Devotional
All we like sheep….
By Ed Smith

A Bible school teacher once asked a little girl to quote the 23rd Psalm. The little girl stood and said, “The Lord is my Shepherd and that’s all I want.” That may well be the best summary of that precious Psalm ever written.
Only a shepherd could write Psalm 23, and David was a shepherd. The Lord is the Shepherd of His people and they are His sheep; so David said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Wherever sheep are raised, the shepherd always walks in front of his flock when he is leading them to another pasture.  If sheep are left alone to graze too long in one pasture, they will eat and eat until even the roots of the grass are gone.  They will leave the land barren if left to graze for too long and a shepherd knows this.  

They know the shepherd’s voice and they stick to him like glue.  So the sheep in this beautiful Psalm, the flock of the Lord, are those who follow the Shepherd. Jesus said, as we read in John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Are you a child of God? Then, every time you quote or read the 23rd Psalm, you can know that it was written for you.  All believers can say, “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture” (Psalm 100:3).  We do not naturally belong to the God’s flock.  Before we knew the Messiah as our Lord and Savior, we were orphans and needed to be brought into the fold of the One True Shepherd.
We were born in sin and as helpless as a little lamb left to fend for itself.  However, because of the death, burial and Resurrection of THE Lamb of God, we have become part of the Family of God and have entered into the flock that the True Shepherd is overseeing.
But, our Messiah is not only the Lamb of God; He is the Shepherd too — the Good Shepherd as the Bible calls Him, the one that gave His life for His sheep.

Why in the world do you think the Bible compares us to Sheep?  Here are some of the reasons.

1. Sheep have no sense of direction.  None at all.
Many people say sheep are stupid.  Let me just say that they have no sense of direction and often get lost and become frightened.  It is so bad that sheep will follow whomever is leading them, even at their own peril.  Even it means they will be led by other sheep and walk right off the edge of a cliff, they follow each other unless they hear the cry of the Shepherd.   As the old saying goes, “If your friend jumps off a cliff, would you jump off, too?”  Well, sheep actually would…
What if one person told you that you look ill, would you believe it?  What if 25 people within a span of 1 hour told you that you look ill, would you believe it? That actually happened when I was in high school.  Psychology class, to be precise.  Imagine that.  The teacher told this would work, but nobody believed him.  So, he decided to prove it to us.  We chose the day and the hour and a beautiful and talented “super girl” on campus was selected as our target. Everybody in the class was to find her between 8 and 9 AM on this particular day and tell her she looked ill, or her skin was pale or something similar.  This smart, A+ girl went home before 10:00 that morning, telling her counselor she’d suddenly gotten sick.
Once there was a true story about 1000 sheep that fell off a cliff.  400 died, 600 survived.  They all followed one sheep who fell off that cliff until every single one had fallen overboard.  The 400 that died were at the bottom of the stack, and they provided a fluffy pillow for the others to land on when they hit bottom.
I’m trying really hard not to laugh.  I mean, that is pretty stupid. But, can you not see through this the reason God compares us to sheep?  Men and women will follow a perceived leader over a cliff and not even think about it until we hit bottom.  We have a lot in common with sheep!

2. Sheep are defenseless
One of the most interesting characteristics of sheep in the Bible is that they cannot defend themselves very well.
Have you ever heard sheep growl or show their teeth? Or perhaps maybe bark, or bite, or run fast or stick out their claws? They can’t spray you like a skunk or sting you like a bee and they don’t run away from danger. They will stand there when one of the sheep in the herd is attacked and watch that one die.

However, they do have two things in their arsenal:
When sheep are frightened by noise such as running water, they will run away together (we all hope it’s not towards a cliff!). They have some kind of protection as a whole group whereas, but individually, they are defenseless.
Also, sheep will kick. A ewe is especially prone to kicking if she is protecting her young.
Other than these two defense mechanisms, sheep are like a candy bar that’s waiting to be eaten by a wolf.
We are much the same way. We can kick a little and run but, mostly, we are defenseless without help from the Great Shepherd. God compares us to sheep in the Bible because we need His protection. In order to survive, we must stick together as a herd! “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

3. Sheep can’t get up without help
Again, I’m trying not to laugh… Sometimes sheep turn over on their back, like a cockroach with its legs flailing in the air! There is an old English shepherd’s term for this. It is called “cast down.”
A sheep on its back is actually a pitiful sight. If the shepherd does not lift up the sheep and put it back on its feet, it will die there. It is completely helpless to do most anything while in this position. Furthermore, it could get left behind when the flock moves on.
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.
Psalm 43:5

4. Sheep seem to be emotional, but they do recognize the Shepherd’s voice.
This is where stupidity ends for sheep in the Bible. Sheep have a remarkable instinct for knowing the voice of their shepherd. Because they are emotional animals, they can detect strangers. Amazingly, they will fear a stranger’s voice and flee.
Since they are emotional, they also have the ability to build friendships with other sheep and stick up for each other when in a fight. They can also get anxious or distressed very easily. And they feel sad when their sheep friends are gone (dead).
We can learn a lot from these animals.
What they lack in direction, they make up for in loyalty, friendship, and voice recognition for the shepherd.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27 ).

5. Sheep are not beasts of burden like a horse can carry a load on its back.
You will never see sheep carrying a pack on their back. Other animals are good for carrying things, but not sheep. They were not meant to carry a heavy load. In fact, they would be crushed under such a burden.
This is why God compares us to sheep in the Bible.
We were not meant to carry our own burdens. In fact, we are to give Him our heavy load so He can carry it for us.
“Cast your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalm 55:22).

6. Sheep will always compromise and settle for less.
When sheep are thirsty, they will stop at a dirty puddle right in front of them instead of going for the clean, still waters twenty feet ahead of them.
Sadly, they are content with filth, so long as it satisfies them at the moment. Furthermore, they will stink and never even know it. Truthfully, they lack discernment and judgment and, frankly, don’t know what is good for them.
Are you and I any different?
Many times we see a dirty puddle (sin) in front of us and go straight for it because we think that is all there is in life. We think we are satiated when, in reality, we are poisoned and stink.

7. Sheep are valuable
The significance of sheep in the Bible is probably more than you ever realized. Sheep were treated as a prized possession in Jesus’ day. You were counted as a wealthy man if you owned large flocks because they provided meat, milk, and wool. And they produced offspring.
Shepherds made many sacrifices to make sure their flocks were protected. They knew it was their livelihood at stake.
How much more precious are we than smelly sheep?
Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us because He loved us so much. He died on a cross so we would live with Him forever.
Now can you see the significance of sheep in the Bible? It is because God views us as priceless.

There is much more that I could say about sheep in comparison to all of us and our Great Shepherd. The Bible is full of examples of how much the Messiah loves each of us and cares for us so deeply.
Just know this much. The Messiah loved you and I enough that He gave up His place in Heaven to become one of us in the flesh. He kept loving us enough to live as a mortal man for just over 33 years. And, He loved us enough to die on a Cross, be buried in a grave, face satan to take away the keys to “death, hell and the grave” and then be Resurrected on the Third morning. In addition, He loves us enough that when He returned to Heaven and Our Heavenly Father, He sits at the Father’s right hand making intersession for each of us.
God loves you with an everlasting Love, and I love you, too.