Tuesday 2-7-23 3rd. Day Of The Weekly Cycle, Shavat 15 5783 49th. Winter Day
Read: Ezekiel 34:11–16 | Bible in a Year: Leviticus 1–3; Matthew 24:1–28
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As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock . . . , so will I look after my sheep. Ezekiel 34:12
When Pastor Warren heard that a man in his church had deserted his wife and family, he asked God to help him meet the man as if by accident so they could chat. And He did! When Warren walked into a restaurant, he spotted the gentleman in a nearby booth. “Got some room for another hungry man?” he asked, and soon they were sharing deeply and praying together.
As a pastor, Warren was acting as a shepherd for those in his church community, even as God through the prophet Ezekiel said He would tend His flock. God promised to look after His scattered sheep, rescuing them and gathering them together (Ezekiel 34:12–13). He would “tend them in a good pasture” and “search for the lost and bring back the strays”; He would “bind up the injured and strengthen the weak” (vv. 14–16).
God’s love for His people reverberates through each of these images. Though Ezekiel’s words anticipate God’s future actions, they reflect the eternal heart of the God and Shepherd who would one day reveal Himself in Jesus.
No matter our situation, God reaches out to each of us, seeking to rescue us and sheltering us in a rich pasture. He longs for us to follow the Good Shepherd, He who lays down His life for His sheep (see John 10:14–15).
How does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, care for you? How could you offer Him any wounds that need tending or weakness you’d like strengthened?
Dear God, You love me even when I go astray and wander. Help me to stay always in Your sheepfold, that I might receive Your love and care.
These negligent shepherds were the kings, prophets, and priests charged with the spiritual well-being of the nation. God accused them of caring for themselves and not the flock (v. 8). The description of “wild animals” in verse 8 refers to the armies who had conquered and plundered the nation. Finally, in verses 11–16, the Good Shepherd is anticipated. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
By Amy Boucher Pye|February 7th, 2023
Reconciliation Ezekiel Thirty Four:11-16
11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
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Love, Walter and Debbie
Read: Ezekiel 34:11–16 | Bible in a Year: Leviticus 1–3; Matthew 24:1–28
Download MP3
Subscribe to iTunes
As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock . . . , so will I look after my sheep. Ezekiel 34:12
When Pastor Warren heard that a man in his church had deserted his wife and family, he asked God to help him meet the man as if by accident so they could chat. And He did! When Warren walked into a restaurant, he spotted the gentleman in a nearby booth. “Got some room for another hungry man?” he asked, and soon they were sharing deeply and praying together.
As a pastor, Warren was acting as a shepherd for those in his church community, even as God through the prophet Ezekiel said He would tend His flock. God promised to look after His scattered sheep, rescuing them and gathering them together (Ezekiel 34:12–13). He would “tend them in a good pasture” and “search for the lost and bring back the strays”; He would “bind up the injured and strengthen the weak” (vv. 14–16).
God’s love for His people reverberates through each of these images. Though Ezekiel’s words anticipate God’s future actions, they reflect the eternal heart of the God and Shepherd who would one day reveal Himself in Jesus.
No matter our situation, God reaches out to each of us, seeking to rescue us and sheltering us in a rich pasture. He longs for us to follow the Good Shepherd, He who lays down His life for His sheep (see John 10:14–15).
How does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, care for you? How could you offer Him any wounds that need tending or weakness you’d like strengthened?
Dear God, You love me even when I go astray and wander. Help me to stay always in Your sheepfold, that I might receive Your love and care.
INSIGHT
Along with Jeremiah and Daniel, Ezekiel is one of the three “captivity prophets.” Exiled from Judah to Babylon in 597 bc, Ezekiel received his prophetic calling in Babylon (Ezekiel 1:2–3). In Ezekiel 33, God pleads with His people to “Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’ ” (v. 11). Then, in chapter 34, He speaks against “the shepherds of Israel” (v. 2).These negligent shepherds were the kings, prophets, and priests charged with the spiritual well-being of the nation. God accused them of caring for themselves and not the flock (v. 8). The description of “wild animals” in verse 8 refers to the armies who had conquered and plundered the nation. Finally, in verses 11–16, the Good Shepherd is anticipated. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
By Amy Boucher Pye|February 7th, 2023
Reconciliation Ezekiel Thirty Four:11-16
11 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.
12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.
16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
Read full chapter
Love, Walter and Debbie