ALL WE LIKE SHEEP HAVE GONE ASTRAY

Something I recently read, really took me back to things as they were when we first went to live in Africa. In those days, only the perimeter of most farms were fenced and even major roads were totally unfenced. There was open grazing. We learned, very quickly, to be careful of the farmer’s animals! Cattle will sleep in the middle of the road at night, donkeys will probably refuse to move, but especially watch out for sheep. If they are grazing near a road and even one decides to run across at the last moment, very likely the entire herd will follow! Sheep are naturally followers.

This is the article that caught my attention. “Near the village of Gevas in eastern Turkey, while shepherds ate their breakfast, one of their sheep jumped off a 45 foot cliff to its death, Then, as the stunned shepherds looked on, the rest of the flock followed. In all, 1,500 sheep mindlessly stumbled off the cliff, The only good news was that the last 1,000 were cushioned in their fall by the growing wooly pile of those who jumped first. According to the Washington Post 450 sheep died.” Quoted from Our Daily Bread, April 17th 2007.

Jesus often referred to Christians as being a “flock”, and being followers of their shepherd. He, himself was called the “good shepherd” because he always had his followers and their safety in mind. Even as sheep are followers, so Christians are to be followers of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Note: Not just any shepherd, for many are “hired shepherds” who have no concern for their flock. Their chief concern is purely of this world, the size of the flock, the wealth they represent, the feeling of power, and on and on.

The flock of our Lord know his voice, they follow him alone. The only way that we can “know his voice,” is to know his Word. Know the Bible, and confirm the message of the shepherd with the Word. Does your shpherd use scripture and explain it in context? or does he rely on the dramatic effect of modern prose? or perhaps poetry? or, having lived in Africa for so long, the hypnotic effect of music, especially the rhythm of the drums? This is why we include a reading guide of the Word as a major feature of our weekly newsletter, "Search the Scriptures with Bob"

Because we are natural followers, let us make certain that we follow our Lord. In Africa it is the custom to place a goat in the pens of sheep to be slaughtered. The goat, like Satan, is there, solely, to lead them to their destruction, while he returns to the next pen for even more followers.