Lamb
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible contains a wide variety of animals and insects. From the tiny ant to huge beasts like the behemoth, God’s creatures are integrated throughout Scripture in an array of practical and spiritual contexts for our teaching and edification. Creatures of many kinds have been an integral part of our daily lives ever since the fifth and sixth days of Creation.
In this first of a series of Creatures of the Bible articles, we will take a closer look at just a few characteristics of sheep and how God’s Word uses these animals to help us learn important spiritual lessons and truths.
One of the fundamental lessons about God’s intended relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ is found in John 10:3-5 where we are reminded that sheep always hear the voice of the shepherd and faithfully follow Him. Just as sheep know and instantly respond to the shepherd’s voice, we too are to follow Christ, our Shepherd, without hesitation.
It is interesting to note that sheep will wander if they don’t stay close to the shepherd. If they are distracted to a point where they can’t hear his voice, they will eventually go astray like lost sheep (Psalm 119: 176). As we are distracted by the lusts of the world, we often resemble these sheep that have gotten off course. But God calls us to return to Jesus, the “Shepherd and Overseer” of our souls (1 Peter 2:25) and follow Him.
We can discover so many life applications from studying what the Bible has to say about sheep. We witness the sheep’s patience when it is being sheared, the tender loving care of a mother sheep with her young, and the mutual affection that sheep have for one another as they feed close to others in the same flock.
There is perhaps no greater truth learned from sheep in Scripture than that of the sacrificial lamb. In preparation for the Passover, the Jewish people would select a one-year old male lamb, without blemish, which would be sacrificed. Its blood would then be put on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses so when God saw the blood, He would “pass over” that house and not destroy it during the plague in Egypt. This, of course, is a profound foreshadowing of Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, who became our Passover when He shed His precious blood on Calvary’s cross for our sins.
As the forerunner to Jesus Christ, John the Baptist declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”(John 1:29)! Jesus is the only way that any man can get to heaven, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). If you’ve never turned to Jesus Christ in faith, you can do so now, for the Bible declares “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
So just as we see sheep follow their shepherd, we hope there will be countless more people who will consider following the Lamb of God who is THE Great Shepherd for all mankind – our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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