`Psalm 23 is well-known to many of us. The basic premise is that God is our shepherd and we are well taken care of. He leads us beside peaceful water and to the best pasture. He protects us from enemies. This all sounds awesome at a funeral or in our personal devotions.
But are we willing to be sheep? Are we willing to let ourselves be thought of in that way outside of our chair where we read our Bible or when we are at our best not at our weakest?
Sheep never have a positive connotation. Oh, they may be tasty but they are also not considered strong or smart. Are we willing to accept that reputation in the world? Weak and hapless are not on the top of the list when I hear people dreaming about what their kids will be like. It seems very logical though that if we want God to be our shepherd then we need to be the sheep. We cannot avoid the necessity of this arrangement. We have to be humble and willing to follow. We also have to let it slide when outsiders or even those close to us view us differently than we want them to. The reason we will look this way is because we are all following the shepherd's voice if we are doing what we are supposed to. We know from other parts of scripture that we do not all have the same gifts and we do not all have the same roles in the church. That means if we are listening well to the shepherd what we are doing may not be exactly the same as the next sheep we are next to. And here is where it breaks down for many of us in the church. We readily understand that because we are following Jesus instead of the system of the world what we do will be different than what non-believers do. However, inside the church, just as sheep do, we all wanna look alike, and move alike, and we don’t understand the sheep that is acting differently.
If each of us is willing to let ourselves be viewed as sheep to each other then at times we will not look strong. We will not look like the wolf who is so effortless and smooth in his hunting. We need to remember too that as sheep, both for ourselves and for others, we will not always be hearing the shepherd's voice well and that is where the power of the flock comes in. We both need to listen to the shepherd as individuals and as a church. We experience the goodness of this when we are not hearing the shepherd’s voice clearly. Then we can move with those sheep around us that we have come to trust. That’s the positive of the flock of sheep but again it will always just be a flock of sheep. It won’t be a herd of sleek and powerful horses coursing the plains. The flock will always be a bunch of jiggly, jumpy, fluffy sheep. To the outside and even at times to other churches, they will see us that way. But the choice is clear, be seen as a sheep because you are one and be seen as a bunch of sheep because we are or don’t follow the shepherd. There is no other choice. All the benefits of the shepherd await if we are willing to give up the trappings of the sleek efficiency and power of the corporate world. We cannot strive to be like to wolves or horses. Sheep are humble and our only hope is to grow in that humility if we want to be close to the shepherd. Growing in humility as a flock will keep us following Him together.
Psalm 23 and all the beauty of its language is ours if we can put on the humble garb of the sheep. It’s not always gonna feel great when we see how others view us but it always feels great to be with The Shepherd.
Blessings,
Will