SHEEP AND SHEPHERD - Part 1

“The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1)

We humans want to do things our way. Forget the easy way. Forget the common way. Forget the best way. Forget God’s way. We want to do things our way.

And, according to the Bible, that’s precisely our problem. “We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

You wouldn’t think sheep would be obstinate. Of all God’s animals, the sheep is the least able to take care of himself.

Sheep are dumb! Have you ever met a sheep trainer? Ever seen sheep tricks? Know anyone who has taught his sheep to roll over?... No, sheep are just too dumb.

And defenseless. They have no fangs or claws. They can’t bite you or outrun you. That’s why you never see sheep as team mascots. We’ve heard of the L.A. Rams and the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle Seahawks, but the New York Lambs? Who wants to be a lamb?...

What’s more, sheep are dirty. A cat can clean itself. So can a dog. We see a bird in a birdbath or a bear in a river. But sheep? They get dirty and stay that way.

Couldn’t David have thought of a better metaphor? 

-- Max Lucado in “Traveling Light: The Promise of Psalm 23”

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