Ezekiel 34 -- Warnings For The Shepherds

As I read what God was promising that He would do when Christ returns to rule over the world during the Millennium, I couldn’t help but think that, as the body of Christ on earth today, we are to be doing these same things, for Ezekiel was being told to chastise the leaders who were not doing what God had called them to do:

n  Search for the lost sheep and take care of them

n  Save them

n  Bring them out

n  Gather them in

n  Bring them to their own land and feed them

n  Lead them to rest

n  Bring back those who have strayed

n  Bandage the hurt

n  Make the weak strong again

n  Tend to them with fairness

The leaders had not done any of this, God says,  They’d been feeding only themselves.  This may mean they were getting rich off of their congregations, but it may also mean that they were spiritually feeding only themselves, concerned only with ritual or possibly not preparing properly for sermons, instead just finding anything to fill an hour.  They weren’t being pastors, helping the sick, the weak, the hurt, those who’ve strayed, nor seeking to lost to be saved.

The worst accusation I noticed was found in verse 4:  “You have ruled the sheep with cruel force.”  That hardly describes what a servant of God should do.

Father, I recall having teachers who did not prepare, who only put in minimal effort, and I was not spiritually fed.  Thank you for helping me to be fed as I prepare to teach, and also for giving me the words You want to feed those I teach.  And besides teaching them, Father, thank You for placing a desire in my heart to be a daily part of their lives as well, being able to encourage them and to comfort them in times of distress or sorrow.  You have so richly blessed me through their lives, and I love seeing You at work in them, leading them to do the same for others.  Thank You, Father!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford