Have you ever asked this question? Why is the nation full of scattered sheep… wandering sheep… hungry sheep… discouraged sheep? The Bible has only a little to say about sheep, but a whole lot to say about the shepherds who are supposed to “tend” those sheep. I want you to look with me into the question of why sheep scatter. The word “scatter” refers to being spread loosely about… dispersed… routed… chased away. Sheep scatter because…
1) Shepherds are smitten… Zechariah 13:7… “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones” (KJV). Jesus quoted this verse in Mark 14:27. Shepherds are smitten through sniping… wounding… gossip… innuendoes… They are attacked from without and within. Sheep scatter when the shepherds dwell on their own hurts…
2) Shepherds who slumber… Nahum 3:18… “Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them” (KJV). This refers to dereliction of duties… slothfulness… lethargy… lack of watchfulness… lack of effort… laziness… Sheep scatter because of negligence.
3) Shepherds who are selfish… Ezekiel 34:2-8… “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock” (KJV). What a picture of many today. In this passage, the spirit of self-preservation prevailed over the feeding of the flock. Jesus tells that “hirelings” preserve themselves, saving their own skin, but abandoning the sheep (John 10:12-13). Paul was concerned about this when he said in 2 Corinthians 12:14, “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you.” Sheep scatter because preachers are more concerned for their own well-being than for the flock.
4) Senseless shepherds… Jeremiah 10:21… “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered” (KJV). Isaiah 56:11… “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” Sheep scatter because the shepherds are without understanding. Jeremiah 23:1-2 says, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.” Lack of understanding, not seeking the wisdom that comes by the Holy Ghost, will scatter the sheep. Matter of fact in Jeremiah 48:10 says, “Cursed be the one who does the LORD’S work negligently” (NASB). Proverbs 27:23 exhorts us to “Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds.” Sheep scatter for lack of understanding and negligence in the shepherds.
5) Strangers in the pulpit… John 10:5… “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (KJV). Sheep do not recognize a stranger’s voice… They will, however, listen to the anointing of the Holy Spirit in an unknown visiting ministry if the shepherd prepares the sheep. There is a difference between a shepherd who looks after the sheep, and one who just looks at them. Not all who work in the sheepfold are shepherds. Our prayer ought to be, “Lord, give us shepherds who know your voice.”
6) Absent shepherds… That is, shepherds who are hard to be found. Zechariah 10:2… “Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (NIV). Sheep need shepherds who can be located. Sheep will scatter when the shepherd is not seen… Shepherds who are away too much are often lacking in love, mercy, compassion, and grace for their own flock. Micah 5:4 reads, “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth” (KJV). The sheep will abide and not scatter when shepherds feed in the strength of the Lord. Ezekiel 34:5 says, “And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered” (NASB).
Isaiah 40:10-11… Five things shepherds must do are outlined in this passage… “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (KJV). Ruling is being filled with authority that Jesus gave them. Ruling is influenced by the personal touch… Ruling is not just giving orders; it is “laying on of hands” to impart spiritual knowledge… Wisdom helps direction and more. Feed… If you lead, feed. (See 1 Peter 5:2, Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 5:17.) Many shepherds are not committed to study, and many feed on the wrong thing. Gather, not scatter. Be a keeper of the sheep. The Holy Spirit often leads people to the assembly, but because shepherds are not feeders or keepers the people scatter. Carry… There are sheep that need to be carried for a while… Some are defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. Shepherds must be realistic about people’s needs. Many believers have given up, and shepherds have no encouragement to give them. Lead… Sheep need leaders, or they will scatter. Sheep need a sense of direction… They need a steady pace, a goal, a vision…
One final word… Sheep do their share of scattering too. The Lord in Ezekiel 34:10-16 promises to remove wrong shepherds. He will search out His sheep. He called their scattering a dark and cloudy day (v. 12). The Lord had a word for the flock in verses 17-22… He tells how they too will be judged because they trod down the feed (Word) in the pasture (church) and fouled up the water (the flow of the Spirit of God) because they shoved aside the needy and the hurting. God wants to make His church a hill of blessing (vv. 26-27) filled with showers of blessing and fruit and increase. But the saints by their mouth and by their actions hinder what God wants to do. It’s not just the shepherds who scatter… members of the flock by their talk do damage as well.
2) Shepherds who slumber… Nahum 3:18… “Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them” (KJV). This refers to dereliction of duties… slothfulness… lethargy… lack of watchfulness… lack of effort… laziness… Sheep scatter because of negligence.
3) Shepherds who are selfish… Ezekiel 34:2-8… “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock” (KJV). What a picture of many today. In this passage, the spirit of self-preservation prevailed over the feeding of the flock. Jesus tells that “hirelings” preserve themselves, saving their own skin, but abandoning the sheep (John 10:12-13). Paul was concerned about this when he said in 2 Corinthians 12:14, “Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you.” Sheep scatter because preachers are more concerned for their own well-being than for the flock.
4) Senseless shepherds… Jeremiah 10:21… “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered” (KJV). Isaiah 56:11… “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” Sheep scatter because the shepherds are without understanding. Jeremiah 23:1-2 says, “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.” Lack of understanding, not seeking the wisdom that comes by the Holy Ghost, will scatter the sheep. Matter of fact in Jeremiah 48:10 says, “Cursed be the one who does the LORD’S work negligently” (NASB). Proverbs 27:23 exhorts us to “Know well the condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds.” Sheep scatter for lack of understanding and negligence in the shepherds.
5) Strangers in the pulpit… John 10:5… “And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers” (KJV). Sheep do not recognize a stranger’s voice… They will, however, listen to the anointing of the Holy Spirit in an unknown visiting ministry if the shepherd prepares the sheep. There is a difference between a shepherd who looks after the sheep, and one who just looks at them. Not all who work in the sheepfold are shepherds. Our prayer ought to be, “Lord, give us shepherds who know your voice.”
6) Absent shepherds… That is, shepherds who are hard to be found. Zechariah 10:2… “Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd” (NIV). Sheep need shepherds who can be located. Sheep will scatter when the shepherd is not seen… Shepherds who are away too much are often lacking in love, mercy, compassion, and grace for their own flock. Micah 5:4 reads, “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth” (KJV). The sheep will abide and not scatter when shepherds feed in the strength of the Lord. Ezekiel 34:5 says, “And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered” (NASB).
Isaiah 40:10-11… Five things shepherds must do are outlined in this passage… “Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young” (KJV). Ruling is being filled with authority that Jesus gave them. Ruling is influenced by the personal touch… Ruling is not just giving orders; it is “laying on of hands” to impart spiritual knowledge… Wisdom helps direction and more. Feed… If you lead, feed. (See 1 Peter 5:2, Acts 20:28, 1 Timothy 5:17.) Many shepherds are not committed to study, and many feed on the wrong thing. Gather, not scatter. Be a keeper of the sheep. The Holy Spirit often leads people to the assembly, but because shepherds are not feeders or keepers the people scatter. Carry… There are sheep that need to be carried for a while… Some are defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. Shepherds must be realistic about people’s needs. Many believers have given up, and shepherds have no encouragement to give them. Lead… Sheep need leaders, or they will scatter. Sheep need a sense of direction… They need a steady pace, a goal, a vision…
One final word… Sheep do their share of scattering too. The Lord in Ezekiel 34:10-16 promises to remove wrong shepherds. He will search out His sheep. He called their scattering a dark and cloudy day (v. 12). The Lord had a word for the flock in verses 17-22… He tells how they too will be judged because they trod down the feed (Word) in the pasture (church) and fouled up the water (the flow of the Spirit of God) because they shoved aside the needy and the hurting. God wants to make His church a hill of blessing (vv. 26-27) filled with showers of blessing and fruit and increase. But the saints by their mouth and by their actions hinder what God wants to do. It’s not just the shepherds who scatter… members of the flock by their talk do damage as well.
