Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” John 10:11. NKJV)

Oh!
“Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey”(1)

But I’d rather they didn’t - eat ivy, that is. I think that they would do much better on their provided rations of hay and grain. One of the responsibilities of a herder is to provide nourishing food and water for the livestock.
Given the need, any vegetation is fair game, even ivy. Sheep are grazers, mostly looking down for their diet of grasses. They are noted for eating plants right down to the roots, a source of friction between cattlemen and shepherds on the range.
Sheep literally eat on the run, quickly grabbing, chewing and swallowing their food, then regurgitating the semi-digested mass, now known as cud, and chewing it again. As with other ruminants, the front teeth in the lower jaw bite against a hard, toothless pad in the upper jaw. These are used to pick off vegetation, then the rear teeth grind it before it is swallowed. There are eight lower front teeth in ruminants. The cloven-hoofed, cud chewing animals meet the Mosaic dietary laws of Deuteronomy 14:4-6.
It is important to see that the mothers are getting a nutritious diet during the time when they are nursing lambs. The good shepherd knows the sheep, (John 10:14) cares for the sheep, (as in the 23rd Psalm) leading them to green pastures and clean water, and is considerate of their needs. (See Genesis 33:13)
As livestock, sheep are most-often associated with pastoral imagery. Sheep figure in many religions, especially the Abrahamic traditions. Being a key animal in the history of farming, sheep have a deeply entrenched place in human culture, and find representation in the language and symbology of both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.
The patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - were herders. Job possessed thousands of sheep and camels, and hundreds of oxen and donkeys.
Yet, sheep and shepherds were not always welcome. Pharaoh’s clean-shaven court looked down on the rugged shepherd sons of Jacob. Joseph matter-of-factly informed his brothers, “Every shepherd is detestable to the Egyptians” (Genesis 46:34).
Jacob’s descendants became accustomed to a settled lifestyle and forgot their nomadic roots after spending 400 years in Egypt. When Israel later settled in Canaan, the few tribes still retaining a fondness for pastoral life chose to live in the Trans-Jordan (Numbers 32:1 ff).
After the settling in Palestine, shepherding ceased to hold its prominent position. As the Israelites acquired more farmland, pasturing decreased. Shepherding became a menial vocation for the laboring class. Shepherds were despised in everyday life. In general, they were considered second-class and untrustworthy.
However, Isaiah prophesied,“The Lord God shall come like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11) The good tidings of great joy at Jesus’ birth were announced to shepherds, “living in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night.” (Luke 2:8-20) Jesus Himself stated that He is the good shepherd; “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
John the Baptist called Jesus “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Sinners are redeemed “with precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:19)
Jesus said, “I am the door to the sheepfold; if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”

(1) Sing "Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy."
1943 by Milton Drake, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston.

A kiddley divey too . . .
Although sheep and goats are related, their dietary preferences are somewhat different, if they can choose.
Goats are primarily browsers, like deer, and strip the leaves and bark off trees and woody plants, sometimes standing on their hind legs to reach as high as they can.