Sheep of His Pasture

Our pastor brought out some interesting points Sunday as related to the 23rd Psalm. In referring to the sheep knowing the shepherd’s voice, he said it was the habit of the shepherd to speak pretty much continually to his flock. As he walked along in front of them, he would talk, sing, make up poems--anything to keep his voice a constant, reassuring presence to the sheep. As a result, the sheep were so acclimated to his voice that they became sensitive to it and “knew” it, relying on it for their safety and well being.

We can imagine that David sang original compositions to his sheep in his hours of isolation, picking up all kinds of comparisons as he studied nature, the sheep and other wild animals. His devotion to God no doubt grew as he observed His world and creation and relied on Him in the desolate places. He probably sang the songs and recited the chants so many times that it was easy to remember and write them down when the sheep were resting “beside the still waters.” Our beautiful Psalms are the result.

Another point the pastor emphasized was that when an unruly sheep no longer listened to his master’s voice, running away, endangering its life and the lives of the flock, the shepherd would resort to breaking the leg of the animal, probably with his “rod,” actually more like a bat or heavy club used to defend and protect the sheep. This seemingly inhumane act was really an act of compassion to save the sheep’s life, for the shepherd would then place the sheep across his shoulders, carrying it and tenderly caring for it until it healed. By that time, in its position near his head, the sheep became even more familiar with the shepherd’s voice. Needless to say, a transformation would occur, and the sheep never strayed again.

When we were in our son, Mark’s, church in North Carolina this summer, he preached on aspects of the 23rd Psalm. One thing that stood out to me was his explanation of the verse in John 10:7, which says, “Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.’” Verse 9 goes on to say, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” Mark said, from his research, he found that the sheepfold did not have a physical door made of wood; rather, the shepherd lay down at night across the doorway, using his own body as the door. Nothing could go in or out except it passed through him first. What a picture of our entrance into the Kingdom of God!

I have found, having experienced partial hearing loss due to an inner ear condition, that I follow more closely what people are saying if I look at them while they are speaking. If someone behind me says something in a soft or mumbled voice, sometimes I am completely unaware that they are speaking. It reminds me of what I have heard about servants of old, how they watched their master’s face for any indication of communication to them, whether by expression, a glance, or a word, they were anxious to do his bidding. Jesus says in John 10:3-5, “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice: and he calls them by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them: and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” What better way to know His voice than by beholding His face!