A FUTURE AND A HOPE

 

March 19, 2024



Ezekiel 34:23-31

“And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

“I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God,” declares the Lord God.

JOHN 10:11


“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The image of the people of God as a flock of sheep occurs throughout the Bible. In the first section of Ezekiel 34, the current shepherds (rulers of Israel) are rebuked for their abuse of power (34:1-22). The situation that the prophet describes is one in which the “shepherds” had grown "fat and wealthy" at the expense of the very people they were supposed to care for. We are told that because of that, God would bring judgment on them. 

Then the message of Ezekiel 34 changes its emphasis as the warning turns into a promise for the future. This is revealed in the verses that we read today above. It is to be noted that not only will God rescue his sheep, God will also appoint a king who, like David, whose shepherding and care of them will bring lasting peace (v. 25). This is where we lift our eyes to see Jesus, who is God’s ideal shepherd-king. The comparison being made for us is between the promised shepherd and the corrupt “shepherding” described in the earlier part of Ezekiel 34.

In the gospel Luke tell us that Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind (Luke 4:18). Luke also gives us a picture of Jesus as one who weeps over Jerusalem because they didn’t know what would bring them peace (Luke 19:41). It is Jesus who lays down his life for his sheep so that "the sheep", you and me, we might have peace with God and one another. And it is Jesus, as John tells us, who will one day bring everlasting peace to the world through his return (Revelation 21).

In the in between time, there are periods of disappointment and suffering that can sometimes make us lose hope that God will fulfill his promise. The injustices of the world around us can cause us to be skeptical about such promises. That is an understandable response. Yet, it is at those times that we must turn our focus toward Jesus, Jesus only, our good shepherd, and remember, believe and trust the Gospel message that because he laid down his life for his sheep, we will one day, as the Shepherd Psalm tells us, “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23)



LET US PRAY

Jesus, thank you for your love and constant care for your sheep. Thank you for laying down your life on the cross so that we might know your peace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.