In history, shepherds have been an important part of society, often looked over, forgotten, and looked down upon. For example, the first murder recorded in history was a farmer killing a shepherd (Genesis 1: 1-8).

Aristotle, who lived 300 BCE, in his book titled “Aristotle’s Politics: Book 1”, made this quote about shepherds:

““the laziest are shepherds, who lead an idle life, and get their subsistence without trouble from tame animals; their flocks wandering from place to place in search of pasture, they are compelled to follow them, cultivating a sort of living farm.” In other words, he thought shepherds were lazy because of the type of animal they cultivate. Sheep aren’t exactly the smartest of all animals, nor are they the hardest to maintain (according to Aristotle).

Even in the history of Egyptian society, there’s evidence for the dislike of shepherds. Joseph, who had been in charge of the Pharaoh’s court and the “entire land of Egypt” (Genesis 41: 41) around 1750 BCE, told his brothers that “the Egyptians despise shepherds.” (Genesis 46: 34) in his advice to his brothers.

Although there was clearly much contempt for shepherds, there were some moments in history where this stereotype was challenged. In 1000 BCE, King David, who is arguably one of the most famous kings in the Abrahamic religions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, was actually a shepherd before he was king. It was through his knowledge of shepherding where he was able to defeat Goliath, “a giant man”, with simply some rocks and a sling. Because of this, King Saul, the first king of the Kingdom of Israel, awarded David with one of his daughters to take as a wife, anointing him into the royal family. David’s kingship and role drastically changed the Israelites’ perspective on shepherds.

Comparatively, even though it was a rare (if not impossible) occurrence for shepherds to be thought of highly in ancient Egypt, two of the most important symbols in Egyptian society are tools used by shepherds.

The Egyptian lifestyle depended heavily on agriculture and farming, centralizing focus on the Nile River, both the Upper and Lower Regions.

Ancient Egypt was governed by the Pharaoh, who was believed to be a direct relative of the sun god Ra. “The pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ and ‘High Priest of Every Temple’. As ‘Lord of the Two Lands’ the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.” (ancientegypt.co.uk)

What was especially important to Egyptians was burial and the afterlife. Egyptians believed that in order for the soul to move on into the afterlife, one must need a preserved body still on Earth. That’s why Egyptians mummified bodies, so that the gods would be able to recognize their souls after death.

Pharaohs were given the highest quality of burial over the people, since he was a living incarnate of a god. This is a picture of King Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus:

If you look closely, you can notice that the depicted Pharaoh is holding two items across his chest. These items are called the “Crook and Flail” and became common and popular symbols for the Pharaoh’s power over Upper and Lower Egypt.

The origin of these symbols come from what is thought to be the two functions of the King: “the crook stands for the shepherd, carer of the people, while the flail as scourge symbolizes the punishments deemed necessary to sustain society.” (reshafim.org.il). The crook is a common item used by…

 

SHEPHERDS.

 

It is very interesting that a common shepherding tool, where shepherds were despised by Egyptians, is used to represent the most supreme power on earth, the power of the Pharaoh.

What is even more interesting, is that another man, named Jesus of Nazareth, who also is believed to be a living incarnate of God, is compared to a Shepherd many times in both the old testament prophecies (meaning what was to be believed to happen) and the new testament (meaning the fulfillment of the old testament prophecies- what already happened).

 

Old Testament (1000 BCE – 500 BCE)	New Testament (1 AD – 60 AD)
“I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.” (Ezekiel 34: 23)	“”I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)
“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails–given by one shepherd.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11)	“Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.” (1 Peter 2:25)
” “Awake, sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!” declares the LORD Almighty. “Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.” (Zechariah 13:7)	“The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” (John 10:2)
“He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.” (Isaiah 40:11)	“All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:32)
“I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another.” (Ezekiel 34:22)	“”You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’” (Mark 14:27)
“My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” (Ezekiel 34:6)	“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:4)
“My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place” (Jerimiah 50:6)	“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” (Mark 6:34)

 

Pharaoh was the living incarnate of a god. He took the title as such. He dressed in gold, lapis lazuli, and other precious metals, held the tools of a shepherd to reiterate his own power, his own key to eternal life.

Jesus was the Good Shepherd. He took the lowest, dirtiest, and worst title in society. A living incarnate of God. He was dressed in cloth, and died by cross, holding nothing but the key for our eternal life.