The Treadway's

Trish, couldn't resist adding to your comments relative to sheep. God used them as an example of his followers for lots of reasons. Read this Bible Study I recently gave to a group of men here. Sheep are Dumb Animals Sheep aren’t smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They are basically defenseless creatures – no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. So they always need someone or something to protect them. Some sheep farmers will put a mule into the same pasture with the sheep and that mule will attack anything, a dog, a wolf, a coyote, even a bear or mountain lion and often come out the winner. Sheep need a shepherd with a “rod and . . . walking stick” (Psa. 23:4) to protect them. All sheep can do is use their legs to flee when danger threatens, and that not very well. Sheep also have no sense of direction. They always need someone to lead them “on paths that are right” (Psa. 23:3). Their natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures was the pivotal factor in sheep being one of the first domesticated species of livestock. Sheep have always been of interest to me…their habits, weaknesses, etc… This interest on my part came about because of the many references in God’s Word to sheep, Shepherds, etc. There is a wonderful little book entitled: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, that you might want to read. It’s author Phillip Keller, both a Christian and Sheep Rancher, was given, I believe by God, an ‘inside look’ at both sheep and the work involved in being a loving, caring true Shepherd. It’s a wonderful little book. We have a misconception in many cases, about sheep…at least I did before reading up on them and their ‘habits’. I always saw them as innocent little creatures who just ‘trotted along’ behind their Shepherd pretty as you please, always obeying, NEVER rebellious. That is farthest from the truth! They can be some pretty head-strong creatures. It’s one reason we sometimes see photos of Shepherds with both a rod and staff–both are needed to care for the sheep: Each shepherd boy, from the time he first starts to tend his father’s flock, takes special pride in the selection of a rod and staff exactly suited to his own size and strength. He goes into the bush and selects a young sapling which is dug from the ground. This is carved and whittled down with great care and patience. The enlarged base of the sapling where its trunk joins the roots is shaped into a smooth, rounded head of hard wood. The sapling itself is shaped to exactly fit the owner’s hand. After he completes it, the shepherd boy spends hours practicing with this club, learning how to throw it with speed and accuracy. It becomes his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep. The shepherd asserts that the rod, his weapon of power, authority and defense, is a continuous comfort to him. For with it the manager is able to carry out effective control of his flock in every situation. If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort or another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch. Being stubborn creatures sheep often get into the most ridiculous and preposterous dilemmas. Philip Keller said “I have seen my own sheep, greedy for one more mouthful of green grass, climb down steep cliffs where they slipped and fell into the sea. Only my long shepherd’s staff could lift them out of the water back onto solid ground again…” Another interesting use of the rod in the Shepherd’s hand was to examine and count the sheep. In the terminology of the Old Testament this was referred to as passing “under the rod” (Ezekiel 20:37). This meant not only coming under the owner’s control and authority, but also to be subject to his most careful, intimate and firsthand examination. A sheep that passed “under the rod” was one which had been counted and looked over with great care to make sure all was well with it. Because of their long wool it was not always easy to detect disease, wounds, or defects in sheep. In caring for his sheep, the good shepherd, the careful manager, will from time to time make a careful examination of each individual sheep. The picture is a very poignant one. He can draw sheep together into an intimate relationship. The shepherd will use his staff to gently lift a newborn lamb and bring it to its mother if they become separated. He does this because he does not wish to have the ewe reject her offspring if it bears the odor of his hands upon it. As each animal comes out of the corral and through the gate, it is stopped by the shepherd’s outstretched rod. He opens the fleece with the rod; he runs his skillful hands over the body; he feels for any sign of trouble; he examines the sheep with care to see that all is well. Finally the shepherd’s rod is an instrument of protection both for himself and his sheep when they are in danger. It is used both as a defense and a deterrent against anything that would attack. The skilled shepherd uses his rod to drive off predators like coyotes, wolves, cougars or stray dogs. Often it is used to beat the brush discouraging snakes and other creatures from disturbing the flock. In some cases, such as David recounted to Saul, the psalmist no doubt used his rod to attack the lion and the bear that came to raid his flock. In a sense the staff, more than any other item of his personal equipment, identifies the shepherd as a shepherd. No one in any other profession carries a shepherd’s staff. It is uniquely an instrument used for the care and management of sheep – and only sheep. It will not do for cattle, horses or hogs. It is designed, shaped and adapted especially to the needs of sheep. And it is used only for their benefit. The shepherd’s staff is normally a long slender stick, often with a crook or hook on one end. It is selected with care by the owner; it is shaped, smoothed, and cut to best suit his own personal use. ********************** Is it any wonder God uses the example of Sheep when speaking of His own?! The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways. Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance. Yet despite these adverse characteristics Christ chooses us, buys us, calls us by name, makes us His own and delights in caring for us. We are just like sheep. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided . . . the river of drugs, or alcohol, or fame, or wealth, or pornography. Those waters are swift and will quickly drag us down and drown us. The Bible says Satan “goes about as a roaring lion, (A lion has sharp teeth and claws) seeking whom he may devour” . . . and he can easily devour us when we succumb to his temptations. Without the Good Shepherd along to pull us away with his crooked staff and keep us pointed in the right direction, we will quickly fall prey to the Devil. What weapons do we have that will defend us against Satan’s attacks . . . can you name one? Muscles? Claws? Speed afoot? Without the Holy Ghost power to call on the name of Jesus, we are as defenseless as those in the Bible who tried to do things in the Name of Jesus when Satan responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” Act. 19:15. What happened then in verse 16? We also, like sheep, can flee when danger threatens, in fact we are told to do so. We are told to shun the very appearance of evil. How do we do that, run away from it. Put distance between us and evil. 2 Tim 2:22 tells us to do what? How about I Cor. 6:18? Just like sheep, we have no direction when it comes to finding the right path . . . otherwise why would David have written, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me”? Remember, the staff is never used to hurt the sheep, only to guide, lift, and help the animals. A good study on Sheep and their habits is a very good study on followers of Christ … I would highly recommend any Christian to look into these creatures–their habits etc. If you are like me, you’ll see yourself depicted in most [if not all] cases. 2 Timothy 2:22 22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 1 Corinthians 6:18 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.