Shepherding the Flock Irresponsibly

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Ezekiel 34:1-10

 

Ezekiel 34:6

“My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”

(NKJV)

 

We live in a time when the Church has tremendous tools at its disposal for spreading the Gospel. Through the internet and social media, even a small Church can have global outreach. While this is beneficial in rapidly spreading the Gospel, it can also bring celebrity status to pastors who have a calling to shepherd their flocks, a status bringing the temptation to use for personal gain. Pastors should heed the rebuke of Ezekiel 34:1-10 and avoid the temptation to use their positions for personal gain.

 

Ezekiel receives a word from the Lord, a word of woe against the shepherds of Israel (Ezekiel 34:1-2). The word of woe against the shepherds is that they eat the fat and clothe themselves with wool but do not feed the flock (Ezekiel 34:3). The Lord accuses the shepherds of not strengthening the weak, healing the sick, bounding up what was broken, bringing back what was driven away, or seeking what was lost. Instead, they have ruled by force and with cruelty (Ezekiel 34:4). The result is a scattered flock without a shepherd causing the people to become food for beasts of the field (Ezekiel 34:5). The saddest part is that the flock scattered over the face of the earth had no shepherd seeking or searching for them (Ezekiel 34:6).

 

Now the Lord delivers His word of woe for these irresponsible shepherds (Ezekiel 34:7). The Lord states the purpose of His word of woe is because His flock has become prey and food for every beast of the field with no shepherd to protect or search for them when they scattered (Ezekiel 34:8). The Lord then states the consequences of the irresponsible shepherd’s actions (Ezekiel 34:9). These irresponsible shepherds will no longer shepherd the flock or feed themselves upon them (Ezekiel 34:10).

 

The Lord’s rebuke lashes out against irresponsible shepherds using their office to feed themselves instead of the flock indicating they believed they were somehow entitled to wealth due to their high position in the Jewish society (Ezekiel 34:2-3). They did this while the flock was weak and sick (Ezekiel 34:3-4). Because the shepherds did not tend to the welfare of the flock which is the duty of a shepherd, instead, feeding the sheep or themselves (Ezekiel 34:10). The Lord elevated King David to the position of king from a shepherd not due to his great strength or stature, but because he had a heart after God’s own heart, a shepherd’s heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Instead, these irresponsible shepherds follow their own plans and the desires of their evil hearts (Jeremiah 18:12).

 

This warning applies to pastors in the pulpit of Churches who have a calling and responsibility to teach and spiritually lead their congregations. However, in the age of social media and the internet, pastors can find themselves elevated to celebrity status. This can bring the temptation to use this status for self-aggrandizement and forget their calling to shepherd their congregation. When the Devil tempted Jesus by telling him to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple. Satan was tempting Jesus to acquire celebrity status as the Son of God by people seeing God’s angels rescuing Him (Matthew 4:5-6). Thankfully, Jesus did not give in to this temptation (Matthew 4:7) for if He did, He would not have gone to the cross and we would not have Salvation by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 10:9-10).

 

I pray that those in the Church with a calling to shepherd the flock of their congregations would like Jesus resist the temptation to use celebrity status for personal gain. Instead, I pray they would be like Jesus who was willing to leave the glory of heaven to come to us and die for our sins even though He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). I also encourage congregations to continually pray for their pastors, praying they are strong to resist temptation.

 

If you have never prayed to repent of your sins, seeking forgiveness from God, and to receive eternal life through believing and confessing Jesus as Lord (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10), I invite you to do so now by praying with me,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God bless, challenge, and convict everyone reading this post.