I have always wondered about the picture David the Psalmist painted in his lyrics, portraying God as a shepherd and referring to all of God's followers as his sheep. Centuries later, Jesus, too, called himself the Good Shepherd.
I know very little about raising sheep and their characteristics, but in reading A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by Phillip Keller, the author shared information that opened my eyes to better understand many things David understood and alluded to.
Mankind was never created to be separated and completely independent from the Creator. This is demonstrated in the routine in the Garden, where in Genesis, it is recorded that God came in the cool of the day to walk and talk with Adam and Eve daily.
Many of us are like the sheep Keller raised. We wander off and get distracted. Eventually, we return to the flock for safety, but in the meantime, like sheep straying away, we hurriedly drink from dirty, rancid puddles rather than waiting for the pure, cool streams our heavenly shepherd wants to lead us to. Discord and frustration by some are sown in the flock, and they need to be reoriented or removed so that the rest of the flock can flourish in peace.
I learned about a deadly condition that sheep can suffer from in Keller's book, which surprised me. If not for the shepherd's intervention, a cast sheep that is too fat has too much wool or gets stuck on its back as it rolls down in a soft hollow. These sheep end up on their backs, helpless to right themselves to stand on their feet again. On their backs with their feet in the air, their rumen expands. This cuts off circulation to their legs and further interrupts any chance of standing upright again. This quickly turns into a deadly situation and sheep cannot survive without the aid of a watchful shepherd who notices their feet in the air, coming to the rescue.
The shepherd turns them over, and as he straddles the sheep between his legs, he soothingly speaks to it. Then, gently, the shepherd rubs its legs to aid in circulating the blood. If the sheep is still too weak to stand alone, patiently, the process is repeated. The shepherd knows it is just a matter of time before the sheep will respond and be able to stand erect again.
Once the sheep is restored, it often leaps around in joy to join the other flock members. What a pleasant sight! I imagine the shepherd laughs at these antics out of pure joy at its recovery.
Humans who are consumed by themselves become fat with pride. This illusion of self-importance is a recipe for self-destruction. Many individuals consider themselves the end-all, cutting others down and seemingly considering themselves gods and perfection. These have gone astray and turned their backs on the Creator, who brought everything into being.
Just like a patient shepherd shears the excess wool that causes a cast sheep to roll over onto its back, so Jesus came to shear mankind of the extreme weight of sin and death that take us on a death roll toward eternal damnation.
By clipping and trimming us from this self-imposed separation from God, He restores in us our true destiny. Hidden under all that mess, Jesus uncovers the uniquely beautiful spiritual DNA that perfectly suits and fulfills us.
This fresh new journey begins once a person surrenders to God's call. Unexplainable joy fills us on these new paths with a deeper dimension of joy, peace, and love that generates compassion to share with others so that they can enjoy freedom.
God is the epicenter and source of all love. He is pure in intent and has our best interest at heart. We are his ultimate plan for being catalysts to change the chaos and deprivation on this planet. Plug into the Source and be all you were meant to be!
My heavenly Father is a good God. I shall not want.
Romans 8:15-17 (MSG)
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us--an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!
My references on cast sheep are from Phillip Keller*, and the scripture is from The Message Bible.
*For two months, I studied Keller's book A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23 and Psalm 23 with a group of ladies. We learned corresponding truths in the Bible concerning shepherds and sheep.
Keller had degrees and experience in many fields and worked primarily out of British Columbia, but he was raised in East Africa, where he observed shepherds during his childhood.
Later in his adult life, he owned and tended sheep for eight years. This gave him an insider's view, allowing him to gain insights into what David, the shepherd king, wrote about in this great psalm. I highly recommend reading both.
