shepherd

Psalm 23 says, "God is my shepherd, I shall not want." Centuries later, Ben Sira said, "The compassion of man is for his neighbor, but the compassion of God is for all living beings. God rebukes and trains and teaches them, and turns them back, as a shepherd his flock." Few of us living in the modern world have any experience of shepherding or cowherding. It's almost impossible to understand what the psalmist meant when he called God a Shepherd.

A metaphor like this is called a dead metaphor - it lost meaning for us because we don't understand the main image. Since we probably have never seen a live shepherd or even a cowboy, we can't understand what the Bible means by this comparison. How is God like a shepherd?

First, it's useful to consider what livestock did in pre-modern times. Numbers 28-29 gives long lists of animals to be brought for sacrifices on various holidays: cows, sheep and goats. Livestock were the people's store of value then, through which they invested their wealth. Unlike stocks, bonds or savings certificates, however, livestock are born, reproduce and die. When a goat has kids, the goat's owner's wealth increases. His investment literally bears fruit. Unfortunately, animals can get sick or be attacked by predators. In the Bible, animals were also a way of communicating with God through sacrifices.

So, if livestock were the mobile wealth, a shepherd was effectively the portfolio manager. In fact, the shepherd was held legally responsible for the animals. In Hammurabi’s code (18th century B.C.E.), and in later in Jewish legal precedent (halakha), “The shepherd was held accountable for the flock and was responsible for their care.” What feelings might a sheep have for this shepherd? What feelings might the shepherd have for the sheep, especially given their value?

These are the qualities that define our relationship with God. I read a great book, The Lord Is My Shepherd: The Theology of a Caring God, by Rabbi Michael Samuel, that talks about how a shepherd works:

“The good shepherd must work with the instincts of the sheep and cannot force the flock to go where it does not want to go... The good shepherd could not look after the health of the sheep while standing afar. He had to be close at hand.” Like the good shepherd, God knows our inclinations, talents and flaws, and works with us. During this work, God is always close by.

Rabbi Samuel explains more, “A cast sheep is a sheep that is turned over on its back and cannot get up.” Such a sheep is defenseless, and a good shepherd must be mindful to overturn cast sheep. Likewise, lost sheep, who have poor sense of direction, are a problem: “[The shepherd] can never sleep nor be comforted until his lost sheep is brought back safely to the flock.” Even the young and injured are at risk. Often, the shepherd would lay down his coat and eat with the lambs. “He places these young lambs, or those of them that have broken legs, right inside his coat.” God certainly cares for us when we stumble, and attends to us.

Although we may think of ourselves as leaders and reject being led, it is the Presence of God that always guides and shepherds us. What I find most comforting about this metaphor is that it doesn't require God to get it all right, to be perfect and to protect us from all harm. Even the best shepherd loses a sheep occasionally; but he (or she) always cares about them. That is because the shepherd's destiny is with the flock.

May God too be our raya nehemia (faithful Shepherd), and in the words of Isaish (40:11), "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 the young."