EZEKIEL 34
2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
5 And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
FALSE SHEPHERDS
Over a period of 400 years, prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah and others warned the people to put away their idols and return to the Lord. Israel not only rejected the message, they killed some of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
In the Book of Ezekiel, the children of Israel are in captivity in the land of Babylon. In this passage, God condemns the leaders of His people for serving themselves, while neglecting those who were under their care.
In this passage, God refers to His people as “His sheep.” Jesus also refers to those who follow Him as “Sheep.” (See John 10).
Ezekiel is not the only prophet God used to show His anger towards the leaders of His people. In the book of Jeremiah, God displays His utter disappointment with the pastors and prophets.
One of the most powerful chapters of the Bible is Jeremiah 23. While Jeremiah was preaching repentance and impending judgment, these preachers were lying to the people, saying that there would be peace.
The Babylonian army had come twice and taken people to Babylon; Jeremiah warned the people not to resist, but his message was rejected. The people did not believe that judgment would come until King Nebuchadnezzar broke through the walls of Jerusalem.
For Christians, the question is, “What does God have to break in your life before you realize that He is trying to get your attention?”
It appears that the church has learned very little from Israel’s failings and faults.
We have preachers that refuse to preach against sin, enriching themselves with tithes and offerings, while neglecting to teach the whole counsel of scripture.
Churches are crumbling, saints are struggling and pastors are saying that everything will be okay.
Let me give you an example. The website Covenant Eyes says that 65% of Christian men view porn images once a month. Also, it is reported that 49% of Christians believe that there are multiple ways to heaven. The purity and belief of the pew is directly linked to the purity and power coming from the pulpit.
Ezekiel tells these false shepherds that they have sought to “tickle people’s ears.” Look at what he says in verses 2 and 3, the shepherds “feed not the flock.”
As a pastor or teacher reading this: Are you feeding the flock of God vs 2-3?
God is calling for preachers and pastors to be true to His Word and His people. To place the cross above popularity, politics and profits.
Let us pray that we do not relive the pain and suffering experienced by the children of Israel.
Luke 4
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Jesus is the true shepherd. He will feed his flock, He will open the eyes of the blind, and bind up the wounds of the broken. He will lead His sheep to green pastures.
There is an old hymn which says, “What a friend we have in Jesus! All our needs and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.” There is no need too great for our Lord. He is our Shepherd. He is our Savior. He is our Friend. He is our all. Trust Him today.
If you are looking for peace in these troubling times, give your burdens to the Lord and receive His rest.
God bless you
kk
ISAIAH 62
6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silent.
ARE YOU A WATCHMAN?
Nanjing is surrounded by high mountains and it has a wall that is over 200 feet high. It stretches around the entire city providing a defence against potential invaders.
There is a big wall like Nanjing or York in the UK, but if you don’t have anyone on the wall to sound the alarm when it is attacked, then the city will be taken by the enemy.
Nowadays more than ever, we need people who will sound the alarm…especially to the church.
The walls of the church are being attacked by misguided believers, the world and the devil. Where are the Christians who will sound the alarm?
In Ezekiel chapters 3 and 33, the prophet is commanded to warn the people when he sees judgment coming. If he failed to do so, then he would be held accountable for what happened to the people.
Has God called us to warn the people of our day? I believe He has…Spurgeon said ” If you have no desire to see others saved, then you are not saved yourself”
You can be a watchman by:
Warning the church of dangers…that is telling them about false teachers
Warning the unconverted about the judgement to come
It’s time!
Time to get out of our comfort zone!
Time to get off the sofa!
Time to turn off the TV and get onto the wall and sound the alarm!
God bless you
kk