Of Georgian Shepherds and the Flock of God

Today's internet wondering brought me to a fascinating article over at the Radio Free Europe website that contained a marvelous analogy for the calling of the man of God.

The article describes the annual descent of six Georgian shepherds and their flock of some 1,200 sheep down from the Tusheti mountains to the safety of the plains as autumn sets in. The herdsman's lieutenant in this venture is a breed of sheepdog appropriately named for the vocation for which they assist, the Georgian Shepherd.

It is the short description of the Georgian Shepherd that caught my attention:

The Georgian shepherd is a tough, ancient dog breed that helps keep the sheep in formation and protects them from wolves. The dogs are bred to be the same color and size as the sheep they protect. It's impossible to spot the dogs from a distance, meaning the wolf packs that stalk the migrating sheep must treat all flocks with caution.

What a fantastic picture of the Warrior Priest.

The role of the man of God in the Church is not unlike that of the Georgian Shepherd. He is called not to stand out from the rest of the Church, but to help protect it from within, guide it, and serve as a defender against those who would threaten it.

Christ is, of course, the Great Shepherd (John 10:11, 14; Psalm 23:1-2). He leads the flock, gives His life for the sheep, rescues and protects them from all dangers. But He deploys His disciples as lieutenants in His work, as well. Remember Christ directing Peter to feed His lambs (John 21:15-17) and of the apostles' instructions to the Church regarding discipleship (II Timothy 2:2; Ephesians 6:4) and discernment (II Peter 2; I John 4:1-6; Jude).

Lt. Col. David Grossman wrote in his book On Combat of the analogy that would later go on to be widely popularized in the movie American Sniper. To summarize, it goes something like this: there are three types of people in the world - sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. The wolves prey on the sheep, and the sheepdogs protect the sheep from the wolves.

By "sheep", Grossman did not mean anything negative. He used the metaphor within the context of combat and violence and described sheep as the kinds of people either not naturally inclined or unable to ever deploy violence, even in the interest of justifiable and righteous ends. The sheepdogs in his analogy are those who can (through inclination, willingness, and training) and do, when necessary (through vocation), use violence to protect their defenseless fellow citizens - policemen, soldiers, and the like.

This is a powerful analogy for all men of God. We are each called to protect those entrusted to us from the assaults of the world. These assaults may come in any number of forms, but the one which we all must face is the form of unspiritual, ungodly, unbiblical thinking (James 3:15). The battleground of the spiritual world is primarily one of the mind (Ephesians 4:17, 22-24; Romans 12:2), and it is on this ground that we men of God must make war on behalf of our wives, our children, our families, our friends, our churches and our communities (Ephesians 6:10-13; I Timothy 1:18-19).

Man of God, before the philosophies, ideas, priorities, and foolishness of the world can reach those you love, it should have to contend with you, the sheepdog, first. This is the mission the Good Shepherd has entrusted to you and you need to take it seriously. To the degree that you refuse it, you invite only pain, confusion, and spiritual withering into your home and community. So make war on the ideas of the world and the devices of the adversary: engage through study, prayer, intention, discernment, and stalwart non-conformity.

Follow the shepherd. Protect the sheep. Kill the wolves. Be a force to be reckoned with on behalf of those whom God has seen fit to entrust to you.

Christ has warned us. The wolves are coming. Get ready for a fight.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. - Matthew 7:15-16

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
- I Peter 5:8-9

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. - Ephesians 6:11