Untitled Sermon

I went looking for Bible passages that deal with agriculture.

Leviticus describes planting fields with purity, not using 2 kinds of seed ( Lev. 19:19, Deut. 22:9).

In the OT & NT, there are parables which compare God’s people to a grapevine or olive tree that God carefully planted and cared for.

There are descriptions of Jacob, Moses, and King David who all began their careers as shepherds, caring for flocks in the wilderness.

But this passage in Proverbs is the only passsage I could find that dealt with animal husbandry. Proverbs are a collection of notes and proverbs used to instruct young people for public service. It’s part of the curriculum for those who took their place in government. Princes and their future counsellors were taught from the collected wisdom of Solomon and other sages. These lines form our text this morning.

Proverbs 27:23–24 (NIV)

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Caring for sheep and goats was central to life in the Middle East; particularly those in the upper class whose family wealth gave them opportunities to serve at court and to attend school. The teacher recommends the young men take a hands-on approach to the care of their livestock.

Obviously this is prudent. Attending to the condition of your flocks allows you to keep an eye on your managers and hired hands as well as herd health and conditioning. Letting your employees know that you are paying careful attention to your herds will encourage them to do the same.

We know how fast conditions can change. Scours can pass through the young cattle quickly. A couple years ago, some cash croppers had trouble with mold in their corn crop. There is almost no end to the number of diseases or parasites we watch for, vaccinate for, or spray against in our fields, orchards, and gardens.

There’s a level of uncertainty whenever you’re dealing with living plants or animals. A friend regularly reminds us that when you have livestock, you’re also going to have deadstock. Do you think that’s what the teacher is saying with the second half of this proverb?

Proverbs 27:23–24 (NIV)

Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

Riches are unstable; they don’t endure forever.

I read a book about shepherds in the Middle East. Although his research involved recent visits among nomadic herding families in the wilderness of the Middle East, the author suggested that circumstances haven’t substantially changed in the past 2000-3000 years. There is danger from disease, bad weather, predators, and bandits.

Just ask the Old Testament patriarch Job. It did not take long for him to lose his children, his livestock, and his wealth to disasters, thieves, and raiders. And then illness left Job sitting on an ashheap, wearing sackcloth, and scratching his sores with broken pottery. You can read Job’s lament and his riches-to-rags story in the OT book of Job.

The reference to the crown suggests that the teacher might have the king or other national leaders in mind as he teaches. It’s common in both the old and new testaments to refer to kings and other leaders as shepherds and to God’s people as a flock. Psalm 23 and Psalm 100 come immediately to mind.

It was the patriarch Jacob who first used the word picture of God as a shepherd in himself as a sheep in the Bible. King David is probably the most famous author to use that imagery in the Bible. Many people are familiar with Psalm 23 in which David sings about the Lord being his shepherd. In this relationship David professes faith in God’s attention and care.