The Love Of The Shepherd Series

Ezekiel 34:11-24. 11 “For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. 17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the LORD; I have spoken. (ESV)

“Merry Christmas!” “Happy New Year!” As the end of the year approaches, everywhere we turn someone is telling us we should be happy. But for those who’ve recently lost someone they love, this time of year can seem more like something to survive than to enjoy. The traditions and events that can add so much joy and meaning to the season are punctuated with painful reminders of the person we love who is not here to share in it. Many have wished they could find a quiet place to hide until January 2. While those of us who surround grieving people can’t fix the pain of loss, we can bring comfort as we come alongside those who hurt with special sensitivity to what grief is like during the holidays. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-grieving-people-wish-you-knew-at-christmas?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=204dcce7-ae35-4a38-a850-db9af5cb870b&utm_campaign=reshare&fbclid=IwAR2Mr1T6u6k9DcPfF3UZhMUEJymWpvcjfXJQl8KuClKwG1LzlBj7e20s-j0

The situation of the people of God described in Ezekiel 34, are of a suffering people, who feel alienated from their homeland, abused and feeling abandoned by God. Those who were taken from the northern kingdom of Israel to multiple destinations after the fall of Samaria (2 Kgs. 17:6. From a historical perspective, perhaps it was inevitable that a small national state such as Judah would fall to the expansionist Neo-Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar. The serious social divisions within Judah made it so much the easier for the Babylonians to complete their destruction of Judah (Vawter, B., & Hoppe, L. J. (1991). A new heart: a commentary on the book of Ezekiel (pp. 155–156). Grand Rapids; Edinburgh: Eerdmans; Handsel Press.).

It is in these conditions that we hear Ezekiel’s declaration of the love of God to His flock. These sheep were obstinate, stubborn and rebellious (see Ezek. 2:3–5) but still God reached out to them. They were guilty of great sin but even then there was mercy and forgiveness offered if they would repent. God’s love is not soft and weak, as if it cares nothing about sin, but, rather, exactly the opposite. He cares deeply and sin grieves him. While he will not tolerate it or excuse it, he will pardon it, and it is against this backdrop of divine holiness that God’s love shines most brightly. The great love and concern God has for his people is seen clearly in Ezekiel 34. They are like a flock of sheep who have been neglected by their earthly shepherds, but the heavenly shepherd vows, ‘I myself will search for my sheep and look after them’ (v. 11). Rebellious humanity does not love God, nor seek to be loved by God. Human nature and mind are so darkened by sin that people are naturally ignorant of God’s love and mercy. People take the blessings of life for granted: health, food, breath, and the beauty of creation are never acknowledged as gifts of God. People talk about Mother Nature, while the Bible talks about the Creator God. People talk about the Laws of Nature, while the Bible talks about the will and providence of God. Because people exclude God, they do not seek him. But he seeks us! In Jesus, (God came to earth that we remember this time of year) to seek and save the lost. It was not that we loved him but that he loved us. (He came to a lost, scattered, despondent sheep with the great love of a shepherd). (Jeffery, P. (2004). Opening up Ezekiel’s Visions (p. 102-104). Leominster: Day One Publications.