“The Lord Will Rescue You From Bad Shepherds!”

“The Lord Will Rescue You From Bad Shepherds!”
In ancient Near East those responsible for leadership were considered to be shepherds. These include kings and their officials, but also prophets and priests.
Today we reflect on the woes pronounced against those shepherds “who only take care of themselves” with little concern about the flock. They eat the curds, clothe themselves with the wool and slaughter the animals but do not take care of the flock.
The work of the shepherd is to strengthen the weak, heal the sick or bound up the injured, bring back the strays and search for the lost. Instead “you have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they are scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals…”
God is against such shepherds and will hold them accountable and remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves.
My friend, this message is an indictment to anybody who has a leadership role over other people; beginning from parents, scaling up all through the political, religious, social and cultural rungs of hierarchical ladder.
The picture Ezekiel paints of bad shepherds is a true reflection of leaderships in our milieu today. It is left to each one of us to reflect deeply whether we are doing the work expected of shepherds as God wants.
The goodnews is that God promises, “I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them”(Ez.34:1-10). God himself will be the shepherd of his flock that is why his son Jesus was the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.
True shepherding is not about how much you stand to gain; it is about how much you are ready to sacrifice!
Prayer: Lord rekindle my zeal not to count my gains but to be ready to sacrifice in my shepherding. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!