A sheep that is on its back is called a cast sheep and, though he may appear cute or even comical, he is in grave danger. A cast sheep cannot get up on his own. He is incapable of righting himself. In this position he is unable to follow the shepherd. In this position he is awkward, vulnerable, and completely helpless. In this position he is wide open to attack from predators. In this position, gases begin to build up in his rumen. As these expand they tend to retard and cut off blood circulation to the extremities of the sheep's body, especially his legs.
He may be surrounded by an entire flock of other sheep but they are unable to help him. If the weather is hot and sunny a cast sheep can die in a few hours. If it is cool, cloudy and rainy he may survive in this position for several days. ONLY the shepherd holds within his hands salvation for the life of the sheep. Only the shepherd is able to deliver him from his predicament.
In A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Phillip Keller, listed three major reasons sheep become cast. We explored two of them in the last post. Are you ready for the third reason? Are you sure? Here goes -
The third chief cause of cast sheep is simply that they are too fat. I told you I hated this reason!! I'd skip it in a heartbeat if I thought I could get by with it. But. The shoe fits - so I'll wear it. AND. My purpose in this series is to learn how to overcome the temptations in my life that have defeated me in the past by reminding myself WHO I AM in Christ. This is a "biggie" for me. I dare not skip it if I'm going to be honest with God. However. I must admit - even opening the door to this conversation makes me feel as awkward, vulnerable and helpless as the sheep in that picture!
Keller says that it is a well-known fact that over-fat sheep are neither the most healthy nor the most productive. Well, DUUUUUHHHHH!!! He goes on to say that the fattest sheep are the ones that are most often cast because their weight simply makes it that much harder for them to be agile and nibble on their feet. We're not exactly dealing with rocket science here, are we folks?
As soon as a good shepherd sees a sheep become cast for this reason, he takes long-range steps to correct the problem. He will put the ewes on a more rigorous ration where they get less grain. He will begin to watch the general condition of the entire flock closely to see to it that the sheep are strong, sturdy and energetic; not fat, flabby and weak.
In the Christian life we are certainly confronted with the same sort of problem. Never think for a moment that I am not making direct application of this analogy to my personal eating issues. With GREAT discomfort, I certainly am. It's just that the application is exactly that - PERSONAL. So, here's how Phillip Keller applied the illustration:
There are times that a person who has done well in business or their careers or even their homes, may feel they are flourishing and have "arrived." They may have a sense of well-being and self-assurance which in itself is dangerous. Often, when we are most sure of ourselves we are the most prone to fall flat. I shared 1 Cor. 10:12 in the last post - "let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." I'm certain it's no coincidence that verse is immediately followed by an encouragement about escaping temptation!!
In Rev. 3:17 God points out that though some considered themselves rich and affluent, they were actually in desperate danger. Jesus made the same point in His parable about the wealthy farmer who intended to build bigger and better barns, but who, in fact, faced ruin. (Luke 12:16-21)
Material success is no measure of spiritual health. Neither is the fact that obesity has become an acceptable sin in our generation. The Shepherd of our souls sees through the exterior and takes steps to set things right. He may impose on us some sort of "diet" or "discipline" which we may find a bit rough and unpalatable at first. But we must remind ourselves that it is for our own good because He loves us, and for His own reputation as the Good Shepherd.
In Hebrews 12 we read how God chooses to discipline those He loves. At the time it may be rough. But the deeper truth is that afterward it produces a life of peace and righteousness that is free from the fret and frustration of being cast down like a helpless sheep.
Phillip Keller said that when he was a shepherd in East Africa, "Again and again I would spend hours searching for a single sheep that was missing. Then more often than not I would see it at a distance, down on its back, lying helpless. At once I would start to run toward it - hurrying as fast as I could - for every minute was critical. Within me there was mingled sense of fear and joy: fear that it might be too late; joy that it was found at all.
As soon as I reached the cast ewe my very first impulse was to pick it up. Tenderly I would roll the sheep over on it side. This would relieve the pressure of gases in the rumen. If she had been down for long I would have to lift her onto her feet. Then straddling the sheep with my legs I would hold her erect, rubbing her limbs to restore the circulation to her legs. This often took quite a little time. When the sheep started to walk again she often just stumbled, staggered and collapsed in a heap once more.
All the time I worked on the cast sheep I would talk to it gently, 'When are you going to learn to stand on your own feet?' - 'I'm so glad I found you in time - you rascal!'
And so the conversation would go. Always couched in language that combined tenderness and rebuke, compassion and correction.
Little by little the sheep would regain its equilibrium. It would start to walk steadily and surely. By and by it would dash away to rejoin the others, set free from its fears and frustrations, given another chance to live a little longer."
Isn't that a beautiful and poignant scene? I fear that many of us have the idea when we fall flat on our backs as a Christian . . . when we are frustrated and helpless in a spiritual dilemma . . . that God must be fed-up, disgusted and even furious with us. This simply is not so!!
Look at the concern and compassion Jesus exhibited in the way he dealt with the down-and-out individuals that society, and even the religious establishment of His day, had no use for. He WEPT over those who rejected His affection. He had a depth of understanding for undone people to whom He came eagerly and quickly, ready to help, to save, to restore.
Today when I grapple with being cast down and the reasons I have come to this predicament, I will REMEMBER I am HIS SHEEP. I will picture the Good Shepherd picking up this cast sheep and holding me close. I will rejoice in His tenderness, love and patience. And. Yes. I will submit to His discipline because His discipline is always restorative and future oriented.
For You have delivered my
soul from death.
Have You not kept my feet
from falling,
That I may walk before God
In the light of the living?
Psalm 56:13
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