Five sheep wandered onto our place when I was a kid. We kept them and ran an ad in the paper, but no one called about them. I was offended and disgusted at how stupid they were. I guess I had cattleman in my genes.
When I first read Isiah 53, I was REALLY offended. Verse 6 says, "all we like sheep have gone astray. we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The offense slowly bled away as my life proved the truth in that verse. I hate to admit it, but I can be dumber than sheep some days. Thank God, He is the Good Shepherd. I'm happy I'm His sheep.
STxAR - Given your history, I can see where that comparison would have been offensive to the flesh. I do think that the idyllic view we have of sheep now - being far removed from them - makes the reality even more difficult to grasp, an opportunity that you had.
To your point and from everything I have heard, if people truly understood sheep, those shepherd/sheep verses would be understood completely differently - yes, God cares for us, but because we are as stupid as a box of rocks and prone to wander for no reason whatsoever. Puts a bit of pin in the "pinnacle of creation" idea we sometimes like to quote.
Good point about humility. To STxAR's point, I find it interesting that scripture compares believers to sheep and contrasts them with goats as unbelievers. He culls the goats and sends them away while taking in the sheep. As a goatherd, what I can tell you is that goats are stubborn. Really stubborn. As in stubborn to the point of stupid. To your point TB, stubbornness is the opposite of humility. The literary devices are appropriate.
Leigh - I had never thought about the "goats" version of those verses much before you now wrote about it. I do not wonder if that is because of the Old Testament and the idea of the "scapegoat". I just always sort of assumed they were "the less desirable animal". It never occurred to me that they may have been chosen for specific reasons as well.
I am sure that even into the mid-20th century these sorts of allusions would have been somewhat widely understood. Another thing where our urbanization is a great pity.
Comments are welcome (and necessary, for good conversation). If you could take the time to be kind and not practice profanity, it would be appreciated. Thanks for posting!
Five sheep wandered onto our place when I was a kid. We kept them and ran an ad in the paper, but no one called about them. I was offended and disgusted at how stupid they were. I guess I had cattleman in my genes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read Isiah 53, I was REALLY offended. Verse 6 says, "all we like sheep have gone astray. we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all." The offense slowly bled away as my life proved the truth in that verse. I hate to admit it, but I can be dumber than sheep some days. Thank God, He is the Good Shepherd. I'm happy I'm His sheep.
STxAR - Given your history, I can see where that comparison would have been offensive to the flesh. I do think that the idyllic view we have of sheep now - being far removed from them - makes the reality even more difficult to grasp, an opportunity that you had.
DeleteTo your point and from everything I have heard, if people truly understood sheep, those shepherd/sheep verses would be understood completely differently - yes, God cares for us, but because we are as stupid as a box of rocks and prone to wander for no reason whatsoever. Puts a bit of pin in the "pinnacle of creation" idea we sometimes like to quote.
Good point about humility. To STxAR's point, I find it interesting that scripture compares believers to sheep and contrasts them with goats as unbelievers. He culls the goats and sends them away while taking in the sheep. As a goatherd, what I can tell you is that goats are stubborn. Really stubborn. As in stubborn to the point of stupid. To your point TB, stubbornness is the opposite of humility. The literary devices are appropriate.
ReplyDeleteLeigh - I had never thought about the "goats" version of those verses much before you now wrote about it. I do not wonder if that is because of the Old Testament and the idea of the "scapegoat". I just always sort of assumed they were "the less desirable animal". It never occurred to me that they may have been chosen for specific reasons as well.
DeleteI am sure that even into the mid-20th century these sorts of allusions would have been somewhat widely understood. Another thing where our urbanization is a great pity.