Good vs Bad Shepherds (Nov 16)

Good vs Bad Shepherds

Verses for the day

• Ezek 34:2-4 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep?
• Luke 16:13 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”

Thoughts

What is the role of a shepherd? When I picture The Shepherd of a church I am picturing a preacher, someone who gives instruction from God’s word defends the doctrines of the faith and someone who pursues unity in the body. But in Ezekiel 34 the picture that God paints has nothing to do with doctrine or unity or preaching. It’s all about the wounded and hurting. God’s rebuke of the bad shepherds in Ezekiel 34 had to do with the fact that they didn’t look after the needs of the sheep. They didn’t bind up their wounds. They didn’t provide safety and security. They didn’t help the weak and the needy. This was God’s rebuke.

God himself says that he would be the shepherd. Because the shepherds of his people were not doing these things, he says he himself will

• bring them to safety.
• He will bind up their injuries.
• He will strengthen the weak.

These are the things that God sees as important for shepherds to do.

In Luke 16:13 Jesus tells us that no one can serve two masters. These bad shepherds of Ezekiel 34 were selfish. They were “shepherds” who were caring for their own needs and not the needs of the sheep. They were serving themselves, not the body. Can it be that pursuing right doctrine and even going after unity in the church can be serving ourselves as the shepherds and be not caring for the flock.

I do believe that unity in the church is something God puts a premium on and that the love (or lack of love) we show toward one another is what God uses to draw unbelievers (or repel them) to himself. While that is true, what I am being challenged with here, is that if I / we as the church are ignoring the hurts and wounds and the needs of the people in our pursuit of unity, we are not being a good shepherd. Even as I write that, I almost cringe thinking about the implications of that if it’s not done right, or even interpreted right.

Prayer

Of sovereign Lord, I want to be your hands and feet and ears and mouth to do this! I want people who go through this program to feel that we are guiding them to safety… binding their injuries, strengthening their weaknesses… so they are strong and ready to take on this difficult job!

Father in the last chapter you called Ezekiel to be the watchman for your people (Ezek 33:7).. Lord, I want to be these things for those you have given us to minister to. A watchman… but also a shepherd who knows where they are hurting, and is able to come along side and keep them safe, bind up their injuries and encourage them and strengthen them in their weaknesses.