Second Edition: I have started editing posts from several years ago and reposting them. I am doing this for two reasons: (1) to make them more easily available and (2) to “spruce” them up a little. Enjoy!
What is the difference between a shepherd and a sheep herder?
Background
My wife and I had sheep for over twenty years, although we are no longer in the business. At times we have had as few as two, and at other times have had up to eighty. We like sheep and had a micro-operation. We have operated two different programs: a breeding program with a small flock of ewes that 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.
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 in 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 the Great Pyrenees, 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 the sheep are not disturbed. I have seen guard dogs and sheep lying side by side.
In our micro flock, sometimes we were shepherds and sometimes we were sheep herders. The flock was small, and we were close to them every day. We would let them out to pasture in the morning and close them in the corral in the evening. We did this to protect them from predators because we did not have a guard dog. The sheep were used to being handled, and they knew us well. We talked to them. They were dependent on us, and we could walk through the flock without disturbing them.
However, there were times when we became sheep herders and drove the sheep. This usually happened when we were sorting them or 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, The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. (Psalms 23:1-3). Notice the words “leads” and “guides” in bold and observe that only sheep who feel safe will lie down.
Now we will look at John chapter ten where Jesus declares Himself as the Good Shepherd. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because 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 tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have 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 listened to some sermons. In Ephesians four, we read about gifts given to the church for the building up of the body.
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness 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 predominantly sounding like shepherds, while others were predominantly 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 a tone of “ain’t it awful.” The implications seem to be that the readers or listeners 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 are somehow 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 listener. Presentations about who the Lord is and what He has done for the sheep create feelings of thankfulness, love, praise, and worship. The reader and listener 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 listener. There is a heavy emphasis on “being.”
I find that I prefer to be led rather than driven. How about you?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Adventures in Biblical Thinking 