When the Goats Keep Marching: Escaping the Circle of Blind Obedience
A simple image can expose a serious problem. In this episode of GodNAmerica, I describe a herdsman leading goats in a circle around a blazing campfire—and how, even after the man stepped away, the goats kept marching the same worn path. Heads down. Hooves crunching dirt. No leader. No purpose. Just motion.
That picture is a warning: when people stop thinking, questioning, and discerning, they can keep “moving” while heading nowhere—or worse, toward harm. In this message, I connect that warning to Scripture, to history, and to the daily habits that shape faith and freedom.
I start with a traveler’s account from India: a herdsman walked his goats in a circle around a fire. The goats followed obediently, retracing the same track again and again. Then the herdsman left. The circle continued.
The striking part of the story is not that the goats were rebellious or malicious. They weren’t. They were followers doing what they had always done because that’s what the herd was doing. That’s why I use it as a picture of blind obedience—obedience without understanding, without conviction, and without a clear sense of why the path is being walked.
Jesus captures the danger in Matthew 15:14: “If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” My point is not that people are automatically wicked when they follow. The point is that unthinking followership can be steered—by fear, by habit, or by whatever voice is loudest in the moment.
Blind obedience does not always require open tyranny. Habit can do a lot of the work. Fear can do the rest. When a person stops testing what they hear and stops weighing truth, they become easier to condition—whether in politics, education, entertainment, or ideology. People can end up circling “the fire” of the day simply because everyone else is doing it.
In the episode, I reference historical examples as warnings about what happens when large groups stop thinking and stop speaking. I mention Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, emphasizing that widespread control can grow when ordinary people become silent or are trained to obey rather than discern. The pattern I’m calling out is the same one the goats demonstrated: motion without reflection.
The deeper issue I’m naming is spiritual, not merely political. When people stop questioning the answers, they stop being free. And when believers stop discerning, they stop being faithful in the way Scripture describes—wholehearted, thoughtful, and anchored in truth.
I contrast that herd-mentality with what I describe as an older American instinct: teaching students to think, not just recite. In that spirit, I point to the founders as people who stepped out of the circle and acted on principle rather than comfort. In the episode, I specifically mention Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin working on the Great Seal and national motto, and I cite the phrase, “Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God,” as an example of conscience-driven courage.
My focus is the principle: government is meant to serve the people, not the other way around. In my framing, that kind of civic courage is tied to a higher allegiance—allegiance to God and to truth—rather than to mere tradition or pressure.
Scripture consistently pushes against conformity. Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. I also mention the older Phillips wording that describes the world trying to “squeeze” us into its mold. Conformity is often easy because it feels safe. It can feel “normal” to keep walking the familiar circle.
But Scripture calls for something sturdier than autopilot. In 1 Thessalonians 5:21 the instruction is to “test everything” and “hold fast to what is good.” That requires attention. It requires discernment. It requires the willingness to ask hard questions—especially when everyone else seems content to keep marching.
This is where I address the church directly. A church can fall into the same trap as the herd: repeating rituals, repeating language, repeating traditions—long after the meaning has been lost. Believers can confuse motion with devotion, assuming that being busy around spiritual things automatically equals faithfulness. In contrast, God calls His people to thoughtful, wholehearted faith.
That’s why Isaiah 1:18 matters here: “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord.” Faith and reason are not enemies in this message. Reasoning—done humbly and honestly—can sharpen conviction. It can expose slogans. It can strip away buzzwords. It can help a believer recognize the difference between the Shepherd’s voice and the herd’s noise.
So how do we break the cycle? I lay out three movements.
First, lift your eyes. Look to the true Shepherd instead of the herd. Jesus says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me.” The core question becomes: Whose voice is shaping your steps?
Second, renew your mind by feeding on truth. In the episode, I contrast Scripture with slogans, and truth with trend. A renewed mind is not built on outrage cycles or social pressure. It’s built by steady exposure to what is true, tested, and good.
Third, walk in courage. I describe how the first goat to step out of the circle probably startled the rest. That’s often how change starts: one person deciding to follow light instead of habit. In my language, that courage is needed again in churches, schools, homes, and hearts—so that conscience is not traded for comfort and truth is not traded for approval.
I close with a warning and an invitation. The goats in the field did not know they were lost; they only knew they were busy. That “busy and blind” condition is dangerous for a person and for a society. The invitation is to be different: lift your eyes from the circle, fix them on the cross, and follow the one true King—not out of blind obedience, but out of love, truth, and freedom.
Application
Name the circle. Identify one area where you feel pulled to “just go along” (news habits, social media outrage, workplace groupthink, church routines, or family rhythms). Put it in words so it stops being invisible.
Practice “test everything.” Before repeating a claim or joining a chorus, pause and ask: Is this true? Is it good? Does it match Scripture? (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Renew your inputs. Replace a steady diet of slogans with something sturdier: Scripture reading, prayer, and thoughtful conversations that seek truth rather than heat. (Romans 12:2)
Listen for the Shepherd’s voice. Make room for quiet—enough quiet to notice whether you’re following Jesus or following noise. (John 10:27)
Turn motion into meaning. If you serve, attend, or participate in church life, ask what the practice is for—and reconnect the habit to worship, love of neighbor, and obedience to Christ.
Take one courageous step. Do one small action that reflects conscience rather than convenience: speak with clarity, refuse a dishonest narrative, apologize where needed, or choose a harder right over an easier wrong.
Lead at home with discernment. In family conversations, model how to disagree without rage, how to check sources, and how to hold convictions without cruelty.
TL;DR
The image of goats circling a campfire becomes a warning about blind obedience and unthinking habit.
Jesus’ warning in Matthew 15:14 shows what happens when the “blind lead the blind.”
Blind obedience is fueled by fear and routine, not always by open tyranny.
Historical examples are used to illustrate how silence and conditioning can shape whole societies.
I contrast herd-following with the founders’ principle-driven courage and conscience.
Romans 12:2 calls for renewed minds rather than conformity.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 calls believers to test everything and hold to what is good.
Churches can confuse motion with devotion when tradition continues without meaning.
Breaking the cycle involves looking to the Shepherd, renewing the mind, and acting with courage.
The goal is to follow Christ with love, truth, and freedom—not autopilot.
Devotional Questions
In the goat story, what keeps the goats walking in circles even after the leader leaves?
What are some modern “circles” people can get stuck in (fear, outrage, trends, habits)? What makes them hard to leave?
Jesus says the blind can lead the blind (Matthew 15:14). What does that look like in everyday life?
Romans 12:2 talks about renewing the mind. What are a few things that help renew your mind, and what are a few things that wear it down?
John 10:27 says Jesus’ sheep hear His voice. What helps you recognize Jesus’ voice compared to the “noise” around you?