What does Paul mean by believers being counted as sheep for the slaughter?
Paul uses sheep for the slaughter to picture believers who face suffering and death for Christ's sake without resisting or crying out. Just as sheep go silently, believers are to endure quietly, not squealing like pigs, because that is how God works, even as the Lamb of God answered not a word.
Les explains that in verse 36, for the sake of the Christ of the cross, believers are killed all the day long and counted as sheep for the slaughter. He illustrates this with a Chicago meat-packing account: hogs made a huge commotion when killed, but the sheep were utterly silent. A goat would lead the sheep down the alleyways to the killing place and then slip out a side door, yet the sheep still went silently. Les says this is the analogy Paul draws of the believer. We may someday come to the place where we too will go like sheep to the slaughter. Will we scream and squeal like pigs? No, because that is not the way God works. Even the Lamb of God Himself, as Isaiah said, answered not a word.
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
More Questions
In Romans 8:36, what does it mean that we are counted as sheep for the slaughter?
Paul's analogy of the believer as a 'sheep for the slaughter' means sheep go to their death in utter silence, and that is the picture of the believer.
What does Paul's analogy of sheep for the slaughter refer to?
The sheep going silently to slaughter is the analogy Paul draws of the believer; believers are the sheep.