In this chapter, the Lord speaks against the shepherds, the leaders, who did not take care of His sheep/people. Instead, they took care of themselves, so the Lord promises to be the shepherd of His people and shower them with blessings. Here’s how the chapter begins: “Then this message came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign Lord: Destruction is certain for you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the broken bones. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd. They are easy prey for any wild animal. They have wandered through the mountains and hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.” (Wow! Sounds like some of our churches!)
“Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, says the Sovereign Lord, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. Though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve.” (Ezekiel 34:1-8)
The chapter ends with the Lord’s covenant of peace with His people. “I will make a covenant of peace with them and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then my people will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear. I will cause my people and their homes around my holy hill to be a blessing. And I will send showers, showers of blessings, which will come just when they are needed. (Yes!!! Those showers may not come when you want them, but when they arrive…they will be right on time! Lord, thank you!) The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the Lord. They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer attack them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid.”
“And I will give them a land famous for its crops, so my people will never again go hungry or be shamed by the scorn of foreign nations. In this way, they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign Lord. You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God, says the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 34:25-31)
Read the rest of the chapter for yourself and learn how the Lord will rescue His sheep.
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for protecting us and being right on time with all that you do for us! Lord, we love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Commentaires