Sheep, Savvy?

-Ezekiel 34:11-12
“‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
(-Picture was Taken in Kwambekenya, Kenya)

 

Isaiah 53:5-7 (New International Version 1984)

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

Consider the sheep. Now, I claim no expertise in the area of Genus Ovis. However, from what I have observed and smelled, sheep are not very fragrant nor are their garments unsoiled. No, the sheep I’ve seen are quite smelly and a bit grimy to say the least. I find this sheep and myself to be fairly close in relation and resemblance, although the sheep is probably a bit more handsome than me. Humor aside, many a time does our God refer to us as sheep. The writers of the Psalms speak of us as the sheep of His pasture. In Song of Solomon, I am reminded of the sheep's beauty, after it's come up from its washing. As John 10 gives account, Jesus refers to himself as the Good Shepherd- the One who lays his life down for his sheep. I am but an unclean sheep, nothing good about me. I ask forgiveness for any good I may claim to be, or be perceived as so. I am filthy bloke, my garments are soiled and my hands dirty. The only good one may find, comes from the Father above, not me. He is the Good Shepherd, I am but a part of His flock. Thanks to our Shepherd, I will live life to the fullest. I am free to enjoy His pasture and rest as He makes me lie down. May we remember, it is the Shepherd who toils, not the sheep.