In the primitive age of the world men were all farmers or herdsmen. The first two persons born into the world illustrate this fact. Cain was a cultivator of the soil. His brother was a keeper of flocks. Since men can only use as similes those things with which they are familiar, the members of the human family came to be looked upon as sheep at a remote date in history.
Men are gregarious creatures.
Men tend to flock together, to live in proximity to each other, and to establish communities. Men in a mass or group require direction or leadership. A community of men can function as a social unit only through recognized leaders or agents. Destroy the leadership and the community will disintegrate. It is observable that the shepherd is to provide a unifying and integrating influence, to weld the flock into a compact unit for its own strength, protection and safety.