Sheep - hook onto the power of life

In my post on "The Highest Reveals Grace - רעה Shepherd," I promised to say something about the sheep (the flock)? Surely, if the revelation regarding the Good Shepherd is so powerful and awesome, there must be something equally profound about the sheep as well?

Well, here goes...

Let’s turn our attention to Psalm 100:3, a foundational verse that speaks to our identity and purpose in God:

"Know ye that יהוה he is Elohim: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture (רעה)."

This verse, simple yet profound, encapsulates the very purpose for humanity's creation. We are not self-made; we are His. And within the ancient Hebrew pictographs of the word "sheep," we find a beautiful, hidden revelation of this purpose.

What is the Original Purpose of Man?

Why was humanity created? The word-picture of the Hebrew word for "sheep" spells it out clearly. The Hebrew word for sheep is tse'ôn or צאן (pronounced tseh-on).

Let's break down its pictographic meaning, reading from right to left as in Hebrew:

צ (Tsade/Tzadi): This letter has a picture of a hook or a fishhook. It conveys the idea of catching, grabbing, or latching onto. It can also represent dependence and drawing out.

א (Aleph): This letter has a picture of an ox head. It represents power, strength, and the Leader or chief. It signifies divine power and authority.

ן (Nun Sophit - final Nun): This is the final form of the letter Nun, which in its regular form (נ) is pictured as a sprouting seed. This pictograph represents the origin of life, continuation, progeny, and life itself. It speaks of perpetual existence.

When put together, what does the pictograph for tse'ôn (צאן) – sheep – depict?

Hook onto the power (the Leader) of life!

This is an astonishing revelation! You were created for relationship. You were specifically designed to latch onto something or someone, to be in intimate connection. This deep-seated human need for connection finds its ultimate fulfillment in our Creator. As Acts 17:28 declares, "For in him we live and move and have our being." Our very existence is dependent on Him.

You can only find eternal life when hooked onto the Good Shepherd Himself. He is the origin of life, the very source from which all life flows. "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light." (Psalm 36:9).
The Sheep of His Pasture: A Deep Connection

Look carefully at Psalm 100:3 again. It states, "we are his people, and the sheep (צאן) of His pasture (רעה)." The word used here for "pasture" (רעה) is the same word used for Shepherd!

Wow! This isn't a coincidence; it's a divine confirmation of our intrinsic connection to Him.

We were made to latch onto the Shepherd (רעה) because He is the very Source of Life Himself! He is our "pasture" in the sense that He is our provision, our sustenance, and the very environment in which we thrive. This echoes Psalm 23:1-2: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."

Remember Jesus’ profound declaration in John 10:11: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." He embodies this pictographic truth—He is the Leader, the Power, and the Source of Life onto whom we are to hook.

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Aleph and Tav (א ות), the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). As explored in the profound meaning of the Aleph and Tav, He is the complete revelation, the divine signature woven into creation.

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). There is no other path to eternal life, no other source of truth, and no other fountain from which true life springs. "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." (John 10:9).

He is where you find Life, both now and eternally! "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." (1 John 5:12). Our very purpose, as revealed by the ancient Hebrew, is to be inextricably linked to Him.HalleluYAH! The very essence of our being is to be dependent on, and connected to, the living God who is our Shepherd, our power, and our eternal life.