Fraidy Sheep
Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash
All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. -- Isaiah 53:6 (NASB 1995)
Sheep get a bit of a bad rap in the Bible.
Highly sociable, they play follow-the-leader well. While a wide field of vision gives them a great range, their depth perception is bad. Small visual details may not be their forte, but they can smell predators from far off. Their outstanding hearing is due to the design and placement of their ears, and they can triangulate the source of a sound. Another plus when you are the weakest animal on the farm with no natural self-defense.
As for intelligence, while curious and usually sweet-natured, my dad’s opinion from growing up on a farm with them was, “Sheep are dumb.”
Rams protect the herd with their impressive horns and the ability to butt a predator and seriously wound it. The problem is rams are temperamental. (Rule #1 of sheep farming is never, ever turn your back to a ram in a pen, even if he’s never been mean before). A ram also may protect himself first and not worry about his wives and children. (Surely a point about bad husbands?) Rams were often the chosen sacrifice in the Old Testament.
The only sure defender who doesn’t shirk danger is a shepherd. At night, a shepherd slept across the opening to the pen. Predators had to kill the shepherd to get to the flock. A young King David, handy with a sling, took down both a bear and a lion. Or the strongest shepherd ever, Jesus Christ, who died for our sins.
It’s no wonder sheep repeatedly are used as a metaphor for God’s people. The only thing sheep can do when a wolf appears is flock together (strength in numbers, so only one or two are lost) or run. While nimble, they can’t outrun their much faster predators.
That is a strong warning to those Christians who think they can survive the Devil’s attacks without a worship group.
Are you one of the unchurched? Keep looking. Remember, there’s no perfect group of people in the world. You may end up being the difference that church needs.
Questions for Reflection:
1. List areas of your life where you tend to rely on yourself. Can the Church help you with these?
2. Are there unique things you can do to help seek the lost sheep who wander?
