ESOCS Devotional 17 July 2024 – Selfish and Insensitive Leadership
MEMORY VERSE: “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 34:2 NIV
TEXT: EZEKIEL 34:1-10
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”
7 ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”— 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! 10 Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”
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The Bible uses the term “shepherd” in Ezekiel 34 to designate anyone responsible for giving guidance to a community. In today’s language, in a national sense “shepherds” includes the president or prime minister or royalty, for that matter. It also includes representatives in the legislature and court justices all the way down to the local level. In other words, “shepherd” broadly includes anybody who should be providing righteous leadership over others.
The prophecy began by God observing that Israel had a problem. The problem was that they had selfish shepherds. Verse 2 says that the shepherds were feeding themselves and not the sheep. They had strayed away from their primary goal: take care of the sheep. Verse 3 shows that the shepherds used the sheep for their own selfish purposes. They are robbing the flock, fleecing the flock, and even slaughtering the flock. Verse 4 shows the shepherds’ deep failures. They did not strengthen the weak. They did not heal the sick. They did not bind up the injured. They did not bring back the straying. They did not seek the lost. They ruled over the flock with force and harshness. So, the flock were scattered and wandered everywhere because they did not have proper shepherds (34:5-6).
This gives us an excellent picture of what the role of the shepherds looks like among God’s people. First, shepherding is not a selfish work. A person does not become a shepherd because they want to be in charge or change things. A shepherd does not shepherd because he wants authority. The primary goal is to feed and care for the sheep. These shepherds were not only neglecting the work of caring for the sheep, they were also harming the sheep. They were taking advantage of the sheep for their own selfish desires. The role of the shepherd is further beautifully pictured in verse 4. A shepherd is to strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injuries, bring back the straying, and seek the lost. Furthermore, a shepherd is not to rule with harshness or force.
Then, God proclaims that these selfish shepherds will not get away with their actions (34:7-10). The Lord specifically says in verse 10 that He will hold the shepherds accountable for their actions against the sheep.
You might have been in a church where the shepherds were not working behind the scenes to strengthen weak sheep, seek the lost sheep or bandage the injured sheep. Rather, they stayed at the forefront ruling with force and harshness. Unfortunately, the flock often cannot do anything about the situation but continue to be mistreated. But I want us to see that God sees and holds shepherds accountable for their shepherding. God will judge them.
God’s Word is clear: God’s judgment is fair, and each person is judged individually on the basis of his own record. The bottom-line is found in John 21:15-17 – “feed my sheep.”
- Can you say in your little position of leadership that you have been above board in discharging your duties?
- Righteous Judge of the whole earth, fill me with the spirit of true leadership.
Further Reading:Deuteronomy 6:1-12; Mark 14:66-end; Acts 7:54-60
ESOCS Devotional 17 July 2024
