There Is A Difference

(Excerpt from Adventure in Biblical Thinking Study Series, Volume 1, 2021)

What is the difference between a shepherd and a sheep herder?

Background

My wife and I have had sheep for over twenty years. At times we have had as few as two and at other times have had up to eighty. We like sheep and have a micro operation. We have operated two different programs: a breeding program with a small flock of ewes who have lambs each spring and we sell lambs in the fall and a feeder program where we buy light lambs and pasture them until they reach market weight and then we sell them.

Where we live, we are surrounded by neighbors who are sheep producers. Two of our neighbors are macro producers with flocks of several thousand head. Our closest neighbor is a smaller producer with a flock close to five hundred after the lambs are born. Being in the sheep business I am also acquainted with a number of other sheep producers; some are breeding operations and some have feedlots.

Relevance to the Question

Part of a sheep operation necessarily requires moving the flock of sheep from one place to another. There are two methods for moving the sheep. The sheep can be led or they can be driven. When sheep are being led, they follow the shepherd. When sheep are being driven, they flee from the sheep herder.

Sheep are prey animals and are therefore vulnerable to predators. When a shepherd leads the sheep, the sheep are not afraid of the shepherd. There exists a relationship of safety so the sheep are willing to follow and choose to follow. When a sheep herder drives the sheep, the sheep are afraid of the sheep herder. There exists a prey animal—predator animal relationship between the sheep and the sheep herder. Sheep want to get close to the shepherd and they want to get away from the sheep herder.

Interestingly, the macro operations often use dogs to help them move the sheep. A popular breed of herding dog is the Border collie, although there are some other herding breeds. The sheep are afraid of the herding dogs because the herding dogs will chase them and may nip them. The goal of the sheep herder and his herding dogs is to put pressure on the sheep, for the sheep to yield to that pressure and move in the direction that is desired. In this situation the sheep experience an external motivation for movement (fear). Often these dogs are well trained to the commands of the sheep herder. A well-trained herding dog is amazing to watch.

As an aside, these large sheep operations also have guard dogs that stay with the flock to protect the sheep from predators. A popular breed of guard dogs is Great Pyrenes, although there are some other guard dog breeds. The guard dogs stay with the flock, night and day. The sheep are not afraid of the guard dogs. The guard dogs will very calmly walk through the flock and sheep are not disturbed. I have seen guard dogs and sheep laying side by side.

In our micro flock, sometimes, we are shepherds and sometimes we are sheep herders. The flock is small and we are close to them every day. We let them out to pasture in the morning and close them in the corral in the evening. We do this to protect them from predators because we don’t have a guard dog. The sheep are used to being handled and they know us well. We talk to them. They are dependent on us and we can walk through the flock without disturbing them.

However, there are times when we become sheep herders and drive the sheep. This usually happens when we are sorting them or are loading them into the stock trailer. This explanation about the distinctions between a shepherd and a sheep herder is not a judgment matter. This simply is the way it is.

Application

The Bible teaches us the Lord is our Shepherd. Think of Psalms 23, “A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalms 23:1-3). Notice the word “leadeth” in bold and observe that only sheep who feel safe will lie down.

Now we will look in John chapter ten where Jesus declares Himself as the Good Shepherd, “And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” (John 10:4). Notice He owns the sheep, He goes before them, the sheep follow Him and the sheep know His voice. One more verse, He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11).

Clearly, a shepherd has a positive trusting relationship with the sheep. The sheep’s motivation to follow the shepherd is an internal motivation. These sheep proactively choose to move toward the shepherd because they feel safe. We know that the Lord, as the Good Shepherd, loves the sheep and gave His life for the sheep. In turn the sheep love the Shepherd. The Good Shepherd cares for the sheep. He protects, feeds, guides and treats them very gently. It is a good thing to be one of the Lord’s sheep.

This lengthy discussion about sheep, shepherds and sheep herders came about as an application to what I was experiencing as I read Christian writers and listen to some sermons. In Ephesians four we read about gifts given to the church for the building up of the body.

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11-13).

I have heard these gifted people given by the Lord referred to as “under shepherds”. I think this is a good characterization. Perhaps you have heard of pastors referring to “their flock”. What I began to become aware of as I read some Christian writers or listened to some preachers was that sometimes they were sounding like shepherds leading the flock and sometimes they were sounding like sheep herders driving the flock.

Some writers and speakers were predominately sounding like shepherds while others were predominately sounding like sheep herders. Often it seems like the writers and speakers move back and forth between being shepherds and being sheep herders.

What I noticed when they sounded like sheep herders, there was a lot of exhortation. The exhortation was filled with injunctions, words like “should, have to, make and must”. There may be tone of “ain’t it awful”. The implications seem to be that the readers or hearers are falling short and are not being “good” Christians or not being “good” church members.

The message is there: a need to “shape up”. The message is one of pressure. The message may be one of imposed guilt and shame or maybe even fear. The readers or hearers are set up to feel like failures who somehow are letting the Lord and others down. There is also a heavy emphasis on “doing”.

In contrast, when the Christian writer or speaker sounds like a shepherd the Lord is lifted up in a way that is inspiring to the reader or hearer. Presentations about who the Lord is and what He has done for the sheep creates feelings of thankfulness, love, praise and worship. The reader and hearer feel an internal desire to know the Lord better and move closer to Him. A love motive is stirred up in the heart of the reader and hearer. There is a heavy emphasis on “being”.

I find that I prefer to be led rather than driven. How about you?

More adventures in Biblical thinking about the difference

between a shepherd and a sheep herder.

These exercises can be used for reflection on the content of this adventure in Biblical thinking or they could be used as discussion starters for a small group Bible study.

1. Can you think of places in your life where you are being led? Who is the leader and how do you feel about them?
2. Can you think of places in your life where you are being driven? Who is the driver and how do you feel about them?
3. Now let’s get personal. Think of times where you are or were a leader of others. Think of a time when you are or were a driver of others. How do you think those “others” feel in each situation? Which do you want to be a shepherd or a sheep herder?
4. Can you see that the Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, was a leader and not a driver? He asked the disciples to follow him. Leader and follower go together.
5. Think about location. The shepherd is in front. The sheep herder is in back. Both have a plan for where the flock should go. Can you see the difference?
6. Think about safety. Where is the safe place? Think about “close to” as contrasted with “get away from”. Now apply this to what the Scriptures tell us about the Lord Jesus.
7. Does this adventure in thinking deepen your understanding of being a Jesus follower?