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Ezekiel 34 (ESV)
11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
REFLECTION:
The good shepherd takes good care of the flock in need, in stark contrast to the bad shepherd who ignores the flock. Ezekiel used parables to show that the leaders of the Israelites did not fulfill their responsibilities in the past, and declared that in the future God would personally be the shepherd of the flock. It’s just “the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” It is a metaphor that God wants to discipline the fat and bullying ones in the flock. Although God also loves these fat sheep, His love and righteousness is indivisible, justice without love is cruel, and love without justice is blind. “Fatty sheep” only cares about enjoying God’s grace, but refuse to share grace with brothers and sisters. Instead, they oppress the weak and create disputes. Therefore, when the flock of Israel was taken into captivity, it was not only the responsibility of the shepherd, but also the responsibility of the flock itself. The king neglected his duty, and the people did not stand firm. Therefore, God will not only judge the shepherd, but also the flock; He will not only pursue the bad shepherd, but also deal with the evil sheep. Today, if we feel that the leaders of the church have not been able to shepherd us comprehensively, or have tripped by unspiritual companions, we should not be disappointed. We must remember that God is in charge of everything. We have the Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd, personally shepherd us, and we only need to listen to His voice. What we have to do is just to imitate the life of the Lord Jesus, to pity all weakness with our love, and to put an end to all disputes with our peace.
PRAYER:
Talk to God about the setbacks you have encountered in your spiritual growth and church ministries, and ask God to give you faith and strength so that you can focus on God’s perfection instead of man’s flaws; pray for the spiritual growth of your pastors, brothers and sisters, and yourself, asking God to give you a united heart, love one another, and build God’s house together.
HYMN:
One Voice – youtu.be/Ecr1NTfN_wk
