Ezekiel 34:1-6; 11-16
The word of the Lord came to me:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…
EZEKIEL 34;1-6;11-16 THE LORD IS OUR SHEPHERD
October 15, 2023.
Did you enjoy the game of hide and seek when you were younger? Perhaps you still play with young grandchildren or nieces or nephews.
Of course, the whole idea of hide and seek is to have those who hide and someone who searches until they are found.
There was a young boy who had played hide and seek before and thought it was fun. His mom came into his room and found him sitting on his bed and looking really sad. “What’s wrong”? she gently asked. The little boy replied, “I wanted to play hide and seek so I hid for a very long time, but no one came to look for me.” He hadn’t realized that he needed to let someone know to come and search for him.
Imagine how that would feel to be waiting and waiting for someone to come and find you.
Imagine how that feels for a person to have lost their way and to wonder if anyone cares enough to come and find them.
Sheep are notorious for getting lost. They regularly wander away from the rest of the flock and end up in dangerous situations. It is only with the care of the shepherd that those lost sheep are brought back to safety.
Hear today that we do have a loving Shepherd who cares so much for us that He will come to find us when we have become lost. He will carry us safely home.
It is significant that here in this Scripture in Ezekiel, we can read about God’s concern for the nation of Israel. In light of what is happening in that area of our world right now, we can know that God is concerned for all His people.
We can read in our Scripture for today, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? (Ezekiel 34:1)
It is obvious isn’t it that shepherds should take care of the flock. The whole purpose of a shepherd is to take care the sheep. If shepherds only take care of themselves then the sheep will not be safe and well.
In a political realm, if you have politicians that only “line their own pockets” and work hard to ensure that they have the best of everything, then people who need help and care are neglected.
The accusation against the leaders of Israel at this time in history is this, “4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally.5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals.6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.” (Ezekiel 34:4-6)
We can think again of the young boy playing hide and seek who was so sad and troubled because no one had searched for him.
Contrast the attitude and approach of the self centered shepherds/leaders of Israel with God’s attitude and approach.
We read, 11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep.” (Ezekiel 34:11,12)
This is what God was prepared to do for the nation of Israel and this is what God is prepared to do for us.
It is remarkable to know that the Lord our Shepherd is always concerning Himself with what is best for us. God really does want to look after us and to protect us from harm.
It is apparent that God is very familiar with what it means to be a good shepherd. He actively considers the well being of His sheep:
14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak… (Ezekiel 34:14-16)
There are different sheep with different needs. Some have become lost. Some have been injured. Some are weak.
For all the times that we as God’s much loved sheep, are lost or injured or weak, God will make a personal point of tending to us.
It is a reassuring truth to know that the Lord our Shepherd is watching over us and is constantly aware of all that affects us.
God knows when we feel anxious and afraid.
God knows when we wander away from His loving arms.
God knows when we become injured by difficult life experiences or by the carelessness of others.
God knows when we feel weak and uncertain of how we will have strength to carry on.
God has always been available to care for His sheep and this is what makes our God a wise and dependable Shepherd.
God wants to take care of us today.
God loves us so much that He will keep searching until we are found.
Will we allow our loving Lord and Shepherd to gather us up in His arms and to carry us home to safety, home to be with Him forever?