(READ: Ex. 12:1-101And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. (Exodus 12:1‑10); ISA. 53:6, 76All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (Isaiah 53:6‑7); 1 Kings 22:1717And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. (1 Kings 22:17); PSA. 23.; 100: 3; Luke 15:3-73And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. (Luke 15:3‑7); John 10:1-151Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. 6This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. 7Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. 8All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. 9I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 12But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:1‑15);
XO 12:1-10{SA 53:6-7{KI 22:17{SA 23{SA 100:3{UK 15:3-7{OH 10:1-15{PE 2:25{EV 5:12{
WE now come to one of the clean animals of scripture, and the one most frequently met with in its holy pages, indeed there are over three hundred references to it.
This creature is first mentioned in Genesis, where we read that Abel was a keeper of sheep, one of which was used for the first sacrifice to God, an offering that was accepted by Him, because it spoke to Him of the death of His dear Son, the Lamb of God, who came into this world to die in order that we might live.
Through the whole of the Old Testament we read a great deal about the numerous sacrifices that the children of Israel had to make, sheep and lambs being more frequently offered than other animals. It is not easy simply to explain the meanings of all these sacrifices, but perhaps one day you will understand them. For the present all that I will ask you to remember is that they suggested the perfect sacrifice for sin, the Lord Jesus Himself. Sinners find shelter by the blood of Christ in the same way that the children of Israel were sheltered behind the blood of the passover lamb, when the angel of death that slew the Egyptians passed by those houses that had the blood sprinkled on the door-posts.
In connection with the sheep I want you to think of four things (1)Its waywardness.
(2)Its helplessness.
Its death.
Its place of safety.
(1)Its Waywardness
We often speak of the foolishness of sheep, we see the aimless way they move about, how they scatter in all directions, and have frequently to be brought together by the sheep dog. I remember one day in Scotland thinking how foolish sheep were, when I saw a drover trying to make them cross a gangway on to a steamer; they could not be driven, but he caught hold of one and dragged it, although it kicked and struggled, on to the steamer's deck. Imagine my surprise to see all the others, who saw the dislike of their companion, follow across the plank without any trouble. What a foolish set, I thought!
Sheep are soon lost, and once lost they have no idea of finding their way home, they get further and further away, and in the end die, or are devoured by wild beasts.
In many places in the Bible people are spoken of as being like sheep. How sad the picture of God's earthly people that we read of in 1 Kings 22:1717And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. (1 Kings 22:17), "I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have no shepherd," while in that wonderful fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, which you read before we began our talk, we see that we have all gone astray like sheep, we have turned every one to his own way. What a very sorrowful thought, and yet how true! We have our Lord to guide us and keep us, and yet how often we just go our own way and please ourselves, regardless of His will.
In the parable in Luke's gospel the poor lost sheep could not find its way home, but the kind Shepherd went out, braved all the dangers, was not turned back, but went on until He found it. I wonder have all my readers known what it is to be lost and found by One who loves them and to whom they can pray at night:
" Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me,
Bless Thy little lamb to-night,
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light.”
(2)Its Helplessness
But if sheep be wayward, if soon lost, if they scatter over the hills, are they so protected, or are they so fierce and powerful that they can drive off their foes? Of course not, the youngest child knows this. A whole flock can be driven away by a child. One day I was amused to see my little girl, when only three years old, driving before her a flock of sheep. They are quite helpless, and a very easy prey to all the wild beasts that hunt them for their food. Remember how sheep were taken from the flock of the shepherd David, who like a good shepherd rescued his defenseless charges from the clutches of the wild beast. Having thought of all these things, having remembered that we are like sheep; helpless and unprotected, surely we should be more ready to turn to God to protect us and overcome our foes, even as David of old slew the lion and the bear.
When our Lord sent out His disciples on their mission it was as "lambs amongst wolves," and so if we try to live as Christians in a manner well pleasing to God, we shall have our enemies around us, but we must always bear in mind that we have One ready and willing to defend us.
(3)Its Death in the Death of the Sheep We See the Climax of Its Helplessness! but What Wonderful Thoughts Are Connected With the Death of the Sheep; It Is Frequently Used in the Bible to Speak of the Death of Our Lord, Who Was "Brought As a Lamb to the Slaughter." We Can Truly and Reverently Say That He Could Not Save Himself, Because He Was Obedient Unto Death, He Was Doing What His Heavenly Father Sent Him to Do; He Could Not Defend Himself, He Was Truly God's Lamb, but He Went Into Death Willingly, in Order That We Might Have Life, Everlasting Life.
All the thousands of sheep that perished on the Jewish altars could not take away a single sin, but the death of Christ makes it possible for all our sins to be washed away, so that John the Baptist, when he saw our Lord, was able to say, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Is it not wonderful that our blessed Savior should be likened to the gentle and harmless little lamb? Indeed, in the Bible we read of Him many, many times as the Lamb of God, and in the Book of the Revelation He is spoken of as the Lamb no less than thirty-two times. You may not be able to understand a good many of these texts, but read them all the same.
Whenever a lamb or sheep was killed for a sacrifice it had to be perfect in every way, "without blemish" the Bible calls it, for anything that was to point on to the perfect sacrifice, must itself be as perfect as possible.
If our Lord was likened to a Lamb, He also likes us to be like the gentle lamb, but do not forget there are wolves around, though if we truly trust God I am sure we shall be able to have a song of praise in our hearts and to use those wonderful words in Rev. 5:1212Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. (Revelation 5:12), "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." May each of us delight in these words.
(4)Its Place of Safety Our Last Thoughts Are of Sheep As a Picture of the Children of God, Cared for by Him, and Watched Over in Every Way, so That Their Lot Is a Very Happy One. Two Specially Beautiful Passages in the Bible, One in the Old and the Other in the New Testament, Speak of Sheep in the Care of the Shepherd, I Mean Psa. 23 and John 10
In the picture that begins "The Lord is my Shepherd"—a marvelous word-picture it is—we see the difference between the sheep of the Bible and those in this land: the Bible sheep were led by the shepherd, not driven, they knew and loved their shepherd: "My sheep hear my voice," says our Lord, and "He calleth his own sheep by name.”
And where would He lead them? Beside the still waters, where everything is peace and quietness, where they can find plenty of refreshment, where there will be no thirst, and no hunger either, for the sheep lies down in green pastures, not only pastures, but green pastures, rich, growing grass, the favorite food of the sheep, food and drink in abundance.
When does the sheep lie down? Only when it has eaten enough, when it is completely satisfied. Our blessed Lord will give us food for our souls, He will indeed satisfy us with good things. But all the best food would be of little avail if the helpless sheep were forever fearing an enemy; the good Shepherd, however, takes care of His sheep, for we know “The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”
The poor wandering little creature in the parable did not have a chance to be lost on its way back, for the good Shepherd "when he hath found it, layeth it on his shoulders." Could you think of any safer place?
In the fold are many other sheep under the care of the good Shepherd. In the same way we should delight to be found with others who love the Lord Jesus, for it is as we are near Him that we hear His word. It was Mary who sat at Jesus' feet, who heard His word, and so it is the sheep that know His voice that will follow Him and ever be in His safe keeping.
What a contrast between the wayward and lost sheep and the one under the direction of the good Shepherd. May it be true of each of us in the words of the Apostle Peter: "Ye were as sheep going astray, but are now returned to the shepherd and bishop of your souls.”