When sheep graze on the pasture they can be the most beneficial livestock or the most destructive. It depends on how well the Shepherd manages his flock. If left to themselves they can ruin and ravage the land. They will eat the grass down so far that the only thing left is bare ground.
When a shepherd does his job right, the sheep can transform a land from a ruined derelict to highly productive property with park like terrain. The ancient world referred to sheep as “those of the golden hooves" because of how rich and productive they would leave the soil.
Sheep eat a wide variety of plants including weeds and other undesirable vegetation which invades the fields. Their manure is the best fertilizer of any domestic stock. When it is dispersed over the fields it greatly improves the soil’s richness. The least productive land is on top of hills, but the sheep seek out the highest ground to rest upon. This insures that these higher grounds receive rich nutrients from the grassy lower lands.
In this way goodness and mercy follows the sheep all of their lives. Where the sheep travel, the lands are blessed and enriched. The shepherd who works to make sure his sheep have all they need blesses not just his sheep but also the lands where the sheep dwell.
If we are following the good shepherd, the lands about us will be blessed as well. We are meant to be a blessing to the world. But living with our Lord does not end with this life. We are promised to live in the presence of God for ever.
To read the Psalm 23 series please click on the verses below:
Psalms 23:1
Psalms 23:2
Psalms 23:3
Psalms 23:4
Psalms 23:5
Photo Credit: Sunset Sheep, Dartmoor by @MWolstenholm
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