I have often wondered why God uses the imagery of sheep and shepherd when he speaks about his people. I have studied the character of sheep and I have to tell you that they are not impressive among God’s created beings. Then I realized that God was more nearly interested in speaking about who he was in his own relationship to his people than in just describing his people.

The Prophet Ezekiel shares some insight into the sheep-shepherd paradigm in his account in 34.30-31: ‘Then they will know that I, the LORD their God am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ What is depicted here is clearly a relationship between the one who is the Lord of Israel and the people of the covenant.

God recognizes the weaknesses of the sheep! He knows that his sheep—like all sheep—will do stupid things; do not know how to walk, or eat, or drink, or follow, or obey, or to defend themselves, or to—well, the list is seemingly endless! The point God is making is that knowing all of that about us—he loves us anyway!

Listen to the word of God as Ezekiel concludes: ‘You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.’ It is important for us to know that we are sheep! But the overriding factor for us is that God has declared us to be his sheep! Our shepherd will do all for us we cannot do for ourselves, and equip us to do what we must do to be good sheep.