In the following passage from Ezekiel, the Lord is tell Ezekiel about the shepherds of His people. Shepherds keep sheep, and the Lord sees His people as His sheep. The shepherds are those who are called of God to watch over His flock. They include both the government leaders who shepherd the nation and the prophets and priests over their religious life (compared to the pastors and evangelists of today). The Lord told Ezekiel that the shepherds were not doing according to His will, and the sheep were being misled. At this time, Ezekiel was in Babylon where the Jews were being carried into captivity for straying from God’s will. Ezekiel 34:10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves anymore; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 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. (KJV) I have said before that in studying the Scriptures, one must consider who is speaking; who they are speaking to; and what were the circumstances around what was spoken. However, I may not have been clear enough about one thing- what was spoken to whom for whatever reason could apply equally to anyone at any time under similar situations. Though Ezekiel’s message may have been for the Jews being carried into captivity at that time, it could equally apply to any of God’s people (Jewish or Christian) who are led by false shepherds (government or religious). We must be very careful in searching God’s Word for God’s will, because false teachers (shepherds) can stretch any number of points. I recently read on Facebook a sentiment that seemed to reflect that you could ask God for anything, because God wants you to have everything, even if it seems ridiculous. This could not be farther from the truth. God says for His people to desire His will, and if you desire God’s will, He wants to give you everything you want. If what you want has nothing to do with God’s will, then don’t expect you can just ask God for all you want and expect it to come to you, especially if you use a term such as ‘ridiculous’ in what you want. I’m not saying that God does not have a sense of humor, but God is a serious God, and when you come to Him, then the term ‘ridiculous’ makes going to God sound like some sort of flippant notion. God wants to be approached by those who are humble, recognizing their need, not asking out of selfish desires, and not coming to Him to find rewards in this world, because He expects His people to seek their rewards in an eternal home with Him. Compare from 34: 11 above, “… I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out,” with the verse from Luke below. Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (KJV) Ezekiel 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. 24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. (KJV) This passage predicts the coming of Jesus, as Jesus Himself indicated to His disciples in the following verses. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. … 14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (KJV) In the next verse, Ezekiel is talking to a specific nation, but remember, the same message could apply to any nation that does not seek to follow God’s will. Ezekiel 35:6 Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee: seeith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. The saying “hated blood” here could be better translated as “hated the shedding of blood”. He was speaking to those who think that the best way to get what they want or in their opinion is to make this world a better place is to shed the blood of those who have what they want, or to shed the blood of those who do not want the world they way “they want it”. In other words, if this nation does not seek to run the world the way I want it run, then I’ll just get an army and shed the blood of those who don’t see it my way. This is not the way we are called to live, and God’s judgment will become God’s wrath on those who seek to subvert His will and His way.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 15:35:07 +0000
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