I. Historical Background of ‘Sheep’ in the Bible
Old Covenant Sheep – Israel
The Jewish nation prided itself on being God’s special flock.
- Jehovah God is called the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 80:1)
- the nation is His people and the sheet of His pasture (Psalm 100:3)
There are many instances in the Bible where we can see God as the Shepherd, and the leaders of the nation as “undershepherds” who received authority from God to take care of the flock.
- When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He led them “like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Psalm 77:20, 78:52)
- When God called David to become Israel’s King, he was an inexperienced Shepherd (Psalm 78:70-72)
- When the nation was in decline under King Ahab, the prophet Micaiah “saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd” (1 Kings 22:17; Mark 6:34)
- The great concern of Moses was that God would appoint a man to be His successor so that somebody dependable would lead the flock (Numbers 27:15-23)
- Jeremiah condemned the “pastors” who destroyed the flock instead of serving it (Jeremiah 23:1, 25:34-38)
- The prophet Ezekiel delivered a similar message to the false shepherds of his day (Ezekiel 34)
New Covenant Sheep – The Church
In this present age, God is working in and through His Church to get the gospel to every creature.
- Jesus saw the people as lost sheet and He looked upon them with compassion (Matthew 9:36)
- The Church is God’s “little flock” (Luke 12:32) made up of lost sheep that the Good Shepherd has rescued.
II. God’s People as Compared to Sheep
- Sheep are clean animals (Leviticus 11:1-8)
- they prefer green pastures and still waters
- they are acceptable to God, with the acceptance which comes only through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Saviour (2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:6)
- Sheep know their shepherd (John 10:14)
- the sheep know and obey their shepherd’s voice, and no other (John 10:3-4)
- the shepherd has an intimate relationship with his sheep and knows their names and their personal characteristics and needs (John 10:3, 27)
- Sheep desperately need a shepherd (1 Peter 2:25)
- unlike stronger beasts, sheep need someone to guide them and guard them
- without the loving care of a shepherd, the sheep would be helpless (Jeremiah 10:23)
- Sheep are useful animals
- in Bible times, sheep were not kept solely for slaughter, as meat was a luxury, and sheep were a symbol of family wealth
- they were kept for their wool and their young
- Christ’s sheep should be a “living sacrifice”, ready to do His will no matter what the price may be (Romans 8:36, 12:1-2)
- Sheep flock together
- it is nature of the sheep/believers to want to be with the flock/one another
- there is no such thing as isolated Christian living; the place of safety, sufficiency, and service is with God’s flock
