Tabernacle of Meeting Part 3: Are you perhaps a “cast sheep”?
Psalm 42:5 “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His Countenance.”
Ever heard of a “cast down” sheep or of a “cast” sheep? I was reading Psalm 42 this morning and God reminded me of the cast sheep that Phillip Keller wrote about in his book “A Shepherd looks at Psalm 23”. This book is definitely worth reading! Trust me, you will never read Psalm 23 the same again. So what is a cast sheep or what does it truly mean to be cast down??
Much of what I will explain in the next paragraph about actual sheep, happens to us sometimes in the spirit or emotionally. Maybe you have experienced this before or maybe this is where you currently find yourself…
A cast sheep is normally a heavy, fat or long fleeced sheep that has turned over on its side to stretch or relax and suddenly the centre of gravity in the body shifts so that it turns on its back far enough that the feet no longer touch the ground. It may feel a sense of panic and start to paw frantically. It rolls over even further until it is quite impossible for it to regain its feet.
A cast sheep is a very pathetic site – lying on its back, feet in the air, in frightened frustration it kicks and moves around to stand up but with no success. If the owner does not arrive within a short time, the sheep will die. It is helpless and vulnerable to attack from predators. As it lies there struggling, gases begin to build up in the rumen. As these expand they tend to retard and cut off blood circulation to extremities of the body, especially the legs.
On the topic of cast sheep, here’s a short excerpt from Phillip Keller’s book: “Again and again I would spend hours searching for a single sheep that was missing…As soon as I reached the cast ewe, my very first impulse was to pick it up…I would hold her erect, rubbing her limbs to restore the circulation of her legs. When the sheep started to walk again, she often stumbled, staggered and collapsed. Little by little the sheep would regain its equilibrium. It would start to walk steadily and surely. By and by it would dash away to rejoin the others, set free from its fears and frustrations, given another chance to live a little longer. All of this pageantry is conveyed to my heart and mind when I repeat the simple statement, “He restoreth my soul!”
One of the great revelations of the heart…given to us by Christ is that of himself as our Shepherd. He has the same identical sensations of anxiety, concern and compassion for cast men and women as… [the shepherd] for cast sheep.”
In Psalm 42 David speaks about being down cast – clearly he knew what it felt like to feel seriously distressed, hopeless and without strength. And we know where he went to find help. Especially when he knew he could no longer help himself. The Psalms are full of it….. in verse 5 towards the end, David said “….Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”
As I read this verse this morning, what stood out was the Hebrew translation for “help” being “deliverance/aid/victory” and the Hebrew translation for “countenance” read “face, plural for face”. God the Father, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit. Ps 27:8.“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ My heart said to You, ‘Your face, LORD, I will seek.” 
Our deliverance from hopelessness, fears, bitterness, etc is truly found in His Countenance. When God meets with us. In our Tabernacle of Meeting time with God. You might be in a situation where you feel exactly like a cast sheep. It seems too late, you cant roll over anymore and help yourself, fear and exhaustion is gripping you – but know this: As you cry out to God, He hears you! And may we then join David and be able to testify with him, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!” Ps. 27:13,14