The Shepherd and the Sheep

The Shepherd and the Sheep

Nehemiah 3:1: “Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.”

The high priest rose up together with his brothers and fellow priests, and initiated the work of building the gates, and they built the Sheep gate first. This first gate is called the ‘Sheep’ Gate, not the ‘Lion’ Gate or the ‘Dog’ gate, because they are not the kind of animals used for sacrifice. The sheep was the accepted animal for sacrifice due to its meek nature. It was through this gate that the sheep were brought in. The sheep is a self-giving animal, with a calm and friendly nature, and it follows the shepherd’s leading trustingly and unreservedly.

In John 5:2, the Sheep Gate is referred to as the sheep market. “Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.” It was also known as the sheep court or pool. Sheep brought in through this gate were usually meant for sacrifice and not for consumption.

So they built the Sheep Gate first, letting us know that if we want to experience the glory of God in our lives, we begin by coming to Him as His sheep, that is, we submit ourselves to Him as the sheep of His pasture, for He is the Shepherd of our souls. God is the great Shepherd of the flock; He is the Shepherd of Israel. As the sheep of God’s pasture, you ought to give yourself to Him as a living sacrifice.

Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Many people do not know God as a shepherd. To become a Christian at all, God has to be the One to lead you in. And in building your life according to the plan of God you have to begin at the Sheep Gate. God is the One who made the plans for your life, therefore you must follow Him as a sheep of His pasture, then you can walk in the glory He prepared for you. Your ways ought to be determined by your Shepherd and not by you. Recognize and follow Him as your Shepherd and when you start following Him, you will stop saying, “Lord, follow me.”

It’s easy to know Christians when they’re not following God as their Shepherd. This is because, always, they tell Him what they want to do and where they want to go instead of following God. Such people have a catalogue of the things they want God to do for them. Christians like this have not come to God as His sheep and have not come to recognize Him as their Shepherd and the One who leads them in the way that they should go.

These are the kind of people that lead young Christians astray, the reason is that a lamb (a young Christian) doesn’t understand the voice of the shepherd as he is still too young; so he follows the bleating of the sheep. That’s why a lamb ought to grow and develop in the things of God. The sheep however know the voice of the shepherd and will not follow the voice of a stranger.

Are you a sheep? Have you really ever taken a step to become His sheep? David said, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1) because he had full comprehension of who a shepherd is and how a sheep ought to follow him. Remember, he was a shepherd boy who tended his father’s sheep; so he knew what it meant to have God as his Shepherd. He also knew he had to submit to God as his Shepherd and that’s the reason he could say, “…thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).

This is discipline. The shepherd has a rod which he uses sometimes to whip the sheep into line. Sometimes, the sheep may want to drink water some place else, but because the shepherd doesn’t want them to drink water just from anywhere, he whips them to move on.

You know, that’s just the way some Christians are; they quote Psalm 23 but have never really understood the meaning of the Scripture. They’re always looking for water (the Word) some place else because they’re not following the shepherd that God has placed over them. They don’t have a home church; they’re visitors everywhere, living a ‘nomadic’ Christian life. Some Christians just get up after they’ve been in a Church for over a year or even more and say “I don’t want to go to that Church any more.” They’ve been Christians for many years, yet have never accepted this kind of truth. They argue and say, “As many as are led by the Spirit” claiming the right to decide where they should go to worship without restraint.

For people like this, I have this question: Is He not the same Spirit that made the pastor a pastor; that called him to be a shepherd to nurture, guide and lead you? When will it dawn on you that God has been leading you through the pastor and you didn’t even know it?
If you’re in such a boat, you’re not a sheep but a dog! Now don’t get upset, because I’m only echoing what Jesus said, that “… without are dogs…” (Revelations 22:15). This means outside the City of God are dogs. If you’re a sheep stay inside and listen to the shepherd because he has something to say about where you go.

When God leads you to a Church, stay there! The Bible says in Psalm 92:13, “Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Stay where God leads you to and be planted there. This is Biblical truth and adhering to it shows spiritual maturity. You’re not mature just because you think you are or because of the way you look. It has nothing to do with how long you’ve been a Christian. Moreover, you’re not mature just because you’ve been teaching people the Word of God.

The measure of your submission to God and His Word shows your level of maturity. You can’t increase in your knowledge of God and still act as though you are lord of your life. The more mature you are in Christ, the more submissive you become; and I don’t mean facial or superficial submission. Outward sobriety doesn’t depict spirituality; you can look sober, speak with a soft voice and still remain every bit unspiritual. It just makes you religious and pharisaic.

Look at Jesus our role model! You couldn’t be more submissive than Jesus. God sent Him to preach the gospel to the lost sheep of Israel and He stayed with this commission. He loved the world, He wanted to preach to and to save everybody, but He had to be disciplined. That was why He told the Canaanite woman who asked for healing for her daughter “…I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15:24). He could have gone to Damascus or Arabia or even to Ethiopia, but He didn’t. He stayed where God sent Him; the Bible says He was obedient and submitted to God’s plans and purposes, even unto death (Philippians 2:8).

This is the simple reason a lot of Christians are neither experiencing nor manifesting God’s glory in their lives. You can’t be your own shepherd or boss and expect Him to bless whatever it is you’re doing.

The Right Way to Follow
Don’t ask God to bless your plans and follow you wherever you want to go! It’s supposed to be the other way round. This is exactly what you learn at the Sheep Gate. “Lord, help me. I’m going to such - and - such a place, take me there, and glorify Your Name as I go.” If you follow God you wouldn’t need this kind of prayer. You only need this kind of prayer if you’re going where He didn’t send you, because if God sends you, He’ll be with you to fix every thing for you.

Are you in the job or the business God called you into? Or are you just doing your own thing? If that’s the case, then you will need such prayers. But if you want to see and experience the glory of God in your life, the first step is to recognize that you’re the sheep of His pasture. Recognize Him as your Shepherd and let Him lead you. Don’t lean on your own understanding, for there’s a way that seems right unto a man, which only leads to destruction (Proverbs 3:5; Proverbs 16:25). He’s the only One who knows the way you should go. When you recognize Him as your Shepherd, He’ll show you where to go.

“Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate…” (Nehemiah 3:1)

There are times in our lives, when we need to pause briefly and appraise ourselves to find out if we’re actually following God’s plan and purpose for our lives. Tremendous glory follows when you’re at the right place at the right time. To be His sheep must continually be your life’s goal, it will show in your prayers and actions. When you submit yourself to the Shepherd then you’re at the Sheep Gate. This was the starting point for the building of Jerusalem, and in your life, it would mean the beginning of glory.

You cannot skip the Sheep Gate experience. Some Christians want to have the end result without following the necessary steps. It’s like trying to build the roof of a house before the foundation.

I want you to notice also that it was the priests who built the Sheep Gate; the priests had to prepare the gate of sacrifice. This symbolizes preparation for worship in our lives. We must remember that we have been called to offer God sacrifices which are the lifting up of our hands in worship, admiration and love (Psalm 141:2), the fruit of our lips (Hebrews 13:15), our prayers (Psalm 141:2) and good works (Hebrews 13:21). As priests, we must prepare for the holy sacrifice and build the Sheep Gate of submission and worship.

You must begin building your life by building the Sheep Gate, the first gate in Zion. You should willingly submit to the Lord as your Shepherd and the glory of God will begin to show in your life.