Patti and I celebrated our 39th anniversary this weekend at The Hilltop Inn. Attached to the inn is an English-themed eatery called The Burns Pub and Restaurant, a cozy little place overlooking the Front Range that made us feel like we were celebrating almost four decades of joy and happiness in the middle of the UK.
On the menu Saturday night were Irish Poutine (Irish cheddar cheese and corned beef), Welsh Rarebit (rye toast topped with cheese, caramelized onions, and olives), Fancy Scotch Egg (egg wrapped pork sausage), and Classic Shepherd’s Pie (ground lamb with onions, carrots, and sweet peas), among other offerings.
The Shepherd’s Pie at The Burns Pub is fantastic. It’s basically a chicken pot pie, only with lamb. True, many Americans don’t like lamb. But my mom was born and raised in Canada and Canadians have a tradition of eating leg of lamb on Sunday. As an adult, Mom carried that wonderful tradition into our family. Every Sunday she would put a leg of lamb in the oven before we went to church. When we arrived home, the entire house would be filled with the amazing aroma of lamb cooking in the oven. We’d sit down to a feast of lamb, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and then one of her wonderful desserts.
As I sat outside The Hilltop Inn looking out over the countryside yesterday morning, the question came to my mind, “I wonder if King David would have chosen the Shepherd’s Pie?” He was a shepherd after all. And shepherds did eat their own sheep (Hence the name, “Shepherd’s Pie”). In fact, shepherds were notorious for eating their sheep. Sheepherding is strenuous activity. You’re constantly walking out in the middle of nowhere. It’s basically a long hike with obstinate, meandering sheep.
Hikes make one hungry. I know. I’ve gone on some hikes in the Rockies where I didn’t take enough food. On one hike, I almost fainted from hunger. Hence, the temptation for shepherds to eat their own sheep. And Shepherds had a ready excuse. In biblical times, the countryside harbored bears and lions. So it was common practice for a shepherd to kill a sheep, eat it, and then blame the loss on a bear or lion attack. No one ever knew if the shepherd was telling the truth. There was always suspicion that the shepherd had eaten the missing lamb, but there was no way to prove it. Consequently, shepherds were the used car salesmen of the ancient world.
Then along came David. David, we all know, knew and loved God. The result of David’s relationship with God was that he had character. The result of that character was that David determined that he would ensure the safety of his sheep. If he took one hundred sheep out to pasture, he made sure he brought one hundred sheep back home. He refused to eat the sheep he was shepherding and he made sure no lion or bear ate his sheep either. He knew that if a lion or bear ate one of his sheep, then people would think he ate it. This is why David risked his life for his sheep by killing the lion and the bear when they attacked them (1 Samuel 17:34-36). His reputation was at stake.
Consequently, David became renowned for always bringing home the same number of sheep that he took out. Naturally, everyone began looking at all the other sheepherders and wondering, “Hey, if David can do it, then why can’t you?” The result was that other sheepherders began taking their responsibility much more seriously. We know this happened because David and his men guaranteed the safety of the sheep they were guarding for Nabal (1 Samuel 25). In other words, David’s character became the standard for all sheepherders. And since sheep were a primary source of protein in ancient Israel, this “moral improvement” increased the wellbeing of the entire country.
Did David eat lamb? Yes, David ate lamb–at the appropriate time in his home or in public along with everyone else. He just didn’t eat lamb while he was shepherding his sheep.
Would David have ordered the Shepherd’s Pie at the Burns Pub and Restaurant? I’m sure he would have.
But would David have made shepherd’s pie out in the field while shepherding his sheep?
Nope.
This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.
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