EZEKIEL 34: BAD SHEPHERDS AND ORNERY SHEEP

 

EZEKIEL 34: BAD SHEPHERDS AND ORNERY SHEEP The Lord GOD says: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who only feed themselves! Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock? You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock. You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bound up the injured, brought back the strays, or searched for the lost." Ezekiel 34:1-4 Ezekiel 34 is an amazing chapter about the condition of God's flock. Things were not going the way God expected. The Shepherds were lazy and only in it for themselves. Bullies had taken over; pushing and butting the other sheep. They even muddied the waters so other sheep couldn't get a drink of cool, clear water. Some sheep had been abused and neglected so much, they fled into the wilderness to fend for themselves. God told those selfish shepherds that if he had to round up the missing sheep himself, they would no longer be employed and would not even be able to feed themselves. I've never heard a preacher speak on Ezekiel 34, but they should. The bullies need to be warned that they will be cut out of the flock if they don't change their ways. The strays need to be found and brought back. And the atmosphere of the flock needs to change so it becomes a loving, caring communal fellowship such as the early church of Acts enjoyed. God is speaking to the shepherds in Ezekiel 34: it's up to the shepherds to turn their flocks around and become the kind of Church that Jesus Christ can be pleased with. There's not enough love in modern churches, and it's because ambition and pride have taken over. The GOOD news in this chapter: God makes it clear that the sheep are HIS and HE will personally make sure that none are lost! I have also seen what happens to the sheep in the wilderness: they find each other and are able to have sweet Christian fellowship in small groups of two or more. The wilderness can become a place of blessing. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. 2 John 1:6 NIV Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 NIV All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Acts 2:44-47