Sheep
Why is it, when quoting from the Bible concerning the “flock” of the Church, the “Shepherd and his sheep” or other generalities involving a metaphor of “Sheep” and “People”, most don’t take this as an insult?
(1 Kings 22:17) Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the LORD said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.'”
(Psalm 77:20) You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(Psalm 78:52) But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the desert.
(Psalm 79:13) Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
Moses, which I believe was a decent man, a spiritual man and a man decidedly against slavery, was depicted in the Bible as the person that led his flock to the land of Canaan and killed every man, woman, child and domesticated (perhaps other) animal in order to ensure the promised land to the Israelites. As I have said on many occasions, a just God, a merciful God, doesn’t wage war. Man wages war. Man has waged war on the principles he interprets as being “righteous and just”. Man has also led the masses, or “Sheep”, into believing and following a leader hell bent on causes not necessarily in the best interests of mankind as a whole.
Being “Sheep”, in the “Flock” or being led by the Shepherd, isn’t by any means, always a good thing.
(Psalm 44:22) Yet for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
One would think, the above passage came from an extremist Muslim’s interpretation of the Koran, not a direct quote from the Christo-Judeo Bible. Yet, here we are, in the midst of a religeous war in the Middle East, believing that extremist Muslims are the only aggressors. From that passage alone could bring forth a multitude of Judeo-Christians with extreme beliefs justifying their course of violence in an ongoing Holy War. This Holy War is without borders. Violence begets Violence. Turn the other cheek is one part of the Bible soon forgotten.
/CF