Ezekiel 34:1-6

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

The Word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.”

– Ezekiel 34:1-6

Devotion

In chapter thirty-four, God opens with an indictment of the false shepherds through whom all these evil things had happened to the people. Their sin had been that they had ministered to themselves. Feeding themselves and clothing themselves, they had not fed or cared for the sheep. The result of the failure of the shepherds to lead God’s flock in His ways was that the people were scattered, and had become easy prey for the beasts of the field. God would have to deliver His sheep Himself.

The Big Question

God’s criticism of the false shepherds is that they had not given the people the Word of God. They did not care for or lead God’s flock in God’s ways. Therefore the sheep were scattered and vulnerable to predators. God has called each one of us to feed and care for the flock of God. We are all called to lead our family and friends in the ways of God! Do you take this call seriously? Are you a good shepherd (leading people well in the ways of God)?

Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what God revealed to you today.