By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher
Text:
Ezekiel
34:11-31
John
10:11
“I
am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
(NKJV)
The Easter weekend has
passed, a time when Christians around the world remember how the good shepherd,
Jesus Christ, died for their sins and rose from the grave in victory. The
sorrow of Good Friday becomes the victory of Resurrection Sunday, a time of
celebration and victory over sin and death (1
Corinthians 15:55). However, since we still live in exile in a fallen and
sinful world, we can forget that the good shepherd is with us and need
reminders like those of Israel and Judah such as that provided by Ezekiel
34:11-31.
The Lord offers this word
of encouragement to the Jews in exile, promising to gather them up like a shepherd
seeking out his sheep (Ezekiel
34:11-12). The Lord promises to bring His people out from all the countries
in which they are scattered and bring them to their own land (Ezekiel
34:13). The Lord promises to feed His people in good pasture with their
fold on the high mountains of Israel. They shall lie down in rest in their land
(Ezekiel
34:14-15). The Lord will seek what was lost, bringing back what was driven
away, binding up the broken and strengthening the sick, but will destroy the
fat and strong in judgment (Ezekiel
34:16).
The Lord then tells His flock
that He will judge between sheep and sheep and between rams and goats (Ezekiel
34:17). The Lord reminds His people that they have eaten the good pasture
and not tread down the residue of the pasture that remains (Ezekiel
34:18). The Lord’s flock eats and drinks what they have trampled and fouled
with their feet (Ezekiel
34:19). The Lord will judge between the fat and lean sheep because the fat
sheep have butted all the weak sheep with their horns, scattering them abroad (Ezekiel
34:20-21). The Lord will establish one shepherd over His sheep, His servant
David, who will feed them and be their shepherd (Ezekiel
34:22-23). The Lord will be their God, with David a prince among them (Ezekiel
34:24).
The Lord will make a covenant
of peace with His people and cause wild beasts to cease from the land, making
it possible for them to dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods (Ezekiel
34:25). The Lord will make His people and the places around His hill a
blessing, causing showers to come down in their season, showers of blessing (Ezekiel
34:26). The trees of the field shall yield fruit with the earth yielding
her increase. They shall be safe in the land and know that He is the Lord (Ezekiel
34:27). They will not be prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the
field devour them. The people shall dwell in safety with no fear (Ezekiel
34:28). No longer shall the people be consumed with hunger nor bear the
shame of the Gentiles, and they shall know the Lord God is their God and that
He is with them (Ezekiel
34:29-31).
The nations of Judah and
Israel are in a time of exile with feelings that God has abandoned them. This
is a prophetic word from the Lord to His people living in exile, reminding them
that God has not forsaken them. This passage parallels one of my favorite
passages in the Bible, Jeremiah
29:11, where God reminds His people in exile that his plans for them are
for their good and not their destruction. This passage also reminds me of Psalm
23 and the good shepherd who does not abandon His people in need and leads
them through whatever circumstances life throws at them, even the valley of
death. Israel and Judah must survive so the Messiah can come and be born in
Bethlehem and die for the sins of humanity on the cross of Calvary.
We live in a fallen and
corrupt world and may feel abandoned by God at times, but we must remember that
the same God who did not leave Israel and Judah is our God. The early Church,
the Church that turned its world upside down or right side up experienced
persecution from both the religious leaders and government of their time (Acts
4:1-22, 16:16-24, 17:6). Many, so-called churches today preach a message
that tickles the ears of those listening to make them feel good with no depth
of biblical truth. The Apostle Paul warned his protégé, Timothy, of this time
with the encouragement to remain true to the Biblical truth he knew (2
Timothy 4:1-5). Many Christians around the world live in countries where
believing in Jesus Christ as Savior is illegal, with many in these nations
martyred for their faith. As the time of the return of Jesus Christ approaches,
we will begin to see more persecution by governments, culminating in the rise
of Antichrist. My prayer is that the Church would remember the Good Shepherd,
Jesus Christ, is with it and remain true to biblical teaching and spreading the
Gospel despite persecution. Revival is coming with the Church enduring
persecution by knowing Jesus is with it.
On a personal level, one
must become part of the flock of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, by confessing Him as
their Lord and believing in His death, burial, and resurrection. If you have
never prayed to repent of your sins, seeking forgiveness from God, and to make
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.
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