The Book of the Shepherd (2 of 29)
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The Book of the Shepherd by Joann Davis. Copyright 2009 by Joann Davis.
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A Still, Small Voice
STONE THE BUILDER WHO ERECTS A house that falls on its occupants.
Sever the hands of the criminal who pilfers livestock or grain or another’s garment.
Whip the child who defies an elder. For such is the law and the law must be obeyed.
For generations, these ironclad rules had governed the people. Nobody questioned whether it was right to humiliate a child or execute a murderer. An eye for an eye was the way of the world.
But was there another way?
The shepherd wondered. As he lay outstretched in an open field, beneath a blanket of twinkling stars, he reviewed the day. It had begun in a nearby town where a farmer was stoned for selling a sick cow. Each time a rock struck the man, a bloodthirsty crowd sent up a loud, enthusiastic cheer.
Later in the morning, the shepherd was in a village where two families were feuding over a cracked water jug. The potter who had sold the broken jar claimed he had made an honest mistake. But he was marched to a whipping post and given forty lashes as spectators hissed and spat at him.
Then the shepherd had assisted a young boy after a merciless beating by his father. It was all done in strict accordance with the law. But it was enough to make any God-fearing person wonder where God had been this day. Why hadn’t God sent help to spare the child?
The shepherd closed his eyes and was drifting off to sleep when he thought he heard a still, small voice whispering in his ear, “I did send help. I sent you.”
The Book of the Shepherd: The Story of One Simple Prayer, And How It Changed the World
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