Gathering Stones with the Sheep
As you travel along the highways in Israel, there is a unique appearance to the hillsides in the desert. It is a lacey pattern which transverses the hillside with lines intersecting with such regularity that it appears as a lacey pattern on the side of even the steepest hills. The steeper the hills, the more prevalent the markings are.Those lacey lines are the residual effects of herding sheep in the arid desert. There isn’t enough water to keep the land productive without irrigation, and the food available for the sheep to eat becomes less and less accessible until such time that the sheep ascend the steep banks in search of food.
Those lines are the paths created by the sheep as they nibble every stand of edible plant life in the desert. The sheep is nimble and sure-footed on the steep slopes as they can ascend to even the highest points that are unattainable by the shepherd. The shepherd can only watch as the sheep go higher on the hillsides as they search for each morsel of food.
It’s interesting to watch.
The shepherd will lead the flock of sheep along the hillside, instructing them in the direction that they should go. The sheep, on the other hand, can ascend or descend the hillside, staying within sight of the shepherd and under the watchful eye of the shepherd’s care while at the same time maneuvering where it is necessary to reach the food.
In other words, even though the shepherd is in charge of the sheep, the sheep can go many places that the shepherd cannot go.
Think about it.
~serapha~
posted by ~serapha~ at 7:40 PM
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