On the other hand

[samkellum]

I enjoyed Shepherds after My own Heart, and was duly affected by the reflections on how God functions as our shepherd, as seen through various books of the Bible. And while the book offers amazing and eye-opening details on the subject, the God-as-Shepherd metaphor itself doesn't exactly cover any new ground (even your average American Atheist could quote substantial parts of the 23rd Psalm). So I wonder if something couldn't be gained by a discussion of where the metaphor breaks down. Are there ways in which God's behavior is very unshepherdlike? And if so, why?

For instance, the interest of a literal shepherd in his sheep goes no farther than milk, wool, and meat, right? But God's purpose is not to milk, fleece, and eat us (Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swaggart, et. al. notwithstanding). So what is our value to the Shepherd who treats us in a way so unlike all other shepherds?