The Footsteps of the Flock (Song of Songs 1:8)

John Barnes

In verse 7 of this chapter (Song of Songs, chapter 1), the bride seems to express her desire to be preserved from straying into wrong paths. She asks, ‘Why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?’ Though some different readings have been suggested as alternatives to this rendering, at least there is clearly a risk of straying into divergent ways or of following different groups. The Lord’s teaching in John 10 gives us to understand that His purpose was to form one flock under His own care and leadership, so the mention of several flocks is suggestive of some divisive principle which was at work such as may be seen in the Corinthian assembly where groups of the saints elected to follow different leaders. These factions were parties of true believers, but forceful men had established an ascendancy over many of them and the spirit of schism had divided the assembly.

In making known her anxiety about this danger the bride shows that the situation had exercised her heart and that counsel would be welcome. This is given in verse 8: ‘If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock’. The bridegroom responds both to her ignorance and to her desire for guidance. He advises her, ‘Go thy way forth’. So she should make a move, but it should be in the right direction: ‘by the footsteps of the flock’. In the Lord’s mind there is only one flock, not several. The many companies could have placed her in some danger of being diverted to the right hand or to the left hand. The great shepherd goes on before the sheep to lead them in the path, and the way He has taken can be seen by the imprint of His own footsteps as well as by those who follow Him in the way. That way leads to where He feeds His flock and where He makes them to rest in the heat of the day (v. 7). We may consider the footsteps in the following ways.

The footprints of a sheep show the clear impression of the divided hoof. The pathway of the Lord’s flock is one of separation from what is not pleasing to the shepherd. We are distinctly advised in this text to follow these footsteps, and when counsel has been sought it is well to heed it when it is given. It may seem unnecessary to say this, since it is logical to be guided by advice when we ask for it, but you and I know very well how foolish the human heart can be and that men frequently do not follow the advice which they profess to seek. Compare carefully Jeremiah chapters 41 and 42 for proof of this assertion. So we do need to look at this matter with some attention.

Sheep have four hooves and expert trackers would be able to distinguish not only the track of an individual animal but even, in some cases, the individual hooves. Paul advised Timothy to avoid certain things which he mentions, and to pursue a course which he outlines, along with others who love the truth. Here we have what we could call a New Testament explanation of this figure of a sheep’s tracks, showing the character of the four footprints of a sheep following the shepherd. They are righteousness, faith, love and peace. The course is followed along with others who call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Tim. 2:22). So we could think of them as being the footsteps of the flock. For the tracker, a lame animal’s spoor is easy to spot. The animal does not trust its weight fully on a lame hoof, and the impression left is not so clear as the other three hooves. Thinking of the four qualities which Paul mentioned to Timothy, we ought to be concerned to have these things in balance and in clear definition in our walk. Where such a regular walk can be discerned, there we can find the flock.

Righteousness is, of course, practical righteousness. We have been justified by the work of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we need to walk in righteousness day by day. In his first epistle, John tells us that we ought to walk as the Lord walked (2:6). Without doubt, the features we are thinking about were seen in infinite perfection in Him, and Peter tells us that He was an example for us that we should follow in His steps. All that He did was righteous, and every relationship of His with others was righteous. In Psalm 40, Himself speaking, He declares, ‘I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart’ (v. 10). It was fully expressed in His peerless life.

Some believers find it difficult to apply the thought of faith to the Lord, but we read of Him in the Hebrew epistle as the author or originator and the finisher of faith (12:2). He walked before His God in complete trust in Him and dependence on Him. In chapter 2:13 we hear Him saying, ‘I will put my trust in him’. So far as we are concerned, it is quite clear that we walk by faith, not by sight. Where the flock walks, this footprint will be in evidence.

Love is the next of the impressions. No one would question that the Lord walked in love. We are exhorted to walk in love (Eph. 5:2). Since this is how the Lord walked, the sheep who follow Him closely will so walk.

The last of the four footprints is peace. We read in Hebrews 12: ‘follow peace with all men’ (v. 14). The Lord Jesus was a man of peace and enjoyed it in a very personal way. He spoke to the apostles of ‘my peace’ (John 14:27). The Lord’s flock is a peaceful one. Where wrangles abound and Christians are biting and devouring one another, the impression given is clearly not that of a peaceful flock of sheep. So we may be sure to find these tracks in the path in which the flock is following the shepherd.

Footprints give an indication of the direction taken by the flock. Many hoofed animals have a hoofprint like an arrowhead, and the more pointed end is forward. In John 10 the Lord Jesus says plainly, ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me’ (v. 27). So, if the sheep are following the great shepherd of the flock, they are going where He is going, and they will be in the company of others who similarly seek to follow Him, in faithfulness toHim. The important point is that the sheep follow Him. There are those who, for one reason or another, seek to draw away disciples after themselves, and they form their own flocks of those who can be induced to go after them and who are willing to submit to their authority. Many a clergyman actually refers to his congregation as his ‘flock’, yet even the apostle Peter writes to the elders, ‘Feed the flock of God which is among you’ (1 Pet. 5:2). Paul also, speaking to the elders of Ephesus, speaks of the flock , using the word in the singular number (Acts 20:28). It has become the badge of byway flocks to say, ‘I am of so and so’; but those who follow the Lord, in separation from the arrangements of man’s religion, need no badge. People speak of men ‘voting with their feet’, and in some sense, this is what the followers of the Lord do; they have gone after Him. It is His voice which they have heard, and they follow Him.

Footsteps are taken one after the other, and this is suggestive of the deliberate nature of such a pathway, each step being taken in the faith of Christ, with due consideration of its implications. Those who, in any sense, pursue such a pathway are well aware of its cost, but they are also conscious of its blessings. The footsteps of the flock pass through places of danger as well as of pleasantness and such a path is not for the undecided. The great shepherd psalm which we love so much reminds us of the deep gloom of the valley of the shadow of death, but there, as well as by the quiet waters and in the green pastures, we can trace the footprints of the flock. The psalm does not say, ‘If I walk through the valley’, but ‘ThoughI walk through the valley’ (Ps. 23:4). It is not simply a possibility; it is a fact of the path of the sheep. The pathway of the flock is one of faith. There is nothing material or physical to see; nothing tangible; nothing audible. This imposes impossible difficulties on those who have not a true faith, and it is the reason underlying the erection of ornate cathedrals, the painting of icons and religious pictures, and the innumerable audial and visual paraphernalia of organised religion. Moreover, the pathway which leads the flock after the shepherd evokes opposition which may at times rise to levels of violence. Therefore, firmness of purpose is needed in those who tread its rugged miles, but it is, for all that, a way of supreme blessedness.

The footsteps of the sheep lead to the dwelling place of the shepherd, and it is there that care is lavished on the flock. In Leviticus 11, where the principle of the divided hoof is taught, the matter of the assimilation of food is linked with it. Sheep need to be led but they also need to be fed and cared for. Where the shepherd dwells is the centre for these ministrations. In John 1, the two disciples who left John the baptist to follow the Lord Jesus went and saw where He dwelt, and they abode with Him that day. Can we doubt that all their needs were met?

There, too, the young are cared for, and in that place the under-shepherds may be found at work. The word ‘tents’ in our verse should be thought of as ‘booths’. These were rough shelters of branches with leaves or grass tossed on top to keep off the rain or dew. The under-shepherds, or bishops, did not live in palaces or luxurious apartments, but in these quite comfortless shacks, where they shared in the conditions which the sheep endured. The shepherds of today should note Jacob’s comments on the life and character of a shepherd (cf. Gen. 31:38–42). The true shepherd thinks sheep; he has them in his mind and on his heart night and day (cf. 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8). In such an atmosphere the needs of the flock are thought of at all times. One author, writing about the French Revolution and the dreadful conditions which provoked it, remarked concerning the poor peasants of pre-revolution times that these sheep of the church were ‘seldom fed but regularly shorn’. Sadly, this is still true of the indigent peasantry in many countries, and the fleecing continues. Every so-called bishop and all who in any way take part in this service should consider their responsibilities in this connection. The shame of such a charge should stir every true-hearted believer to a determination not to take any part in such a state of things. The genuine shepherd’s footsteps will be found among those of the sheep (see again 1 Pet. 5:2). Indeed, it is well known that the Eastern shepherd goes before the flock, especially where there may be danger (cf. John 10:4). Those who care only for their own welfare and not for the sheep are hirelings. When the chief shepherd shall appear these matters will be seen in their reality in the light of His glory. Those who have any part in this service for the sheep of the Lord’s flock need to have this firmly in mind.[1]

[1] Extracted from Precious Things (1989–90) vol. 22 p. 225.

From: Truth and Testimony, 2023