2 Sam 24:16&17 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

Psa 44:22 Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Psa 79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.

Psa 95:7a For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Ezek 34:11-16 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

Mat 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Mat 12:11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

Luke 15:4-6 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.

John 10:11& I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

1 Pet 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

The Lord calls us His sheep, not goats or lions or any other creature, but sheep. Have you ever wondered why the Lord chose the designation of sheep for His people. Is the sheep a great and wise animal, a powerful and cunning animal, an animal glorious in color and resplendent in its majesty. The biggest question of all is, Is it a self sufficient animal? The one answer to the questions above is NO! It is actually none of those things. It is a herd animal that is totally dependent upon the shepherd of the flock. He lives for one thing and that is to graze in the field under the shepherds care, often times unmindful when he is straying away from the flock and endangering himself in the process. The shepherd watches carefully for any of his flock that are exhibiting this behavior and is faithful to bring them back into the safety of the fold. How perfectly suited is this description for the people of God, who themselves have to have a Shepherd to watch over them at all times or they will stray away from the flock and eventually will fall over the precipes and become hopelessly entangled in the thorns and briars of this life and eventually starve to death. But thanks be unto God we have such a great Shepherd who will be ever watchful over His flock and will bring them all into to the safety of the sheepfold at the end of each day. Not a one of His flock shall perish. How immeasurably blessed we are who are accounted to be one of His sheep. He is no hireling who just keeps sheep for the profit he can get from them, but He is the loving Shepherd Who knows His own sheep by name and calls them by name, and lays down His life for those sheep and those sheep only. Never once in all of the Word of God does it say that He died for the goats. He only laid down His life for His sheep which are designated in the book of Revelation as being from out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation. When time shall be no more then the whole flock of God under The Great Shepherd of the sheep shall bed them down safely in that sheepfold known as heaven.