The Sheep at the Right

Wow, this is a hot topic. I've gotten some feedback and I feel compelled to continue this blogging until I'm done.

Let me just tell you something first off about farming...it's a lot more separation than you might think. First, when God formed the world, everything was together. There was no separation between 'wild' and 'domestic'. After man sinned and fell, he began to have to labor for his food and thusly began agriculture. I don't know what the first domesticated animal was, but let's just assume it's sheep since we know that Adam's son, Abel was obviously the caretaker of them. So now, we have a shepherd, and he's separated his sheep from the sheep of the wild. He now controls the genetic lineage of this particular strain of sheep. He has called out a family of sheep from it's wild ancestors that roamed on rocks and simply followed it's God given instincts. Now, let's assume that about the same time, man domesticated some goats. Let's say he found some great goats and separated them from the wild goats in the wilderness and he controls now this strain of goat genetics and they are 'his'. He can easily farm these two animals together. Their basic and nutritional needs are extremely similar. These animals, kept together, are his flock. There is only at one point that they need to be separated, and that is at breeding time. Why? Well, because a ram will try to breed a female goat in heat. God laid down specific laws about crossing animals throughout the Old Testament. He considered it an impurity and forbade cross-breeding. If a ram breeds a goat, what you get is called a 'geep'. It is a cursed animal and is likely to die at birth (which is why you might have never heard of it). Anyway, that is the time for separation within the flock from the separation from the wild.

Now, the sheep in the passage from the previous blog (Matthew 25:31-46) are rewarded with the glory of heaven and the favor of the Son of God. They tended to the needs of the lowly. This is actually(to me) not the most remarkable part of the passage. To me, the greatest and most beautiful thing is that they almost didn't seem to know they were doing it! When Jesus told them all that he noticed them doing, they were puzzled. They were simply about the business of loving their savior. When somebody has an intimate relationship with Jesus, love is more natural than nature itself. There is no striving to impress.

Now, I will try to tell you what I have observed about sheep:

1) Sheep develop a true love for their shepherd.

Many times, I have visited another person's flock of sheep and heard a shepherd softly call to his sheep and the sheep come. One man I knew would gently just mutter,"Here, sheep. Here, sheep." Another man actually called his sheep "babies", and they came. When I buy a new sheep, it takes me months if not years for it to get used to me because it was so used to it's old shepherd.

2) Sheep are not contentious

When I feed my animals, the only ones who do not fight for their share are the sheep. Especially my ewes will go to where the food is, but they will not push another ewe aside for her share. When it is time for resting or birthing or anything, a ewe will tend her own spot and not vie for another sheep's position. The only 'fighting' animal in a flock of sheep is often the ram. However, a ram doesn't attack his own ewes, he will attack a person or dog or whatever that he feels threatens the well-being of his ewes.

3) Sheep are easily guided

When you need to round up your animals, it helps to have animals that flock together and move as a unit and move precisely where you want them to go. Sheep do this. They do not need to be prodded to go where you need them. I've never had to shove one or even touch one to get it to go where I need it to go. My husband can guide them where he wants them to go at night simply with a flashlight, because they run from the illuminated spot. Bullying a sheep by shoving will not get it to go where you want it to, it will only succeed in terrifying it and making it want to flee from you for the rest of its life.

Tending sheep is only successfully done by people who will handle them with lots of patience (because they are dumb and fearful) and those who move slowly and softly. My Savior is the Good Shepherd and he tends perfectly. If things startle me, it wasn't him. If something attacks me, it wasn't him. He has separated me from the wilds of the world and called me his own. He tended me on green pastures and then sent me back out into the world as a sheep among wolves; but He comes with me. I was separated from the world to be taught how to be in it. Now I am to call to the wild sheep to come to the Shepherd as I have; to call them from the Wilderness and into the Fold. I trust my shepherd to not let my enemies overcome me. Wolves prowl and smell my flesh and long to pounce. If I flee from my shepherd, they will surely overtake me. Softly, he speaks to me, softly he says,"Here, sheep" and I follow.

There is much more about sheep that I'm sure I could share and much much more that I'm sure I still do not know. If God has revealed anything to you, feel free to share.