Poetry :
Scripture from the Holy Bible
Excerpts from "God's Psychiatry" by Charles L. Allen
The sheep trust the shepherd to take care of all their needs.
The shepherd starts the sheep grazing about 4:00 AM. The sheep walk steadily as they graze; they are never still. By 10:00 AM, the sun is beaming down and the sheep are hot, tired and thirsty. The wise shepherd knows that the sheep must not drink when it is hot or when the sheep's stomach is filled with undigested grass. The shepherd makes the sheep lie down in green pastures in a cool, soft place. The sheep will not eat lying down, so he chews his cud which is nature's way of digestion.
The sheep is a very timid creature. It is afraid of swiftly moving water. The sheep is a very poor swimmer because of its heavy coat of wool. The water soaks into the sheeps coat and pulls it down. Instinctively, the sheep knows it cannot swim in a swift current. The sheep will not drink from a moving stream. It will only drink from still waters. If there are no still waters available, the shepherd will gather up stones to fashion a dam across a small stream to form a pool from which even the tiniest lamb may drink without fear.
As the sheep start out in the morning to graze, each takes a definite place in line and holds that same position all during the day. However, sometime during the day, each sheep leaves its place in line and trots over to the shepherd. The shepherd gently rubs its nose and ears and whispers in the ear of each sheep. Reassured and encouraged, the sheep takes its place in line again.
The sheep has very poor eyes. It cannot see 10 or 15 yards ahead. The Palestinian fields were covered with narrow paths and difficult places over which the shepherd led their sheep to pasture. Some of these paths led to a steep incline over which the sheep might fall to its death. Some paths led to a blind alley. Other paths led to green pastures and still waters. The sheep always followed the shepherd knowing no harm would come to them.
The Basque sheepherder describes an actual Valley of the Shadow of Death in Palestine. It leads from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and is a very narrow and dangerous pathway through the mountain range. Even so, the sheep is not afraid because the shepherd is with it.
The sheep is a helpless animal. It has no weapon with which to defend itself. It is easy prey to any wild beast. The shepherd carries a rod which is a heavy, hard club that is 2 to 3 feet long. (In Samuel 17, David tells Saul how he slew a lion and a bear with such a rod in order to protect his sheep). The shepherd also carries a staff which is about 8 feet long. The end of the staff is bent into an arch. When they walked along the steep narrow side of the mountains, at times, the sheep would lose its footing and slip down and hang helplessly on some ledge below. The shepherd would use his staff to reach down and place the arch over the small chest of the sheep and lift it back onto the pathway. Instinctively, the sheep is comforted by the shepherds rod and staff.
In the pastures of the Holy Land grew poisonous plants which were fatal to the sheep, if eaten. Also, there were plants whose sharp thorns would penetrate the soft noses of the sheep and cause ugly sores. Each spring, the shepherd would take his matlock and dig out these enemies of the sheep, pile them up and burn them. Thus, the pastures were safe for the sheep to graze. The pasture became, as it were, a table prepared.
Sometimes, as the sheep grazed, its head would be cut by the sharp edge of a stone buried in the grass. The shepherd would stand at the door of the fold and examine each sheep as it came in. If there were hurt places, the shepherd would apply soothing and healing oil. The hurt would soon heal.
The shepherd had a large earthen jug of water which kept the water refreshingly cool through evaporation. The shepherd would dip down into the water with his big cup and bring it up brimful. Each of the tired sheep, one by one, drank deeply of the life quickening water.
The shepherd is always known for his loving kindness, mercy and tender care of his sheep.And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. John 10:27-28 - My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.