The dog faces this dilemma: he must bring about the will of the shepherd in the sheep but the sheep are opposed to that will.
Some key points about this sheepdog:
This is not merely “neat” or “cool” or even “amazing”; it is revelation from God that instructs our own lives, as all things in the creation are designed to do.
- Confidence: he is confident in his leadership under the shepherd. He is not double minded or wondering what the shepherd wants. That has all been worked out to a “t” in his life. He can respond instantly with knowledge, as well as hold to a course of action that appears doubtful at first.
- Focus: he is utterly focused on the goal of the shepherd (no distractions!)
- He does not act like the ones he is shepherding: Though he is ill treated by the sheep, he never reverts to copying their ill behavior back to them. He does not make these attacks on him a personal matter. He does not go into attack mode or even begin barking and “yelling” at the sheep. His aggression is in no way an attack, and even the sheep get confused at this. They understand what to do with an attack, but this…?
- Assertive: he is not passive; he will not be pushed away or run over or circumvented. He has placed himself in the very faces of the sheep that are opposing the will of the shepherd…but with meekness.
- Responsive: he is hyper-actively responding to each command of the shepherd and each reaction of the sheep, able to back down at a moments notice but then drive forward a split second later, actively calculating everything in the situation without relaxing. His point is not merely to “stand his ground” but to actively take the sheep to the ground they need. (“vigilant”)
- Resourceful: he uses each movement and decision of the sheep to further encourage their obedience to the shepherd. Everything is turned into an opportunity!
- Calming: This one thing is extraordinary, for he maintains a calming influence on the sheep, even while contradicting their will and warding off their attacks! This is, indeed, one of the “extra mile” things that exposes this dogs wisdom. For a dog to face off with another animal, to assert its will over it, and so forth, none of that is remarkable but when combined with such a helpful and selfless approach…that is when things become an example of GOD Himself. (The dog displays selfless tenacity, the only kind that deescalates a tense situation while not giving up the truth! Selfish tenacity always escalates tension.)
- Trained: this dog is honored because he submitted to (proper!) training…much training…personal training…where correction was personally directed at him, over and over. For, “before honour is humility,” and the humility in that passage (Pro. 15:33) is placed parallel with “instruction of wisdom.” If this dog had chafed at being trained and sought as little of it as possible, his training would have been completely hampered and he would never have achieved this level of wisdom and skill…and honor. (Not to speak of the right kind of training)
- The relationship between the dog and the shepherd is extraordinarily close. This dog did not achieve this level of competence by merely following a checklist or set of rules but by living in close relationship with the shepherd, where he learned the pleasure of pleasing him and the wisdom of his ways.
Biblical Return 