Our Daily Scripture – 11/23/24 (Saturday)

SCRIPTURE:  EZEKIEL 34

SHEPHERDS AND SHEEP (vs. 1-31)

DESCRIPTION OF THE SHEPHERDS OF ISRAEL:

  1.  They only take care of themselves (v. 2)
  2.  They eat the curds, clothe themselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but they do not take are of the flock. (v. 3)
  3.  They have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.. (v. 4a)
  4.  They have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. (v. 4b)
  5.  They have ruled them harshly and brutally. (v. 4c)
  6.  They are not shepherd, so the sheep scattered and became food for all the wild animals. (v. 5)
  7.  They never search for the sheep that wandered over all the mountains, on every high hill and all over the whole earth. (v. 6)

WHAT GOD WILL DO TO THE SHEPHERD:

  1.  He will hold them accountable for his flock. (v. 10a)
  2.  He will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherd can no longer feed themselves. (v. 10b)
  3.  He will rescue his flock from their mouths and it will no longer be food for them. (v. 10c)
  4.  He himself will search for his sheep and look after them. (v. 11)
  5.  He will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered. (v. 12)
  6.  He will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land. (v. 13a)
  7.  He will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. (v. 13b)
  8.  He will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. (v. 14)
  9.  He himself will tend his sheep and have them lie down. (v. 15)
  10.  He will search for the lost and bring back the strays. (v. 16a)
  11.  He will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong he will destroy. (v. 16b)
  12.  He will shepherd the flock with justice (v. 16c)

GOD’S TREATMENT TO HIS FLOCKS:

  1.  I will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep (v. 20)
  2.  I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered. (v. 22)
  3.  I will judge between one sheep and another. (v. 22)
  4.  I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them. (v. 23)
  5.  I will be their God and my servant David will be prince among them. (v. 24)
  6.  I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of wild beasts so that they may live in the desert and sleep in the forest in safety.     (v. 25)
  7.  I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. (v. 26a)
  8.  I will send down showers of blessings in season (v. 26b)
  9.  The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secured in their land. (v. 27a)
  10.  I will break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. (v. 27b)
  11.  They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. (v. 28a)
  12.  They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. (v. 28b)
  13.  I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. (v. 29)

THOUGHTS:

Both a watchmen and shepherds are needed in a nation.  The watchman serves the people in times of danger while the shepherds cares for them everyday.  The civil and religious leaders are expected to lead the nation by feeding them, uniting them and protecting them from their enemies.  But Israel’s leaders exploited the flock for their own advantage.  The flocks were scattered and they failed to protect them from danger.  But one day, God will seek His people and bring them back to their land and He will be their shepherd.

Today, Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd of the sheep.  He guides us, protects us, provides us and showers His blessings upon us.  Is Jesus your Shepherd?

A minister who teaches false doctrines by causing unnecessary fears and acting selfishly is a bad shepherd.  He is selfish and destructive.  We should be careful not to fall into the trap of a bad shepherd.  Ask wisdom from God to have discernment.

God promises to send a perfect shepherd – the Messiah to take care of our needs and set up a kingdom with perfect peace and justice.  That peace will give us contentment, fulfillment and security.