Bad Shepherds (Ezekiel 34:11-31)

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In Ezekiel 34, the “bad shepherds” are the leaders of Israel, especially kings, officials, and likely religious authorities, who were entrusted with the care of God’s people but instead used their position for their own benefit. Rather than protecting the vulnerable, binding up the injured, or seeking the lost, these leaders exploited the flock for their own gain, “feeding themselves” while leaving the people defenseless and scattered. They completely ignored the weightier matters of justice and mercy that God requires of those entrusted with leadership.

It is so easy to see the modern parallels. People running for offices of leadership often make promises they won’t keep. Elected officials seem to be more interested in holding onto power than serving those in their care. This passage begins with God’s promise to do what failing shepherds would not do. “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (v. 16). These are the actions of a God who notices the scattered, the tired, the bruised, and the overlooked.

We may be quick to identify with the sheep that are ignored or pushed aside but perhaps we should also consider ways we might be complicit in the neglect of those who are truly needful. Life in the fold of God is not just about our individual comfort. God also speaks of justice among the flock, warning those who push aside the weak. He promises to “save my flock” and “judge between sheep and sheep” (v. 22). The Lord speaks against the “fat and the strong” who have pushed the weak aside (vv. 20-21). God’s care is not sentimental. He sees injustice clearly. The same shepherd who gathers the wounded also judges those who harm others. That matters because grace does not ignore what is crooked in us or in our communities.

As we are transformed by his love, we are invited to cooperate with his grace by treating others with the same tenderness he shows us. Holiness of heart naturally leads to holiness of life, where we stop “shoving with shoulder and hip” and start making room for the vulnerable among us.

God’s grace invites a response. God calls the people to live differently, to turn from injustice, and to walk in the peace he offers. This is the work of sanctifying grace, shaping us into a people who reflect the shepherd who seeks us. God promises, “I will make with them a covenant of peace” (v. 25), and then concludes, “You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God” (v. 31). We are invited to live as people who trust that promise enough to follow where grace leads.

When we allow ourselves to be found, we discover that God is not only gathering us in but also forming us into a community of care. The shepherd’s work becomes our work. The peace he gives becomes the peace we share. And the love that seeks us becomes the love that sends us.

A Spiritual Practice for Today
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and imagine God searching for you with tenderness and patience. Ask: What part of my life feels scattered or lost right now? Offer that part to God and rest in the promise that he is already seeking and restoring you.

But then ask: Where is God leading me to see, to reach, and to help with the sheep who have been pushed aside?

Questions for Reflection and Action

  • Where in your life do you feel most in need of being found or gathered?
  • How have you experienced God’s seeking grace in recent days?
  • What might it look like to cooperate with God’s restoring work this week?
  • Who in your community needs the kind of care God shows in this passage?
  • In what ways might I be called to reflect God’s care toward others?
  • How can I participate in creating a more compassionate and just community?

Journaling Prompts
I am providing two prompts today, because most of us need to see ourselves on both sides of this issue.

1.      Write about a time when you felt lost, scattered, or overlooked, and reflect on how God met you in that season or how you hope he will.

2.     Are there ways you have been “shoving with shoulder and hip” in your relationships lately? How might grace help you make room for others? Especially those that we don’t even “see” around us.

Blessing
May the God who seeks you find you with joy.
May the shepherd’s peace settle over your life and guide your steps.
May you walk in the peace of belonging to his pasture.

Prayer
Loving God, thank you for seeking me when I am lost and for restoring me with your grace. Help me to trust your guidance and to follow where you lead. Shape my heart so that I may reflect your compassion and justice in the way I live. Teach me to trust your leading and to be a person of peace toward everyone in your flock. Keep me close to you, my shepherd and my God. Amen.

 

 

 

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