Jesus, to protect us.
Shepherds use a staff to free the animals from the thorns and thickets. Jesus, too, frees us from the problems we make for ourselves.
If we sheep could see that all we need to do is stay within calling distance of our Shepherd, nothing could ever harm us. Shepherds slept across the doorway of the sheepfold to protect the sheep. Jesus, too, is always there listening for us. If we would stay close to Him and not be the stubborn rebellious sheep that we are, we would have spiritual food and water by day and peaceful rest at night. We would know the Shepherd is keeping watch over us.
Most of our generation are starving and careless sheep who have wandered far from the Shepherd, some not even knowing there IS a Shepherd. They stand outside the fence of the sheepfold, looking toward the green pastures and the still waters, but themselves without food or water. We who call ourselves Christian must stand on our side of the fence and tell them that, if they wish, our Shepherd will take His staff and help them come over to our side of the fence where all is peace and rest.
We must tell these sheep how much our Shepherd loves and wants to take care of them just as my father, many years ago, loved and nurtured his weak and helpless lambs!
© 1999, Doreen Palmer