**Note from the author: since publishing this blog, I have learned that the practice of shepherds intentionally breaking the legs of their sheep is a myth. Thanks to someone who commented below, I did a little research and found that there’s no evidence to support this being a practice. There IS a device known as a “leg break” that does not actually break their legs, but is a weight that slows them down and teaches them to stay with the flock. I still believe the Scriptural teaching of this blog post is accurate, so a few changes have been made to the post to reflect this new information. **
There is a myth that shepherds used to break the legs of their wandering sheep to keep them closer to the flock. The myth says that if a sheep tends to wander from the flock, the shepherd will find it, break its legs, place it on his shoulders, and nurse it back to health. During the healing process is that sheep is said to learn to have total dependance on the shepherd. Because of it’s broken leg, it needs the shepherd more than ever and doesn’t leave his side. More importantly, the shepherd doesn’t leave the sheep’s side.
While that story is a myth, there is a practice among some shepherds where they will attatch a weight to the sheep’s legs in order to slow them down and keep them closer to the flock. This weight is known as the “leg break,” although no legs are actually broken in the process. While the leg breaking story is a myth, it has been used to teach an important principle of how God deals with us (His sheep). He will often discipline us to keep us from wandering and cause us to rely fully upon Him - and often times, His discipline is painful. In that sense, God will often “break our legs” in order to keep us close to and dependent upon Him. Look at how the author of Hebrews describes it:
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
HEBREWS 12:5-11
Our world has made discipline an enemy of love, but that passage teaches us that it is the very limitless, extravagant, perfect love of God that fuels His discipline of us. As a matter of fact, the author goes so far as to say that if you’ve never experienced the discipline of the Lord, you’re not a legitimate son or daughter. That means that in all of our efforts to avoid the discipline of God and not talk about it because it’s uncomfortable, we’ve avoided one of the indicators that we are His children!
His discipline is always meant to draw us closer and make us more dependent on Him, which leads to holiness and the fruit of righteousness. It may be painful, but it will lead to your greater pleasure in Him. We may be tempted to get angry at Him or think we know a better way for Him to work in our lives, but if we trust Him and the discipline He brings, it will always result in our ultimate good. If He is able to take all the brokenness and sin of our lives and turn it into something beautiful, how much more can He use His very own work of discipline for our good and His glory?
Has God ever “broken your legs?” How did you respond? You can be sure that if He has brought discipline in your life, it is because He is the Good Shepherd who desires to give you abundant life. In the meantime, you and I must stop our wanderings and depend fully on Him and His leading in our lives.