What do the Animals in Scripture Represent

Animals, Colors, Metals, Numbers and Signs in Scripture.

Sheep Overview

Very often in the scriptures certain animals are used in a representative way to represent certain scriptural principles. Sheep are frequently used to represent God’s elect people. Some of the Old Testament verses showing this representation are presented below:

1. Num. 27:17 “Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.”
2. 2 Sam. 24:17 “And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.”
3. 1 Ki. 22:17 “And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.”
4. Psa. 44:11 “Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.”
5. Psa. 44:22 “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”
6. Psa. 74:1 Maschil of Asaph. “O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever? why doth thine anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?”
7. Psa. 78:52 “But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.”
8. Psa. 79:13 “So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.”
9. Psa. 95:7 “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice…”
10. Psa. 100:3 “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
11. Isa. 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

In addition, this representative usage of sheep to depict God’s elect people is used to illustrate and illuminate some of the great doctrines of the scriptures such as the doctrines of election, justification, effectual calling and glorification.

Moreover, the relationship between the Lord and his people is sometimes compared to the relationship between a shepherd and his flock. Likewise, the relationship of the pastor and the local congregation is depicted by the relationship between an under shepherd and a flock of sheep.

Furthermore, a lamb is used to illustrate Christ as an atoning representative of the elect family of God.

In the essays that follow we will detail the above through the scriptural representative usage of sheep and shepherds.

Sheep and Eternal Preservation

Frequently sheep are used in the scriptures as a symbol of God’s people who were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. In addition, the Lord used sheep to teach many basic fundamental doctrines. One of the doctrines is the eternal preservation of the elect family of God.

In the following passage, the Lord used sheep to show that his people are eternally secure and not one will be eternally lost: John 10:25 “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one.”

We make the following observations from the above passage of scripture:

1. The unbelievers in the above passage could not believe because they were not of the Lord’s sheep. That is, they were not of the elect family of God chosen in Christ before the world began. Subsequently, they will never be born of the Spirit and thus will not have the ability to believe.
2. The sheep hear Christ’s voice. This voice gives them spiritual life and resurrects them in the last day.
3. The Lord knows his sheep as he chose and appointed them before the foundation of the world.
4. The Lord’s sheep follow him in regeneration and in the resurrection. This following is passive on their part and is effectual on the Lord’s part.
5. The Lord gives the sheep eternal life. He is the only one who can give them eternal life. The word, eternal, means without end. The eternal life of the elect is without end. The inner man which is born of the Spirit does not end at the death of the body, but lives on with God in heaven. In the resurrection, the body of each of the elect will be given eternal life.
6. The sheep shall never perish. It is impossible for them to perish. They are preserved by both the Father and the Son. For them to perish, both the Father and the Son would have to be overthrown and that is impossible.

The elect family of God is eternally preserved by God through his eternal covenant. The sheep were chosen and given to Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world. Next, their final destiny was established by covenant promise by God. Then they are effectually called into spiritual life. Moreover, they are justified by the good shepherd who gave his life for the sheep. Finally, their bodies are glorified in the resurrection by the effectual call of the Lord. Rom. 8:29, 30 clearly sets forth these principles: Rom. 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

Sheep and Election

Sheep are frequently used to depict God’s elect people. The doctrine of election is a major theme throughout the scriptures. The scriptures tell us that God chose a people to be his before the foundation of the world: Eph. 1:4, 5 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will…” These people chosen of God to be his people before the foundation of the world have their names written in the “Lamb’s book of life:” Rev. 13:8 “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The tenth chapter of John clearly shows us the correlation between God’s elect people and his use of sheep to depict his elect people:

The above passages tell us that Christ already had a people before he calleth them by name and led them out. He knew their names before he ever called them and led them out. Moreover, the Lord said that he a people who were not of the Jewish fold and that he would bring them and that there would be one fold and one shepherd. The Lord knew who his people are of the Gentile nations and he knew who they were before he called them and led them out.

Clearly the elect people of God, chosen of God before the foundation of the world are depicted in the scriptures symbolically by sheep. Thus, wherever sheep are used symbolically, they represent the elect family of God that God chose in Christ before the foundation of the world.

Sheep and Effectual Calling

We have before identified sheep as figuratively representing the elect family of God that was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. In this essay we will show how that Christ uses sheep to illustrate to us the effectual calling of the new or spiritual birth and of the effectual calling in the resurrection of the dead.
The effectual calling is shown forth in the following verses:

1. John 10:1 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”
2. John 10:25 “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
3. John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

In all three passages above it is affirmed that the sheep will hear and respond to the voice of the shepherd. The shepherd is Christ. Among the things we are told in the above three passages are the following:

1. He calleth his own sheep by name.
2. The sheep hear his voice.
3. All the sheep of both flocks hear his voice.
4. All the sheep follow him when they hear his voice.
5. As a result of hearing his voice the sheep are given eternal life.

The only voice the sheep hear and respond to in the above passages is the voice of the Son of God.

Just like the illustration of the sheep above, the elect children of God hear and respond to the effectual calling of Christ in both the spiritual birth and in the resurrection of the dead. Two passages in John chapter 5 detail these responses of the elect to the voice of Jesus Christ:

1. John 5:25 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”
2. John 5:28 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

John 5:25 tells us that those who are dead in trespasses and sins (spiritual dead) will both now and in the future hear the voice of the Son of God and as a result have spiritual life.
John 5:28, 29 tell us that all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth. The elect will come forth to the resurrection of life and the non-elect will come forth to the resurrection of damnation.

Again, the only voice that is heard in both passages is the voice of the Son of God. Plainly the voice of some preacher or of some parent or of some teacher is not the voice that brings forth life. Only God has the life giving voice to bring forth life from the dead.

That all the elect come to Christ in both the spiritual birth and in the resurrection if plainly set forth in the following passage: John 6:37 “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” The Lord affirmed that “all that the Father gave him,” that is, the elect shall come to him and that he would raise them up again at the last day. Thus, there are two raisings. One raising up is in the new or spiritual birth and one raising is in the resurrection of the dead. Christ does the raising up in both events.

The elect cannot come to Christ except they are first drawn of God: John 6:44 “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” All the elect are effectually drawn of God in the spiritual birth and in the resurrection. Their following of Christ is passive on their part just as Lazarus coming forth out of the grave he had lain in for four days was passive on his part: John 11:43 “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” Christ called Lazarus from the grave. Lazarus came forth passively as the calling was effectual and Lazarus had no ability to withstand it. So is also the spiritual birth and resurrection of the elect passive on the part of the elect as they are effectually drawn of Christ by his all powerful voice in both the spiritual birth and in the resurrection.

Sheep and Justification

Sheep in the scriptures are closely correlated with the elect family of God chosen before the foundation of the world. Sheep are used to illustrate several basic doctrines. The doctrine of blood atonement or justification is typified by a sacrificed lamb.

The first animal sacrifice man made was made by Abel who offered a firstling of the flock and of the fat thereof. God had respect to Abel’s offering.
Abraham and Isaac spoke of the sacrificial lamb in the book of Genesis: Gen 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.”

Before God delivered the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage he gave them the Passover and established the Passover as an ordinance to be observed by the children of Israel every year:

1. Ex. 12:3 “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4 And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening.”
2. Num. 9:2 “Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it. 4 And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. 5 And they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month at even in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel.”

God also gave the children of Israel the morning sacrifice and the evening sacrifice: Ex. 29:38 “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39 The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even: 40 And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the LORD.”

The lamb was also one of the animals used in the sacrifices of the altar. It was connected with the burnt offering, the sin offering, the trespass offering, and the peace offering.
Additionally there were several other ordinances given to the children of Israel that involved the sacrifice of a lamb or lambs.

An Old Testament prophecy of Christ speaks of him as a lamb to be sacrificed: Is. 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”

There are several verses in the New Testament that depict Christ as the Lamb who fulfilled the Old Testament types through his sacrificial atonement for his people:

1. John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
2. John 1:36 “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”
3. Acts 8:32 “The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:”
4. 1 Pet. 1:19 “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
5. Rev. 5:6 “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.”
6. Rev. 5:12 “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
7. Rev. 7:9 “After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
8. Rev. 7:10 “And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
9. Rev. 7:14 “And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
10. Rev. 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Clearly, Christ, the Lamb of God, shed his blood to redeem and justify his sheep (elect family of God).

Sheep and Resurrection/Glorification

In the scriptures, sheep are frequently used in a way to represent God’s elect people. The Lord also uses them to illustrate many of the great doctrinal teachings of the Bible. In the 25th Chapter of Matthew, sheep are used to illustrate the doctrine of the resurrection and the glorification of God’s elect family.

Matt. 25:32 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

The following lessons can be drawn from the above passage of scripture:

1. Sheep are used to represent the elect family of God and the goats are used to represent those who were not of the elect family of God.
2. The sheep were blessed of the Father and had a kingdom that had been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. This certainly teaches us the doctrine of election for the kingdom had been prepared from the foundation of the world specifically for them. God had to have known them from the foundation of the world for the kingdom to have been prepared for them from the foundation of the world. Moreover, the sheep were declared to be “his sheep,” that is, the sheep of the shepherd, Jesus Christ. They did not become his sheep because they did something good, but rather were given to Christ by the Father before the world began.
3. The good works of the sheep were done by the sheep because they are sheep. Works are an evidence of what you are. They are not done to make you what you are, but are an evidence of what you already are. Likewise, the lack of good works on behalf of the goats shows forth what they were. It did not make them what they were, but was an evidence of what they were. What we do is a reflection of our nature. This is a great principle of nature. Birds fly because they are birds. They do not fly in order to become birds. Likewise, cats meow because they are cats and dogs bark because they are dogs. All animals exhibit this principle. One of the characteristics of God’s elect family is that they are or will be born of God. They then exhibit the nature of one that is born spiritually. Love is a fruit of the Spirit. When someone is born of the Spirit, then he will exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. Those who have not been born of the Spirit will not produce the fruit of the Spirit.
4. The kingdom prepared for the sheep from the foundation of the world is theirs by inheritance. It is not theirs by good works. Inheritance suggests relationship. When a person is born of the Spirit he has a relationship with God and is called a child of God. Moreover, the flesh of the elect is said to be adopted into the family of God. Heaven is an inheritance, not a reward for good works.
5. The sheep are declared to be righteous. Now, the scriptures tell us plainly that we were all condemned in Adam and sinners by nature. Moreover, every sin and disobedience receives a just recompense of reward. How then can the sheep be declared righteous? The answer is that the sheep have a shepherd. According to John 10:11 Christ said: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The good shepherd gave his life on the cross to deliver his sheep from their sins. As a result of the work of the good shepherd the sheep are now righteous. This is in harmony with 2 Cor. 5:21: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Moreover, Rom. 8:33, 34 reads: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” By the blood atonement of Jesus Christ, the members of God’s elect family are made fit subjects of heaven’s glory world.
6. The goats are said to be cursed. Obviously, the goats did not have their sins atoned for. They are still under the curse of sin as set forth in Gal. 3:10: “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
7. The final result of the blessings of God’s grace is that the sheep go into life eternal at the last day. The final result of God’s curse of sin is that Christ commands the goats: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” These go away into everlasting punishment.

The Shepherd and the Sheep

The scriptures present a relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and his people who were chosen in him before the foundation of the world. This relationship is compared to the relationship of a Shepherd and his flock of sheep.

There are five ways in which Christ is said to be a Shepherd over the elect family of God. The first way is found in John 10:11: “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The Lord is the good shepherd who gave his life for his sheep which were found in two flocks: John 10:16 “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” Thus the Lord had a fold among the nation of Israel and he had a fold among the Gentiles. Those two folds made up the one fold of his sheep.

The Lord manifest that he was the good shepherd by giving his life to redeem his sheep from their sins. It took one who is exceedingly good to make such an amazing sacrifice. The love he had for his sheep was way beyond anything you would expect a natural shepherd to do for a natural flock of sheep. Christ, in giving his life for the sheep, justified them before a just and holy God. This satisfied God’s wrathful judgment of the elect family of God because of their sins.

Second, the Lord is called the great shepherd of the sheep: Heb. 13:20 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant…” The fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is called the great shepherd of the sheep is found in connection with Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Raising the dead takes more than good motives or good intentions or performing good works. Raising the dead takes a power that only God has. This power is manifest in the lives of God’s elect family twice in their lives. First, they are made alive spiritually when they were dead in trespasses and sins: Eph. 2:1 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:” Also, John 5:25: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Second, they are raised from the dead in the resurrection at the last day: John 5:28 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

Third, Christ is referred to as “the shepherd:” 1 Pet. 2:25 “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” The article, “the,” carries the thought of one that is unique or one of a kind. The fact that he is “the Shepherd and Bishop” of our souls means that there are no other shepherds of bishops of our souls. Christ alone has the honor and responsibility of being the shepherd and bishop of our souls. Our souls rest in his almighty capable hands. Thus, we are completely assured of our eternal salvation and eternal life.

Fourth, Christ is called the chief shepherd: 1 Pet. 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” For Christ to be the chief shepherd, then there must also be other shepherds. The under-shepherds are the men whom God has called to preach the gospel. They are under the direction and leadership of the chief shepherd. They get their marching orders from him and are to conduct their work according to his word. In the first part of that chapter, Peter gives us a taste of the gospel ministers serving under Christ as under-shepherds:

1 Pet. 5:1 “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.” The principle of the gospel ministers serving as shepherds over the local flocks is also set forth in Acts 20:28-31: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.”

Finally, there is one last way in which Christ is expressed as a shepherd. This last way makes the first four ways to be awfully precious. According 23rd chapter of Psalms: “Ps. 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Nothing could be sweeter or more comforting to one of God’s little lambs than to know that the Lord is my shepherd!

Gathering of Sheep into Church Kingdom

Sheep are frequently associated with the elect family of God in the scriptures. Moreover, important doctrines and lessons are taught us by the Lord through the use of sheep as an illustration or type of God’s elect children.

Matt. 9:35 “And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

The Lord manifest his compassion and love toward his people in that he was teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. While the Lord did all these things for them, yet, there was a circumstance those people were in that he commanded his disciples to pray for their deliverance. That circumstance is described in v. 36: “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Natural sheep in a field that have no shepherd are in a helpless condition. They are prey to wild beast who would devour them or to thieves who would make merchandise of them. They are also prey to sickness, hunger, thirst, or some other maladies that a shepherd would deliver them from or provide for them.

Just like sheep, the Lord’s elect people need a shepherd who will feed them, comfort them, lead them, and care for them. These are spiritual needs of the Lord’s people as they journey in this life. Now they all have a good shepherd who gave his life for them. Moreover, they have a great shepherd who has given them spiritual life and promised them eternal life in the resurrection. He is the shepherd and bishop of their souls. He is also the chief shepherd. The idea of a chief shepherd carries with it the concept of under-shepherds who under the direction of the chief shepherd are given responsibility to nuture, comfort, feed, lead, and care for the flock over which they have been made overseers.
Next, in our subject passage of scripture, the Lord commanded the disciples to pray for the multitudes of his sheep (people who were scattered abroad) that the Lord would send forth labourers into his harvest. The purpose of laborers in the harvest is not to plant the seeds, but to gather the fruits of the harvest. The Lord himself planted the seeds (spiritual birth of his elect people). The laborers are to gather the plants into the storage barns. The description points us to the harvest as consisting of members of God’s elect family, just as the sheep are symbolic of God’s elect family as a whole. The place that is best for God’s elect family here in time is the kingdom of God (church kingdom) that God set up and Christ reigns in today.

The Lord commanded his disciples to pray. Our responsibility as members of the Lord’s visible church on earth is to pray that he will send forth laborers (gospel ministers) into his harvest. The Lord’s response to our prayers is that he sends forth laborers. The Lord illustrated the sending forth of laborers in Matthew chapter 10 that followed this passage.

One of the chief tasks of those laborers that the Lord sends forth is to go and preach to His sheep that are scattered abroad the gospel of the kingdom of God and call upon them to repent and enter into that kingdom.

Another task of those laborers is to feed the sheep over which the Holy Ghost has made them overseers:

1. Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
2. John 21:15 “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”
3. 1 Pet. 5:1 “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
Another task of the under-shepherds is to comfort the Lord’s people: 2 Cor. 1:3 “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

An additional task of the under-shepherds is to lead the flock:

1. 1 Cor. 9:5 “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?”
2. 1 Cor. 4:16 “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”
3. 1 Cor. 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
4. Phil. 3:17 “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.”
5. 1 Th. 1:6 “And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:”
6. 1 Th. 2:14 “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus: for ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen, even as they have of the Jews:”

Moreover, the under-shepherd is to care for the flock:

1. 2 Cor. 7:12 “Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.”
2. 2 Cor. 8:16 “But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.”
3. 2 Cor. 11:28 “Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
4. Phil. 2:20 “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.”