Sheep And Shepherds

*Sheep feed on the same thing whether out behind the barn or by the fence where everyone can see them.

*Sheep know if pasture is living or dead. Grass grows again; hay doesn’t. We can go to the Living Word.

*Nothing is expected of a sheep but to give itself, whether its wool or meat.

*The best sound to a lost sheep are the footsteps that have come to take it home.

*A sheep’s fleece has the capacity to absorb the dew of heaven. The quality of the fleece depends on what sheep have fed upon. Ticks or burs don’t hurt fleece, just the one feeding upon them.

*Sheep were Moses’ master. His days and night were controlled by their needs.

*Though defenseless, there are now more sheep in the world than ever, because they have shepherds. Animals that can protect themselves are becoming extinct. 80% of sheep would die in six months without a shepherd and could live two years at most. 

*Sheep fall easily when not shorn, can’t get up, lie there and die. 

*The nature of sheep is to be together; something wrong if alone. No defensive weapon except togetherness. Other animals have teeth for defense; sheep have just eight, all on the bottom for eating. Things we eat express our nature. Lambs don’t eat flesh. Only time sheep “baaaaas” is when it is looking for fellowship. Rough shearers take skin, wool, sheep never murmur. No animal suffers like a sheep and gives more. It clothes us, feeds us.

*Peter was born a fisherman, but not born a shepherd. We don’t learn how to be a shepherd at school. David learned how to be a shepherd from his father.

*The shepherd must bring up the rear at times, or what would happen to the stragglers? *John the Baptist not only had a shepherd’s garb and grub, but a shepherd’s heart.

*Sheep never chew their cud if not satisfied. Sheep don’t eat garbage. Sheep seek light. *Sheep nearest the shepherd gets tidbits from his hand. Sheep seek fellowship with other sheep; don’t care to be with other animals. They are called dumb, as they are so defenseless. Jesus never once defended himself. He had the slain lamb nature.

*Things like ticks sap sheep’s very life. Well-fed sheep can resist and throw off these things, disease. 

*Sheep follow example, whether good or bad. Jesus never had the nature of a ram, but of a lamb. 

*Lambs and sheep feed in the same pasture. Sheep chew their cud on their knees.

*For water, sheep will climb down a steep embankment that almost no other animal could. 

It is easy for a sheep to die; easy to kill a sheep. Lamb of God gave no resistance.

*Sheep don’t lie down before they are filled. Need a shepherd, not a policeman who makes them obey. Feed them and they’ll follow you anywhere. Sheep thrive on grass less than 24 hours old. Never lead sheep faster than the weakest can follow. 

*We can’t run with goats all week and smell like a sheep on Sunday.

*Two sheep dogs: goodness and mercy.

*There’s a difference between a lost sheep and a dissatisfied goat.

*The lambing season is short, but the shepherd lives all year in light of it, and all his care is with that in mind. If the flock is healthy, lambs will come. If lambs miss even a few feedings, they will be left weakened. 

*If the sheep hadn’t scattered when the shepherd was smitten, they wouldn’t have been sheep. 

*If we continue to be sheep, heaven is assured. No lost goats are saved.

*Sheep won’t drink from troubled waters because of nostrils at end of nose. They sleep in a circle at night around the fire. Enemies outside wait for one to step out.

*Although Jesus was the great Shepherd, he was also a sheep, the Lamb of God. He had a leader. He wasn’t original. God told him what to say and he did just what he had seen in heaven. 

*Most animals are led by a halter, but sheep are led by a voice.

*Sheep dogs must keep an eye on the shepherd for his signal.

*Foxes bite tongues and eyes of lambs and leave them to die.

*A sheep doesn’t stand out among sheep, but does among goats.

*Sheep, unlike other animals, have no way to cleanse themselves. Neither do they have any ability to find their own way.

*Sheep never get together and hire their own shepherd.

*Sheep would never walk in the water they drink.

*Sheep cannot make it on their own; must group together. They fall down in rushing water because of wool, need still waters. Sheep feed on tender grass, chew cud; but goats can swallow anything and don’t chew it afterwards. 

*When sheep have been worried by dogs their wool is inferior. 

*Moses would have led as a general at 40, but at 80 he led as a shepherd.

*True shepherds never drive, but true sheep never need to be driven. You can drive an unwilling person, but you can never lead them. A sheep can’t be told from a goat until the shepherd’s voice reaches their heart.

*God can’t be a shepherd to us unless we are sheep to Him.

*Shepherds are known by their voices, not their clothing.