A SHEPHERD LOOKS AT PSALM 23 #3

 A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23 #3

Lying down in green Pastures

                     HE MAKES ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES

     THE STRANGE THING about sheep is that because of their very

make-up it is almost impossible for them to be made to lie down

unless four requirements are met.

* Owing to their timidity they refuse to lie down unless they are

free of all fear.   

      

* Because of the social behavior within a flock sheep will not

lie down unless they are free from friction with others of their

kind. 

* If tormented by flies or parasites, sheep will not lie down.

Only when free of these pests can they relax.

* Lastly, sheep will not lie down as long as they feel in  need

of finding food. They must be free from hunger.

     It is significant that to be at rest there must be a

definite sense of freedom from fear, tension, aggravations and

hunger. The unique aspect of the picture is that it is only the

sheepman himself who can provide release from these anxieties. 

It all depends upon the diligence of the owner whether or not his

flock is free of disturbing influences.

     When we examine each of these four factors that affect sheep

so severely we will understand why the part the owner plays in

their management is so tremendously important. It is actually he

who makes it possible for them to lie down, to rest, to relax, to

be content and quiet and flourishing.

     A flock that is restless, discontented, always agitated and

disturbed never does well.

     And the same is true of people.

     It is not generally known that sheep are so timid and easily

panicked that even a stray jackrabbit suddenly bounding from

behind a bush can stampede a whole flock. When one startled 

sheep runs in fright a dozen others will bolt with it in blind fear,

not waiting to see what frightened them.

     One day a friend came to call on us from the city. She had a

tiny Pekingese pup along. As she opened the car door the pup

jumped out on the grass. Just one glimpse of the unexpected

little dog was enough. In sheer terror over 200 of my sheep which

were resting nearby leaped up and rushed off across the pasture.

     As long as there is even the slightest suspicion of danger

from dogs, coyotes, cougars, bears or other enemies the sheep

stand up ready to flee for their lives. They have little or no

means of selfdefense. They are helpless, timid, feeble creatures

whose only recourse is to run.

     When I invited friends to visit us, after the Pekingese

episode, I always made it clear their dogs were to be left at

home. I also had to drive off or shoot other stray dogs that came

to molest or disturb the sheep. Two dogs have been known to kill

as many as 292 sheep in a single night of unbridled slaughter.

Ewes, heavy in lamb, when chased by dogs or other predators will

slip their unborn lambs and lose them in abortions. A shepherd's

loss from such forays can be appalling. One morning at dawn I

found nine of my choicest ewes, all soon to lamb, lying dead in

the field where a cougar had harried the flock during the night.

It was a terrible shock to a young man like myself just new to

the business and unfamiliar with such attacks. From then on I

slept with a .303 rifle and flashlight by my bed. At the least

sound of the flock being disturbed I would leap from bed and

calling my faithful collie, dash out into the night, rifle in

hand, ready to protect my sheep.

     In the course of time I came to realize that nothing so

quieted and reassured the sheep as to see me in the field. The

presence of their master and owner and protector put them at 

ease as nothing else could do, and this applied day and night.

     There was one summer when sheep rustling was a common

occurrence in our district. Night after night the dog and I were

out under the stars, keeping watch over the flock by night, ready

to defend them from the raids of any rustlers. The news of my

diligence spread along the grapevine of our back country roads

and the rustlers quickly decided to leave us alone and try their

tactics elsewhere.

"He maketh me to lie down."

     In the Christian's life there is no substitute for the keen

awareness that my Shepherd is nearby. There is nothing like

Christ's presence to dispel the fear, the panic, the terror of

the unknown.

     We live a most uncertain life. Any hour can bring disaster,

danger and distress from unknown quarters. Life is full of

hazards. No one can tell what a day will produce in new trouble.

We live either in a sense of anxiety, fear and foreboding, or in

a sense of quiet rest. Which is it?

     Generally it is the "unknown," the "unexpected," that

produces the greatest panic. It is in the grip of fear that most

of us are unable to cope with the cruel circumstances and harsh

complexities of life. We feel they are foes which endanger our

tranquility. Often our first impulse is simply to get up and run

from them.

     Then in the midst of our misfortunes there suddenly comes

the awareness that He, the Christ, the Good Shepherd is there. It

makes all the difference. His presence in the picture throws a

different light on the whole scene. Suddenly things are not half

so black nor nearly so terrifying. The outlook changes and there

is hope. I find myself delivered from fear. Rest returns and I

can relax.

     This has come to me again and again as I grow older. It is

the knowledge that my Master, my Friend, my Owner has things

under control even when they may appear calamitous. This gives 

me great consolation, repose, and rest. "Now I lay me down in peace

and sleep, for Thou God keepest me."

     It is the special office work of God's gracious Spirit to

convey this sense of the Christ to our fearful hearts... quietly

to reassure us that Christ Himself is aware of our dilemma and

deeply involved in it with us.

     And it is in fact in this assurance that we rest and relax.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and

of love, and of a sound [disciplined] mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).

     The idea of a sound mind is that of a mind at ease - at

peace - not perturbed or harassed or obsessed with fear and

foreboding for the future.

"I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou, Lord, only

makest me dwell in safety."

     The second source of fear from which the sheepman delivers

his sheep is that of tension, rivalry, and cruel competition

within the flock itself.

     In every animal society there is established an order of

dominance or status within the group. In a penful of chickens it

is referred to as the "pecking order." With cattle it is called

the "horning order." Among sheep we speak of the "butting order."

Generally an arrogant, cunning and domineering old ewe will be

boss of any bunch of sheep. She maintains her position of

prestige by butting and driving other ewes or lambs away from the

best grazing or favorite bedgrounds. Succeeding her in precise

order the other sheep all establish and maintain their exact

position in the flock by using the same tactics of butting and

thrusting at those below and around them.

     A vivid and accurate word picture of this process is given

to us in Ezekiel 34:15-16 and 20-22. This is a startling example,

in fact, of the scientific accuracy of the Scriptures in

describing a natural phenomenon.

     Because of this rivalry, tension, and competition for status

and self-assertion, there is friction in a flock. The sheep

cannot lie down and rest in contentment. Always they must stand

up and defend their rights and contest the challenge of the

intruder.

     Hundreds and hundreds of times I have watched an austere old

ewe walk up to a younger one which might have been feeding

contentedly or resting quietly in some sheltered spot. She would

arch her neck, tilt her head, dilate her eyes and approach the

other with a stiff-legged gait. All of this was saying in

unmistakable terms, "Move over! Out of my way! Give ground or

else!" And if the other ewe did not immediately leap to her feet

in self-defense she would be butted unmercifully. Or if she did

rise to accept the challenge one or two strong thrusts would soon

send her scurrying for safety.

     This continuous conflict and jealousy within the flock can

be a most detrimental thing. The sheep become edgy, tense,

discontented and restless. They lose weight and become irritable.

But one point that always interested me very much was that

whenever I came into view and my presence attracted their

attention, the sheep quickly forgot their foolish rivalries and

stopped their fighting. The shepherd's presence made all the

difference in their behavior.

     This, to me, has always been a graphic picture of the

struggle for status in human society. There is the eternal

competition "to keep up with the Joneses" or, as it is now - 

"to keep up with the Joneses' kids."

     In any business firm, any office, any family, any community,

any church, any human organization or group, be it large or

small, the struggle for self-assertion and self-recognition goes

on. Most of us fight to be "top sheep." We butt and quarrel and

compete to "get ahead." And in the process people are hurt.

     It is here that much jealousy arises. This is where petty

peeves grow into horrible hate. It is where ill-will and contempt

come into being, the place where heated rivalry and deep

discontent is born. It is here that discontent gradually grows

into a covetous way of life where one has to be forever "standing

up" for himself, for his rights, "standing up" just to get ahead

of the crowd.

     In contrast to this, the picture in the Psalm shows us God's

people lying down in quiet contentment.

     One of the outstanding marks of a Christian should be a serene 

sense of gentle contentment.     

 

"Godliness with contentment is great gain."

     Paul put it this way, "I have learned in whatsoever state I

am, therewith to be content," and certainly this applies to my

status in society.

     The endless unrest generated in the individual who is always

trying to "get ahead" of the crowd, who is attempting always to

be top man or woman on the totem pole, is pretty formidable to

observe.

     In His own unique way, Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, in

His earthly life pointed out that the last would be first and the

first last. In a sense I am sure He meant first in the area of

His own intimate affection. For any shepherd has great compassion

for the poor, weak sheep that get butted about by the more

domineering ones.

     More than once I have strongly trounced a belligerent ewe

for abusing a weaker one. Or when they butted lambs not their 

own I found it necessary to discipline them severely, and certainly

they were not first in my esteem for their aggressiveness.

     Another point that impressed me, too, was that the less

aggressive sheep were often far more contented, quiet and

restful. So that there were definite advantages in being "bottom

sheep."

     But more important was the fact that it was the Shepherd's

presence that put an end to all rivalry. And in our human

relationships when we become acutely aware of being in the

presence Of Christ, our foolish, selfish snobbery and rivalry

will end. It is the humble heart walking quietly and contentedly

in the close and intimate companionship of Christ that is at

rest, that can relax, simply glad to lie down and let the world

go by.

     When my eyes are on my Master they are not on those around

me. This is the place of peace.

     And it is good and proper to remind ourselves that in the

end it is He who will decide and judge what my status really is.

After all, it is His estimation of the that is of consequence.

Any human measurement at best is bound to be pretty un-

predictable, unreliable, and far from final. To be thus, close to

Him, conscious of His abiding presence, made real in my mind,

emotions and will by the indwelling gracious Spirit, is to be set

free from fear of my fellow man and whatever he might think of

me.

     I would much rather have the affection of the Good Shepherd

than occupy a place of prominence in society... especially if I

had attained it by fighting, quarrelling and bitter rivalry with

my fellow human beings. "Blessed [happy, to be envied] are the

merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

     As is the case with freedom from fear of predators or

friction within the flock, the freedom of fear from the torment

of parasites and insects is essential to the contentment of

sheep. This aspect of their behavior will be dealt with in

greater detail later in the Psalm. But it is nevertheless

important to mention it here. Sheep, especially in the summer,

can be driven to absolute distraction by nasal flies, bot flies,

warble flies and ticks. When tormented by these pests it is

literally impossible for them to lie down and rest. Instead they

are up and on their feet, stamping their legs, shaking their

heads, ready to rush off into the bush for relief from the pests.

Only the diligent care of the owner who keeps a constant lookout

for these insects will prevent them from annoying his flock. A

good shepherd will apply various types of insect repellents to

his sheep. He will see that they are dipped to clear their

fleeces of ticks, And he will see that there are shelter belts of

trees and bush available where they can find refuge and release

from their tormentors.

     This all entails considerable extra care. It takes time and

labor and expensive chemicals to do the job thoroughly. It means,

too, that the sheepman must be amongst his charges daily, keeping

a close watch on their behavior. As soon as there is the least

evidence that they are being disturbed he must take steps to

provide them with relief. Always uppermost in his mind is the aim

of keeping his flock quiet, contented and at peace.

     Similarly in the Christian life there are bound to be many

small irritations. There are the annoyances of petty frustrations

and ever-recurring disagreeable experiences. In modern

terminology we refer to these upsetting circumstances or people

as "being bugged." Is there an antidote for them?

     Can one come to the place of quiet contentment despite them?

The answer, for the one in Christ's care, is definitely "Yes!"

This is one of the main functions of the gracious Holy Spirit. In

Scripture He is often symbolized by oil - by that which brings

healing and comfort and relief from the harsh and abrasive

aspects of life.....

     

     Finally, to produce the conditions necessary for a sheep to

lie down there must be freedom from the fear of hunger. This of

course is clearly implied in the statement, "He maketh me to lie

down in green pastures."

     It is not generally recognized that many of the great sheep

countries of the world are dry, semi-arid areas. Most breeds of

sheep flourish best in this sort of terrain. They are susceptible

to fewer hazards of health or parasites where the climate is dry.

But in those same regions it is neither natural nor common to

find green pastures. For example, Palestine where David wrote

this Psalm and kept his father's flocks, especially near

Bethlehem, is a dry, brown, sun-burned wasteland.

     Green pastures did not just happen by chance. Green pastures

were the product of tremendous labor, time, and skill in land

use. Green pastures were the result of clearing rough, rocky

land; of tearing out brush and roots and stumps; of deep plowing

and careful soil preparation; of seeding and planting special

grains and legumes; of irrigating with water and husbanding with

care the crops of forage that would feed the flocks.

     All of this represented tremendous toil and skill and time

for the careful shepherd. If his sheep were to enjoy green

pastures amid the brown, barren hills it meant he had a

tremendous job to do.

     But green pastures are essential to success with sheep. When

lambs are maturing and the ewes need green, succulent feed for a

heavy milk flow, there is no substitute for good pasturage. No

sight so satisfies the sheep owner as to see his flock well and

quietly fed to repletion on rich green forage, able to lie down

to rest, ruminate and gain.

     In my own ranching operations one of the keys to the entire

enterprise lay in developing rich, lush pastures for my flock. 

On at least two ranches there were old, worn out, impoverished

fields that were either bare or infested with inferior forage

plants. By skilful management and scientific land use these were

soon converted into flourishing fields knee deep in rich green

grass and legumes. On such forage it was common to have lambs

reach 100 pounds in weight within 100 days from birth.

     The secret to this was that the flock could fill up quickly,

then lie down quietly to rest and ruminate.

     A hungry, ill-fed sheep is ever on its feet, on the move,

searching for another scanty mouthful of forage to try and

satisfy its gnawing hunger. Such sheep are not contented, 

they do not thrive, they are no use to themselves nor to their 

owners. They languish and lack vigor and vitality.

     In the Scriptures the picture portrayed of the Promised

Land, to which God tried so hard to lead Israel from Egypt, was

that of a "land flowing with milk and honey." Not only is this

figurative language but also essentially scientific terminology.

In agricultural terms we speak of a "milk flow" and "honey flow."

By this we mean the peak season of spring and summer when

pastures are at their most productive stages. The livestock that

feed on the forage and the bees that visit the blossoms are said

to be producing a corresponding "flow" of milk or honey. So a

land flowing with milk and honey is a land of rich, green,

luxuriant pastures.

     And when God spoke of such a land for Israel He also foresaw

such an abundant life of joy and victory and contentment for His

people.

     For the child of God, the Old Testament account of Israel

moving from Egypt into the Promised Land, is a picture of us

moving from sin into the life of overcoming victory. We are

promised such a life. It has been provided for us and is made

possible by the unrelenting effort of Christ on our behalf.

     How He works to clear the life of rocks of stoney unbelief.

How He tries to tear out the roots of bitterness. He attempts to

break up the hard, proud human heart that is set like sun-dried

clay. He then sows the seed of His own precious Word, which, if

given half a chance to grow will produce rich crops of contentment 

and peace. He waters this with the dews and rain of His own 

presence by the Holy Spirit. He tends and cares and cultivates the 

life, longing to see it become rich and green and productive.

     It is all indicative of the unrelenting energy and industry

of an owner who wishes to see his sheep satisfied and well fed.

It all denotes my Shepherd's desire to see my best interests

served. His concern for my care is beyond my comprehension,

really. At best all I can do is to enjoy and revel in what He has

brought into effect.

     This life of quiet overcoming; of happy repose; of rest in

His presence, of confidence in His management is something few

Christians ever fully enjoy.

     Because of our own perverseness we often prefer to feed on

the barren ground of the world around us. I used to marvel how

some of my sheep actually chose inferior forage at times.

     But the Good Shepherd has supplied green pastures for those

who care to move in onto them and there find peace and plenty.

                              ...............

To be continued