LORD, thank you for reminding me that we ought to love our fellowmen, and we need to help the needy, the weak and the sick, the powerless and the homeless, and those who are naked / without clothes, those without food. LORD, You are the great Shepherd, and You take care of all your sheep. You want us also to take care of the needy sheeps among us.
LORD, help me to help take care of the needy and the sick and the poor.
Text: Ezekiel 34:1-2 New International Version
The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd
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1 The word of the Lord came to me:
2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?
Ezekiel 34:7-12 New International Version
7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock,
9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.
11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 
12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Perhaps the most heartwarming tradition in college football happens at the University of Iowa. The Stead Family Children’s Hospital sits next to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium, and the hospital’s top floor has floor-to-ceiling windows offering a great view of the field. On game days, sick children and their families fill the floor to watch the action below, and at the end of the first quarter, coaches, athletes, and thousands of fans turn to the hospital and wave. For those few moments, the children’s eyes light up. It’s powerful to see the athletes, with a packed stadium and thousands more watching on TV, pause and show they care.
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The Scriptures instruct those who have power (and all of us have some kind of power) to care for those who are weak, watch over those who are struggling, and tend to those whose bodies are broken. Too often, though, we ignore those in need of attention (Ezekiel 34:6). The prophet Ezekiel rebuked Israel’s leaders for their selfishness, for disregarding those who most needed help. “Woe to you,” God said through Ezekiel. “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured” (vv. 2, 4).
How often do our personal priorities, leadership philosophies, or economic policies demonstrate little regard for those in distress? God shows us a different way, where those with power watch out for those who are weak (vv. 11–12).
By Winn Collier
Commentary: We’re familiar with Jesus being referred to as the Good Shepherd in the New Testament (John 10:11), but that metaphor had its origins in Ezekiel. God promised to reject the failed shepherds of the people (Ezekiel 34:10), which Jesus in turn identified as the leaders of Israel in His day (Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34; John 10:1–6). God promised to be Israel’s shepherd Himself (Ezekiel 34:11–16).
When Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1–7) or calls Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–18), He’s claiming to be the shepherd, like David, who’d rescue all God’s lost sheep (Ezekiel 34:22–24). Long ago, God promised to shepherd His people. In Jesus, we see that promise fulfilled. by Jed Ostoich
From me: LORD, thank you for reminding me that we ought to love our fellowmen, and and help the needt, weak and the sick, the powerless and the homeless, and those who are naked / without clothes, those without food. LORD, You are the great Shepherd, and You take care of all your sheep. You want us also to take care of the needy sheeps among us.
LORD, help me to help take care of the needy and the sick and the poor.
Posted September 18, 2023
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