The Necessity of The Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepard I shall not want." I have heard again and again that sheep are "stupid." This description is used when comparison of Christians to sheep are made. The question is are they really? Is it stupidity or are sheep created in such a way they are vulnerable? Should "stupidity" be the description?

Sheep are basically helpless creatures who cannot survive long without a shepherd, upon whose care they are totally dependent. Likewise, like sheep, we are totally dependent upon the Lord to shepherd, protect, and care for us.

Sheep are essentially animals that do not learn well and are extremely difficult to train. Stubborn more than stupid seems to be the observation, but you tell me? Proverbs 12:1 speaks of "stupidity" as a resistance to God's Will. The World defines "stupid - lacking ordinary quickness or keenness of mind" definition per dictionary.com. Their definition is absent anything having to do with The Lord.

Sheep don't have good eyesight, nor do they hear well. They are very slow animals who cannot escape predators. They have no camouflage or weapons for defense such as claws, sharp hooves, or powerful jaws. They are completely reliant on The Shepherd.

Furthermore, sheep are easily frightened and become easily confused. In fact, they have been known to plunge blindly off a cliff following one after another.

Can you find where your weakness as a sheep lies? Do you see why you should be desperate for The Lord, The Good Shepherd?

Shepherds in Bible at times faced incredible dangers in caring for their sheep, putting their own lives at risk by battling wild animals such as wolves and lions who threatened the flock. David was just such a shepherd (1 Samuel 17:34–35). In order to be good shepherds, they had to be willing to lay down their lives for their sheep.

The ultimate shepherd was not just willing to lay down his life, but did! I hope you can see the neccesity for The Shepherd, who is The Lord?