If you could be any animal, what animal would you choose? Something majestic and strong, like a lion, perhaps? Maybe something cunning and fierce, like a wolf? How cool would it be to soar through the clouds as an eagle?
Odds are, you wouldn’t choose a sheep. Most people don’t think very highly of them. When someone is labeled a sheep, it’s meant as a knock on their intelligence and their ability to think for themselves.
At first it may seem insulting that God’s people are compared to sheep in the Bible. We like to think we’re better than that, but that’s just our pride talking. In fact, there are valuable lessons to be learned when we properly understand the analogy of God as our shepherd and we as His sheep.
Going astray.
The prophet Isaiah said:
“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” (Isaiah 53:6a).
I did a Google search and found out some interesting reasons why sheep go astray. The following is adapted from the Google AI Overview:
Frightened:
Sheep are prey animals and have a natural instinct to flee when they feel threatened. Loud noises, quick movements, and dogs can all scare sheep and make them run.
Distracted:
Sheep can also wander off, even in ideal environments with food and water, because they can get distracted or busy. For example, they might get so focused on grazing that they don’t notice their flock has moved.
Separated from the flock:
Sheep are social animals that feel safe in groups, so separating one sheep from the rest can be frightening and disturbing.
Let’s look at how the factors that cause literal sheep to go astray also impact us as metaphorical sheep.
Fear.
It’s not surprising that fear is one of the things that causes us to wander from God. Fear is a powerful negative emotion.
Fear undermines our trust in God’s sovereignty. It fills us with doubt and uncertainty. Fear of failure keeps us from stepping out in faith. Fear of rejection keeps us silent when we should speak.
But God is more powerful than your fears. The message “don’t be afraid” appears hundreds of time in scripture. Ask God for the courage to overcome your fears, and don’t let fear take you off the path He has for you.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
-II Timothy 1:7
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
-Proverbs 3: 5-6
Distractions.
Even when life is going great and we’re not living in fear, busyness and distractions can lead us away from God.
We spend our days in the rat race, trying to make enough money to pay our bills and get a little bit ahead. The various roles we play (i.e. parent, friend, spouse, employee, etc.) consume a lot of time and energy. With all this busyness, who has time for reading the Bible, praying, and going to church?
And how easy is it to spend all day on frivolous things? I’m guilty. I can’t tell you how many days I’ve wasted scrolling through Facebook, watching T.V., playing video games, etc. It’s easy to get sucked into trivialities, and to lose sight of what really matters.
We must examine our lives frequently to make sure we have our priorities straight. We must continually reevaluate and refocus to ensure our Shepherd is in sight, and that we’re following in His footsteps.
I like this quote from C.S. Lewis:
“I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same.” [emphasis mine]
Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.
-Colossians 3:2
Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word.
-Psalm 119:37
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
-Hebrews 3:1
Isolation.
Like sheep, we are social creatures. We need each other. Surround yourself with strong Christians dedicated to following the Lord, and you will be more likely to stay on the right path.
We are not meant to go through life’s trials alone. Find a good church where God’s Word is faithfully preached, and get in the habit of attending weekly. Seek out Christian fellowship. Lean on your brothers and sisters when you are weak, and be ready to support them when they need you.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
-Proverbs 27:17
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
-Hebrews 10:25
The Good Shepherd.
We’ve looked at one side of the shepherd/sheep analogy, and hopefully you found it insightful how some of the same things that cause sheep to lose their way cause us to stray from God. Now we’ll look at the other side of the analogy: God’s role as our Shepherd.
Let’s return to Isaiah 53:6, and look at the last part of it:
“All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the sins of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6).
In spite of our waywardness, our shepherd loves us. So much so, that He took our sins upon Himself and died in our place.
I’ll close with the words of Jesus found in John 10. May they encourage and inspire you to stay close to The Good Shepherd.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.
A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock.
The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me,
just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.“
-John 10: 11-16
