March 10, 2013, by Ann LeFevre

Shepherds and Sheep

Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.  March, 10, 2013

Follow the Leader/Simon Says- They were popular games we played as children.  Of course the best part of each of those games was when you got to be the leader!  There was a lot of power in saying “Simon says, ‘Put your hand on your head!’” and seeing all your friends do exactly what you said.  And when someone goofed and missed, you had the power and authority to say, “You’re out!” and that person had to sit down.  When playing Follow the Leader, you set the course and everyone went where you went!  It’s true, there’s a lot of power in being the leader, but most of us are not leaders, we are followers.  And that means we must choose who we follow wisely.

Lord, As we open Your word today and learn of what it has to say to us about leaders and followers, we ask that Your Holy Spirit would enlighten us so that we will follow You and only You.  Amen

Contrary to the popular saying, certain ladies of the night are not members of the oldest profession!  That honor goes to shepherds.  Archaeologists have uncovered thousands of small tablets like this one.  This small piece of clay is a contract that records the number of sheep and goats which belong to a certain farmer.

In these contracts the farmer/owner hires a shepherd to move his flock to a new water source or to tend to his flock in a new grazing area.  An interesting aspect of these contracts is that there is a built-in loss factor of 20%.  In other words it was a given that some sheep would get sick, get lost, get hurt, or become the shepherd’s dinner!

In order to do this job well, the shepherd must know the lay of the land.  In Israel the majority of shepherding is done in the region known as the Negev.  It is a wide open region that accommodates large herds easily.  But it is also much drier, receiving substantially less rainfall the further south you go, so a shepherd needs to know where flocks will be able to graze and get water too.  Scattered wells and cisterns throughout this area help, but more importantly, good shepherds know how to “read the rocks”.  The bedrock of this region is comprised of Senonian Chalk, Alluvium and Limestone which can form large pockets in the rock where water can collect.  A good shepherd knows how to tap into these pockets and provide water for his herd.  Wadis are a water source too.  These gorges and ravines are carved into the ground by natural elements such as wind and water.  Some are very narrow, and some are quite wide.  Although they may look like a great place to bring a herd the shepherd must know the best way in and out for wadis are prone to rapid temperature changes and flash floods.

But why do sheep need a shepherd?  Aren’t they able to fend for themselves like other animals?  Well, there are two things about sheep that have not changed for thousands of years.  The first is:  Sheep are stupid!

Photo by Jennifer Esperani

And the second is that because sheep are stupid, they are also vulnerable.  Sheep are known to follow each other into ditches or wander off from the herd and end up lost.  If one tips over and ends up on its back with his feet in the air, he cannot turn himself over.  And other sheep will stand there and just look at him.  With no common sense and no natural defenses, sheep are prone to attacks from predators.  So to say they need a shepherd is putting it mildly.  Without a shepherd, sheep would not survive.

In order to keep the herd as safe as possible and make sure that the 80% required make it to the grazing area, shepherds have developed a system to move them.   The older, more experienced shepherd will follow behind the herd and watch for stragglers or ward off danger.  Another shepherd will go in front of the herd.  It is his job to guide them along the chosen route and he does this by calling out to the sheep (usually by name!).  The sheep in turn, hear the shepherd’s voice and follow behind him by watching his feet.  These practices have not changed for thousands of years!  One of my favorite experiences in Israel was while standing at Jacob’s well in Beer Sheva, my group saw two shepherds leading a flock of sheep through the Negev.  You could hear those silly critters bleating and complaining from a ways off, and my goodness, did they make a ruckus!  As the flock neared us you could also hear the shepherd calling out to the flock.  I’m surprised they even heard him!

As most of us know, David who wrote the psalm we read this morning was well acquainted with shepherding.  While three of his older brothers were enlisted in Saul’s army, David, the rest of his brothers and his father remained home and took care of their sheep.  David was a good shepherd from what the Bible tells us and shepherding seems to have prepared him well for fighting giants and the role of king.   It could have been easy for David to think that his shepherding skills could keep him out of harm’s way.  After all, in protecting his sheep he killed both a lion and a bear.  But instead David declares “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

David must have seen something in his sheep that reminded him of human nature.  Perhaps the vulnerability of his sheep reminded him of his own vulnerability in the harsh elements of the Negev.  The question is, “What does David’s Shepherd do that makes David trust Him so completely- just like sheep implicitly trust their shepherd?”  I would like to highlight three aspects of David’s Shepherd today.

Photo by Ruth Moucharafieh

First: David’s Shepherd brings him to a place where he can eat!  Our translations often read “green pastures” for this place, but the word here nahavote in Hebrew, is really the specific word for the green places at the bottom of the wadi where water has produced nice, green, vegetation.  It’s a great place to eat and rest but without a shepherd who understands the lay of the land and knows what to listen for while he’s in the wadi, the sheep could be in danger of drowning in a flash flood, getting hurt, or succumbing to a rapid temperature drop.

Photo by AHL

Secondly: David’s Shepherd restores his soul.  The wilderness is a dry place.  In the shepherding region of the Negev there is only 10 inches of rainfall per year.  David’s Shepherd knows where the water is (whether it’s in a wadi, a cistern or in the rock) and He leads him to that water source.  In the Hebrew mind there is a close connection between the soul and breath therefore the same word is used for them.  In a practical sense David’s Shepherd refreshes the place that his breath passes through- his throat- with this water.  But the Shepherd also restores his inner most being- his very life-breath, his soul.

Thirdly: David’s Shepherd makes sure that David is on the right path.  He guides him across the Negev to the places where water and food can be found.  He leads him along those rocky wadis in the safest way so that David arrives at the proper destination.  The climate in a wadi can change rapidly.  There can be a vast difference in temperature just between the area with sun and an area in the shade.  Without common sense, sheep need someone to watch out for these dangers.  Because David’s Shepherd is so good, David never fears the dark shadows of the wadi.  He has confidence in the Shepherd who is leading the way.

Photo by Joanna Payne

So here is my question today.  Who is your Shepherd?  If you and I believe that the Lord is our Shepherd, then that means we are…His sheep.  And what do we know about sheep?  Yes, they are stupid and vulnerable!  They lack common sense and need guidance through their harsh environment.  But do you and I really believe, REALLY BELIEVE, that the Lord is our Shepherd.  Do we see ourselves as a sheep?  Or do we think we can handle life on our own?  If we believe we are as vulnerable as sheep, then are we following the Shepherd?

You probably think that I have never made any stupid decisions in my life.  But, believe me, I have.   Perhaps one of the worst decisions I ever made was a judgment in character.  I was particularly enamored with one girl in 7th grade.  She was cute, she was popular and I wanted to be just like her.  So I followed her lead.  She was also mischievous and prone to lying.  I found myself copying her in dress and behavior.  But one day, after doing something I knew was wrong behind my mother’s back, it all came crashing down around me.  I was discovered in a lie, and I was mortified!  I may not have put myself in physical danger, but I had become vulnerable in mind and spirit.  I had followed the wrong Shepherd.

Do you see yourself as a sheep?  If so, who are you following?

Jesus says in John 10:11 that He is the Good Shepherd.  If Jesus qualifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, that must mean there are bad shepherds.  What makes a shepherd bad?  Simply put, the bad shepherd does not really care about the sheep.  He cares more about himself.

Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  I am the Good Shepherd; the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  I know My own and My own know Me even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father;  and I lay down My life for the sheep.  My sheep hear My voice and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life to them, and they shall never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:7, 11, 14-15, 27-28)

After the fall harvest is complete and the winter months settle in, shepherds in Israel bring their sheep in from the grazing fields and put them in sheep pens.  These enclosures are somewhat like a corral, but they are bordered with stone walls that are only waist-high.  The entry way, which is about 5-6 feet wide, is called the gate, but it usually doesn’t have a gate or door there.  It is open.  During the day a shepherd or one of his hirelings will stand guard there.  At night the shepherd lies down in front of the gate and literally becomes the door.  No predator will be able to get past him; no sheep will be able to wander out.  The bad shepherd abandons this duty as soon as trouble comes his way.  He does not protect the sheep.  When I was caught in that lie those many years ago, my friend abandoned me- even denied she was a part of the whole episode.  She was a false shepherd.

Jesus sees us as sheep.  He knows we need a Shepherd.

Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd and that He lays down His life for the sheep.  Do you see the picture of the sheep pen that Jesus is painting here?  I don’t think it’s an accident that Jesus refers to us as sheep or to Himself as the Shepherd!   Sheep are prone to getting themselves in trouble or danger.   Sheep are prone to wandering astray.  Sheep have an enormous lack of common sense.   That’s why sheep need a shepherd.  When I look back on some of the choices I’ve made in my life, I know Jesus was right in comparing me to sheep!   I know I have wandered from the path at times thinking I could find the water and green stuff myself.  I know that I have trusted bad shepherds to refresh my soul only to be abandoned by them.  As the Good Shepherd, Jesus not only leads me on the right path, He lays down His life for me.  Let me say that again.  As the Good Shepherd, Jesus not only provides me with the same things as David’s Shepherd, He lays down His life for me.  That’s why the Lord is my Shepherd.  Why would I want to follow anyone else?

Are you following the Good Shepherd?  Your life may depend on it.