Sheba was a cuddly little ball of fluff when Alan and Mary put her into the corral with their sheep. Alan had picked her up that day from a neighboring farm where she had been born right in the corral with their ewes and lambs. Now, when she was six weeks old, she was so little and affectionate that the whole family would have loved to make a pet out of her. But she was a Great Pyrenees pup and they had bought her to protect their sheep from troublesome dogs and intruders. If she were to be a good sheep dog, all her love must be for the sheep. She must learn to think of them as her family.
Sheba quickly grew into a large, strong dog, and when she was about six months old she began to set herself up as the leader of the flock. When she barked she expected all the sheep to get behind her. If any did not, she would take them by the scruff of the neck, knock them down and wrestle with them until they were willing to follow her as their leader.
Sometimes the Lord Jesus has to wrestle with us too, when we are stubborn and want to go our own way. But it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, and the writer of Psalms 119:6767Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. (Psalm 119:67) says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word.”
Since the corral can be seen from the highway, quite a few times drivers have screeched to a stop and raced up to the house to tell Alan or Mary that a white dog is in their corral killing their sheep. Alan tells them that Sheba is not killing them but guarding the sheep, and he offers to take them out to the corral to watch.
As soon as Sheba sees a stranger approaching she barks savagely, and all the sheep crowd in behind her so she is standing between them and the intruder. God has put it into the instincts of these Great Pyrenees dogs to so love and care for the sheep that they will sometimes give their lives in protecting the sheep from harm: a sweet reminder of our good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, who willingly gave His life to provide safety for His sheep. Sheba hasn’t been put to that test yet.
If you are one of the Lord’s sheep, He loves you so much that He willingly gave His life to save you from that roaring lion Satan, who is walking around looking for someone to destroy. Don’t let him get his teeth into YOU! Run to the Lord Jesus for safety, and be sheltered by His precious blood that cleanses us from all sin and opens the door of heaven for us.
ML-12/10/1989