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The title of this question has an element of humor but is very real.

On my way home, I was listening to a pastor's sermon on KWAVE.

This pastor stated that God is like a Shepherd and that we are His sheep...

More specifically, that in the old days, if the Shepherd had a sheep that was prone to wandering off from the herd or out of the protection of the pen, the Shepherd would actually break the sheep's leg and reset it, so that it would not wander and be killed by a prowling predator. So, because the Shepherd so loved His sheep, He would break their legs to keep them alive.

Next, the pastor stated that this is what God does with us because He loves us.

Now, he did not go into detail or give examples, so my question is:

Does God inhibit us in ways that are to keep us from going to Hell?

If so, does He do this for some people or for everyone?

Lastly, what would be some examples of this? Would God try to keep someone humble and alive for eternity by giving them depression? Or if God knew someone could not control their lust make them unattractive, to preserve them?

Any info on how this works is greatly appreciated. In addition, if this pastor's message is wrong, please do explain.

Thank You.

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Having grown up on a farm, I find this analogy highly implausible. First, no sheep would intentionally , repeatedly walk away from the flock. Sometimes a lamb might get separated because the flock has moved away and it can't keep up, but crippling it isn't going to fix that. Second, a sheep with a broken leg is going to require enough care that the rest of the herd will be neglected. Third, a broken leg is prone to infection and disease. This is simply not the way to protect an animal's life. – Bruce Alderman Mar 1 at 15:36

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I would be wary of a sermon which develops it's doctrines concerning God's occasionally harsh treatment of man from the interpretation of a supposed ancient practice. As well-meaning as it is, from a standpoint of pastoral guidance and discipleship, it's not very helpful for a disciple to look upon human suffering and remember the alleged practices of ancient near-east shepherds.

From a Biblical theology standpoint, the most notable passage is:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

So there is a promise, all things for together for good of the object of that promise, and there is an object of that promise: those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

Generally speaking, being called according to the purposes of God is synonymous with being the elect of God. Various theological camps have different beliefs on what it means to be elect, but the reformed tradition of which I am a part believes that the Bible teaches that the elect are those whom God has predestined from before the foundation of the world by grace to be granted the gift of faith, unto salvation.

In practice, applying this idea to suffering is a good mindset but only in the most general sense that a Christian can know themselves to be loved and not abandoned in the midst of suffering, not that they can deduce the special reasons that make particular instances of suffering ultimately good for them. It is something to take God at his word for, even when it is not directly seen or experienced.

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The passage on working all things for good is more a passage talking about why bad things happen to good people and the fact that even though "undeserved" bad happens, God redeems it for good. The anecdote being discussed has a very strong discipline oriented slant which seems to indicate that this passage doesn't exactly fit. – AJ Henderson Mar 2 at 17:25
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@AJHenderson maybe not exactly pertinent, it is more of a blanket statement. All things, includes, well, all things. Pleasant things, discomfort, discipline, and so forth would all be considered things that work to the good. I wouldn't however want to use this passage to make the point that the Bible says that God disciplines people. He does, but this isn't the passage for it. – Ben Mordecai Mar 3 at 1:06
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I agree that all things means all things, but the question was more specifically talking about a) if the anecdote was proper and b) if God would do "harm" to prevent sin. The verse doesn't address the question. It says nothing about if God intends pain or not, simply that when it occurs, he'll work it for good. Hope that more clearly expresses what I was trying to convey. – AJ Henderson Mar 3 at 4:11
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@AJHenderson I suppose you're right. It's a more sophisticated argument to talk about suffering as a result of discipline from the Lord. We know biblically that God disciplines his people, but the mechanics of that discipline aren't spelled out directly. We know that God causes/ordains suffering in believers. Finally we know that God always works for the good of his people, so it's possible to draw the inference that God may discipline his people through suffering for their good, but since it is an inference, it shouldn't be necessarily stated dogmatically. – Ben Mordecai Mar 3 at 4:44
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While I think the anecdote used is severely flawed, I think the underlying point is valid. It seems to me that the pastor was preaching on the discipline of God rather than general human suffering. The Bible is abundantly clear that God does discipline those He loves both to bring them to repentance and to further their walk with Him and refine them.

The working all things for good is a good passage on why general suffering occurs, however the anecdote given was that the sheep does something bad (walks away) and therefore the shepard does something that hurts (discipline) in order to help the sheep's life be better in the long run. This is also why discipline is called for throughout the Bible.

If you'd like I can find some specific scriptures in support, but there are a lot of them to choose from if you simply look for what the Bible says about discipline.

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up vote 1 down vote

The shepherd breaking a sheep's leg has become such an oft used illustration that many preachers don't even stop to question its plausibility. I think the illustration might be drawn from a book about a shepherd writing on Psalm 23, but I'm not sure. I doubt many shepherds actually break the legs of their sheep to keep them from running away.

However, we do know that God is providentially in control of all things. Nothing bad happens to anyone (believer or unbeliever) without the permission of God. I don't know how far we can delve into understanding the ways of God (Isaiah 55). However, God does allow inexplicable trials for our good.

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First of all, having also grown up on a farm, I completely agree with Bruce's comment. Secondly the Bible would actually contradict this statement. This pastor's intentions may be good, but this is not rooted in biblical truth.

So the answers to your questions are No, No, and No.

Does God inhibit us in ways that are to keep us from going to Hell?
If you are saved you won't go to hell. Period. You are a permanent member of the flock. So the answer is No.

And since the answer to the first question is No, the others are No too.

You can read more about this myth here

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nice reference, thank you... – Greg McNulty Mar 6 at 1:32

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