This morning I read Ezekiel 34. It’s one of the many chapters about shepherds and sheep. It starts with a picture of bad shepherding: What sorrow awaits you shepherds who feed yourselves instead of your flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed their sheep? You drink the milk, wear the wool, and butcher the best animals, but you let your flocks starve. (2-3)
I reflected on Psalm 23… the Stuart Townend version:
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.
In contrast, God’s condemnation of bad shepherds continues: You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty. So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal…(4-5)
I reflect on those who have been bad shepherds – political leaders, church leaders, ordinary people with a duty of care – who have looked after themselves rather than their ‘sheep’. They have enjoyed the power, accepted the position, and not taken the responsibility. God says, ‘I will hold them accountable for my flock.’ (10)
He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.
And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.
In contrast to the self-centred shepherds God presents himself as the Good Shepherd.
who cares for his sheep: ‘I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace… I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak.’(15,16 – all quotes NLT))
I recognise that God has been my Good Shepherd, guiding me, giving me good things, being with me through worries and difficulties. I reflect on those who have modelled this care, good people in schools and churches who – often without fuss or recognition – have gone out of their way to see the needy, provide for the hungry, seek out the lost. I remember those who have been good and kind to me, offered me good advice, stayed with me through tough times, genuinely showed that they care…
And I will trust in You alone,
And I will trust in You alone,
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.
Stuart Townend calls me to respond to the Good Shepherd, to be intentional in trusting Him to look after me, provide for my needs, be there with me in green pastures and along dark paths.
And, as I appreciate His shepherding of me, and those around me who acknowledge Him as their Good Shepherd, I seek, in some small way, to reflect His characteristics of practical consistent compassion – even when it might not be convenient.
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