Bummer. The Bible doesn’t say we are the cattle of his pasture. It doesn’t say we are the buffalo of his pasture. It says we are the sheep of his pasture.
Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Psalm 100:3 NIV
Wait! Maybe the writers of the Bible didn’t know about cattle. … Oh, they did.
For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.
Psalm 50:10 NIV
More comparisons of people to sheep. Double bummer.
For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:7 NIV
The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Psalm 23:1 NIV
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:27 NIV
The reason it is a bummer to be compared to sheep is I have a ranch background and know a bit about sheep, cattle and buffalo. Cattle and especially buffalo can take care of themselves. I have been on horseback in a big pasture, far away from fences and trees, and had momma cows start looking at me through their nostrils. They were irritated that I was around their baby calves, and they were prepared to defend them. There isn’t the slightest doubt in my mind that if my horse had suddenly had a heart attack, the cows would have beaten me up really bad, and perhaps killed me. I couldn’t have outrun them, and there was nowhere to hide.
Sheep, on the other hand, are like meals-on-wheels for predators. They don’t protect themselves very well at all. They’re also the definition of followers, and are pretty, well, stupid. There was a blizzard and my dad and I were trying to get our small flock into the garage. We could not get them to go in. As the flock milled around it was as if each one looked in the warm garage, out of the wind-driven snow, and said, “Baaaa. I’ve never been in there. I’m not going in. Baaaa!” Then dad grabbed one and took it inside the garage. The rest of the sheep followed immediately. “Baaaa. It’s a good idea to get out of the blizzard. Baaaa!”
I will have a more successful life if I embrace my Biblical sheep-ness, and not try to pretend I’m compared to a species more capable of taking care of myself.
I’m a sheep. I need the Good Shepherd to protect me. By myself, I’m just dinner for predators. The closer I stay to the Shepherd the better off I will be.
As a sheep, I’m naturally prone to following the crowd. I’m very good at behaving like the rest of the crowd, just because they’re doing whatever they’re doing. Then we all decide that God is going to grade on a curve.
As a sheep, I’m a poor judge of where the good pastures are and how to get to them. I need to follow the commands of the Shepherd.
I might wish my survival didn’t depend so much on the Shepherd, but it does. I am created to require an intense personal relationship with God, where He is definitely in charge!
P.S. (July 25, 2017) The Strange Sounds web site has too many ads for my taste, but it has an interesting article you can read if you like. One sheep jumped to its death, and 79 others followed right behind. 80 sheep commit suicide in Turkey
Are you following God's plan for your life? You should. Your plan sucks. It really, really sucks. Suckage Maximus. Most people are WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! Jesus is coming. Are you ready to meet Him? Give your life to Jesus Christ. Time is running out.
Lift Up Your Eyes! 
This is an excellent example of the absolute necessity of placing our lives, every day, in the hands of our Shepherd. Our Savior knows the sheep who follow, and even carries us along to safe, green pastures when we are weak. I know for a fact this is true for I have been one of the lambs in our Shepherd’s flock for nearly 80 years.
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Great word!
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