The Sheep, the Shepherd and the Sheep Killer…
John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—“
As we study the scriptures, we find that God has an infinity for shepherds. Abraham was a shepherd. Moses was a shepherd for forty years in the wilderness before God called him to be the deliverer of Israel. If you remember, Moses had tried to be a deliverer by violence as a young man, but God did not want a man of war leading His people. He wanted a shepherd. There is no doubt that the rod of Moses was a shepherd’s staff.
The twenty-third Psalm is one of the most quoted verses of the entire Bible. It was penned by King David, who began his life as a shepherd of his father’s sheep. David knew what it meant to be a shepherd. He knew what it meant to watch over sheep, with his rod and staff, his shepherds sling in his belt. He knew what it meant to lead the sheep through the wilderness, to cool, green pastures, and clear, running water.
Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”
David understood sheep. He understood their nature, and he understood their needs. He also understood predators. When Saul doubted David’s credentials in a fight against the giant Goliath, a man of war, David explained he was a shepherd. As a shepherd, he killed the predators that came after the sheep. He risked his life to save the sheep out of the mouth of the lion. Is it any wonder that The Lord called David a man after God’s own heart?
Sheep are led.
The shepherd guides the sheep. The sheep are completely dependent on the shepherd’s guidance. There is no committee decision among the sheep. They do not need to know the way through the wilderness. They do not need to worry about where the good grass is. They simply need to hear the voice of the shepherd, and to follow Him wherever he leads. The sheep learn to trust the shepherd, if the shepherd is a good shepherd. If the sheep will hear His voice, and simply trust the shepherd, they will be led to good pasture. Their needs will be met. We never see the sheep going before the shepherd, and the shepherd following behind. That would be an unnatural occurrence. Instead, we see the sheep following the shepherd. The shepherd goes first, and the sheep follow after. If we would only learn to trust the shepherd, life would be less stressful. Jesus said not to worry. Just trust in God. He will never lead you astray. He will take care of you. He did not bring us this far to abandon us to the elements of this world. The shepherd knows where He is leading us. The sheep do not need to know where he is leading. They simply need to trust Him, to follow Him wherever He leads. Trust Him. Know Him. Hear His voice.
Sheep are helpless.
When you consider the sheep, one thing becomes very apparent. They are not equipped for battle. They have no defensive or offensive weapons. They do not have canine teeth or the claws of a predator. Nor are they camouflaged, or swift. Frankly, the sheep are completely defenseless, and totally helpless. They have a natural gentle disposition. Without the shepherd, the sheep have no real protection whatsoever. Sheep do not make the greatest stories for hunters to tell. Hunters brag often about the magnificent beast, the dangerous predator they risked their lives to stalk, to hunt. They love to display their trophies, a ferocious lion, or a powerful bear. But there are no real bragging rights when hunting a sheep. There is no danger involved at all. Sheep are harmless. Sheep are easy prey.
The Predator
The predator, on the other hand, is built for battle. His disposition is fierce. He has teeth made for tearing meat, for killing prey. He is equipped with camouflage, and is difficult for the sheep to see. He is an expert stalker. His claws are sharp. He is extremely powerful. The sheep are no match for the predator. It is amazing that sheep were not hunted to extinction a long time ago. But sheep are thriving in number, in spite of the predator. But they owe their entire existence to the shepherd. And Jesus is the shepherd. He is the one who went before us, who led the way we are to follow after. He is the good shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep.
There is a predator stalking the sheepfold. He is the greatest, most horrific, most terrible predator that has ever existed. He is camouflaged, fierce and hungry to devour the sheep.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” – (I Pet.5:8).
The sheep dog
A pastor was teaching the children in his church from the 23rd Psalm. He was telling them about sheep, and how sheep are not the brightest of animals, and how they needed a shepherd to guide them, to teach them and to lead them. He asked the children, “Who are the sheep?” One of the boys in the back answered, “We are the sheep.” Then the pastor asked, “Then who is the shepherd?” He intended the boy to say that the pastor was the shepherd. But the boy answered, “Jesus is the shepherd.” This caught the pastor off guard. “Well,” he asked, “then who am I?” The boy thought about it a while, and answered, “You must be the sheep dog.”
That, to me, is the perfect description of a minister. He is a sheep dog in the flock of the good shepherd. Paul warned the elders of the church in the book of Acts.
Acts 20:28, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.”
Paul was serious about this. He said he warned them day and night for three years. He wept at the thought of the predator attacking God’s sheepfold. Paul warned them to watch over the flock, to protect it. To bark when the predator is near, and to fight off the predator should it attack. That is the job of the sheep dog. We need sheep dogs today who care about the flock of the Good shepherd.
Isaiah accused the sheep dogs of his day: “All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs, which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, everyone for his gain, from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant” – (Is.56:9-12).
We live in a church age that seems filled with slumbering sheep dogs, dogs that won’t bark, lazy, sleepy, greedy, looking at what they can get from the gospel, unaware of the danger and the predator. But the predator is there, in the shadows. They should be barking, but instead, they speak only of abundance, prosperity, as the prophet Isaiah said.
I thank God for sheep dogs that bark! I thank God for sheep dogs that are willing to fight off the predator. A blind, sleeping, toothless sheep dog that can’t or won’t bark is useless to the Good Shepherd. Listen to me, young preacher, or saint feeling the call of God, God needs vigilant, watchful ministers who aren’t afraid to bark.
He is the Good Shepherd. He needs good sheep dogs. And, listen to me, saint of God, don’t hate the sheep dogs for barking. Thank God for it. We live in a time where everything seems turned upside down. Sheep dogs that won’t bark are highly esteemed, while watchful sheep dogs who do bark are despised.
The cowardly preacher who stands in the pulpit and won’t preach against sin is a dumb dog who won’t bark. Bark preacher bark. Bark on the family – bark on false religions – bark at false prophets – bark at everything wicked. You don’t need an eloquent bark or an educated bark. You don’t need a pedigree or a degree from a bible college. You don’t need voice training and you don’t have to be a great orator. You don’t need to be an entertainer with a flamboyant delivery. You just need to be a dog with boldness to go after the predator. We don’t need more college in our pulpits, we need more courage. We need bold preachers and not cowards who are afraid to preach the truth.
Bark preacher bark. Don’t be greedy – don’t be blind – don’t be ignorant – don’t fall asleep and be lazy. Be vigilant – be watchful. Warn the flock, especially in these end days. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; (when they like it and when they don’t) reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” – (2 Tim.4:2-4).
Bark against all sin and false doctrine. Hold the bible in your hands and preach the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as a faithful witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And bark on Jesus constantly. Preach the gospel. Jesus Christ should come out of your mouth continually. Preach the cross and the blood of Christ. Bark against sin, bark against the predator. Wake up the sheepfold. Sound the alarm in Zion!
There is mistrust of barking dogs now days. It seems the idea of a good preacher in the United States is a lap dog who can fit into your purse. But God wants German shepherds. He wants dogs with teeth. He wants dogs he can trust. He wants loyal dogs. You can trust a barking sheep dog, no matter what the world says today.
After the untimely death of his young wife, a farmer found himself the single father of a one year old baby boy. He had no one to watch the baby, and had to work in his field in order to feed him and the child. The farmer had a German shepherd dog, a faithful dog, and he trusted the dog to watch over his baby while he worked in the field. His neighbor one day found out about this, and warned the farmer, “You are a fool to trust that dog with your son. One of these days, that dog is going to hurt your son. You mark my words.” But the farmer trusted the dog, because it was a faithful dog. He would come home after no more than an hour in the field, and find that German shepherd dog at the foot of his bed, where his son slept, watching over the boy. But the man’s neighbor continued to warn him, continued to sow mistrust into the ear of this farmer. “One day you will be sorry. One day, that dog is going to hurt your boy.”
Then, one day it happened. The farmer never left the boy with the dog for very long, and he had been working in his field for no more than an hour. He was coming home to check on his son. He noticed right away that something was wrong. The door to his small house was wide open. He entered cautiously, the warnings of his neighbor echoing in his mind. “That dog is going to hurt your baby boy…” His blood ran cold when he entered the living room. There was a trail of blood along the living room floor, leading to his room where his son slept. Once again, he heard his neighbor’s voice ringing in his mind, “One day that dog is going to kill your baby…” He entered his son’s bedroom. There was blood everywhere, on the floor, on the side of the bed. “One day, that dog is going to kill your baby…” There was blood on the sheets of his bed, and there, in the middle of the bloody bed clothes, was his son, lying on the bed, his eyes closed. Next to the bed was the German shepherd dog, looking up at the farmer. The dog’s mouth was covered with blood. The warning of his neighbor screamed in the mind of the farmer, “One day that dog is going to kill your baby boy…That dog can’t be trusted…” The farmer went for the axe he kept by the door. He went toward the dog, axe in hand. The dog looked up at the farmer, fresh blood on his mouth. The farmer lifted the axe and brought it down on the head of the German shepherd. He screamed, “You killed my baby, you killed my little boy!” Again and again he brought the axe down on the body of the dog, until it lay still, dead on the floor. Movement on his bed caught his eye. He turned toward the body of his son. The boy was looking at him, and began to cry. He was alive. The farmer picked the boy up, examining him. There was blood on him, but no injury to be found. He looked around the room, horror growing inside him, as realization began to dawn upon him. Oh my God, what have I done? There, on the floor, on the other side of the bed, was the body of a timber wolf. Its throat had been ripped out. The farmer realized suddenly what had happened. Somehow, while his baby was sleeping, that timber wolf had gotten into the house. It had come into his son’s room. It had come for his son, but the German shepherd had protected the baby from the wolf. The wolf and the dog fought, and the dog had killed the wolf. The farmer placed the baby on the bed, knelt down in front of the body of the German shepherd, he held its lifeless body to himself. “What have I done?” He cried. “You were a good dog. You saved my son’s life. What have I done?”
My friend, too many sheep dogs have been killed simply for barking and protecting God’s sheepfold. Too many have been punished for telling the truth. But I am here to tell you that you can trust a barking sheep dog. You can trust them with your children. You can trust them with your family. You don’t want a lap dog watching over your family. You want a sheep dog. God has sheep dogs. He wants sheep dogs he can trust. He wants sheep dogs who aren’t afraid to bark. Can I tell you that when God tells a sheep dog to bark, it’s a good idea to listen?
Al Hunt
I first met Al Hunt when I was a corpsman in the Navy. He was my roommate in the barracks for the few months he attended a training school at Naval Hospital Oakland. I was young, no more than about twenty-one at the time. I was serving The Lord, and when Al Hunt found out I was a Christian, he took pleasure in making my life miserable. He smoked in our room, and all my church clothes smelled like cigarettes. He openly mocked my belief in God. He brought women into his bed while I was in the room. He played hard rock music all night when I was trying to sleep, and had to wake up early for work. He made my life an endless barrage of persecution. But then he graduated from the school there, and was being transferred to another command. I have to admit I was happy he was leaving. But Al Hunt surprised me before he left. He told me, “Taylor, I know I gave you a hard time. I know I made your life a living Hell, but I want you to know, if I ever choose to be a Christian, I want to be the type of Christian you are…”
It would be a couple years before I would see Al Hunt again. I went to the Somalia expedition as a corpsman with the U.S. Marine Corps. It was there, on the USS Peleliu that God put me through sheep dog training. That was my bible college, if you will, where I learned to follow the commands of the Great Shepherd. God gave me a revival. A small bible study turned into a revival were many were baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. We had bible study every day, six days a week, we had it wherever we could, in an empty room, wherever we could find to meet. Sundays we had church in the chapel. It was during this time that I ran into Al Hunt again. He would only be on the ship for two weeks. He was teaching classes on STDs to the Sailors and Marines. And every time I was headed, bible in hand, to teach the bible study, I would run into Al Hunt. That is remarkable. If you have never been on a Navy ship, you might have a hard time understanding how remarkable it is. These ships are huge. They are filled with passages and many different levels. Two people could live on the same ship for months at a time, and never once see each other. Yet, though we had bible study at different times, in different locations throughout the ship, every time I went to bible study, I ran into Al Hunt. I would be going down some stairs, and he would just happen to be coming up the stairs. I would enter a passage way, and he would just happen to enter the same passage way. Every time I saw him, I asked him to come to bible study. “Will you come?” Every time, he would say no. After a while, though, Al Hunt recognized it couldn’t be a coincidence that we were meeting the way we were. He told me. “This has to be God. God has to be leading you to me.” That’s how it works when you’re a sheep dog. The Good shepherd leads you to the lost sheep. I asked Al Hunt, “Please, will you come?” He told me, “You don’t know it, but my wife has been trying to get me to go to a Pentecostal church. But I’m not ready yet. One day I will go, but I have a lot of things I still want to do.” He told me his wife had just given birth to a baby girl. I told him it was a good time for him to consider serving the Lord. I warned Al Hunt that we don’t know how much time we have. I told him to come to bible study now, not to put it off. Finally, he agreed to come to bible study if I would attend one of his classes on sexually transmitted diseases.
I agreed, and attended the class. The entire time, he used the class to make fun of my Christian beliefs, and mocked me in front of the other sailors and marines. I remember sitting there, the brunt of crude jokes and laughter. Al Hunt never came to the bible study. He never listened to my barking. Never be afraid to bark. Had I not barked, had I not warned him, Al Hunts’ blood would be on my hands. Al Hunt left the ship after two weeks. Days later, we were informed that he had gone into surgery for a routine scope of one of his knees. It should have been a simple surgery, only when he was in the recovery room, still under anesthesia, he was not being watched closely enough. Al Hunt vomited, and drowned in his own vomit.
You see, God sends barking dogs. Sheep dogs are supposed to bark. I was so depressed about the news of his death. I told the believers about it that night. God told me to teach about the preaching of the gospel, and how to some it is the aroma of life, but to others, the stench of death. It is our job to preach the gospel. How one responds to it decides whether it brings them life, or death. I am preaching, barking, crying, “Prepare your hearts. Repent. Jesus is coming. Stop sinning, and commit to God.” I want it to be life to you. I shudder when I consider that Al Hunt may very well be in Hell right now. If he is, I am sure his greatest regret was that he did not listen to the barking of that young sheep dog. If he is there, it is the memory of my voice, the voice you’re hearing now, pleading with him, “Don’t wait. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Come now. Come while you can…”
Will you come?
