Your Daily Slice

 

SHEVAT 27

Like Sheep

 

“Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves ...” (Mat 10:16 AMPC)

 

This statement in Matthew has long struck a wrong chord in me.  Sheep and wolves are mentioned in the same verse, with the sheep coming out as likely losers.  And we are to be like them?

 

Sheep are meek, timid, and basically defenseless creatures; they are easily frightened, and easily scattered.  Wolves, on the other hand, are by nature aggressive, fierce and ravenous, especially to sheep.  My husband and I live in a part of the United States where there can still be found large bands of sheep (1000 or more in a band); predators are an ongoing, year-round concern for those caring for the sheep. These bands, or herds, are tended by shepherds, and most have trained dogs to help guard and protect the sheep from wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, and other predators.  And there are more wolves living in the wild than most people are aware of.  We have seen several wolves throughout the years, and we have come across much evidence of their presence, through their tracks and spoor.

 

To know that the Father is sending us out into a pack of wolves defies understanding.  And yet, we are expected to live out our lives with the realization that attacks will probably come.  Truthfully, I never comprehended why our Creator would label us as sheep (Ps 95:7) until I investigated the job description of the shepherd.

 

Of primary importance is the fact that the shepherd lives with the sheep, 24/7.  Here in the western high plains, the living accommodations would consist of what is called a ‘sheepherder’s wagon’, a self-contained wagon that has been constructed for year-round living.  At one time, these wagons were pulled exclusively with a type of draft horse, and many still are. However, with our modern technology, some shepherds will use a cell phone to contact the sheep owner, who will then come out and move the wagon with a pickup to the next grazing location.

 

The point is that the shepherd is there, with the sheep, all the time.  I have driven through areas where bands of sheep were grazing close to a highway, and the shepherd was sitting on a knob or hill, watching, just watching.  And it is because of this persistent, careful observation that the shepherd is made aware of any potential threats or danger and can act accordingly. 

 

What does this have to do with us, “the sheep of His pasture” (Ps 100:3)?  Our Shepherd lives with us, for He is in us (John 14:17, 20, 23), and He is on the job, 24/7, watching, just watching.  He is always aware of exactly where we are, and He is always aware of any and all dangers that may be approaching.  Be that as it may, our Shepherd will have a myriad of problems if His sheep refuse to trust and listen to Him.  Just as with someone watching and caring for a band of sheep, if said sheep scatter and continually run off, it makes the care of the sheep that much more difficult. 

 

If we are to be sent out as “sheep in the midst of wolves”, it is because our Shepherd has gone before us to prepare the way (Deu 31:8; Isa 45:2), and we, as His sheep, must trust and follow.  Our deliverance from the wolves of this world will always rest in Him, regardless of what our outward circumstances may look like.  Our Shepherd presents us with a table from which to dine (Ps 23:5), but we must first trust Him before we can drop our heads and eat.

  

“For he is our God, and we are the people in his pasture, the sheep in his care. If only today you would listen to his voice: Don't harden your hearts, as you did at M'rivah, as you did on that day at Massah in the desert, when your fathers put me to the test; they challenged me, even though they saw my work.” (Ps 95:7-9 CJB)

 

  

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