Woe to the shepherds!

This blog is dedicated to all the little lost sheep out their saying, “What happened? Why doesn’t anyone care? Where are all the shepherds that were supposed to leave the 99 to come find me?’ For all who have just been written off as the ones who went out from among us because they were never of us! One thing I have discovered in this past year or so, is that God Himself is the best evangelist the world could ever have, and by coming out from among them and sitting at His feet, I have come to know just how great His evangelizing is, even to me! Preach it Jesus!

Ezekiel 34:1-31:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “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 flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 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.

So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 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.” ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: “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 flocks shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”- therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD! 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.”

For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD.

I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.” ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture- and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet?

And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I myself will judge between the fat and lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them- My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the tree of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord GOD.

“You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,’ says the Lord GOD.

I know this is long reading, but for those of you that might not realize that Jesus is God and He does what He says He is going to do; Here is the words of the Great I AM:

John 10:11-16-

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father, and I lay down My life for the sheep.

And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and their will be one flock and one shepherd.’

I beg that you read this over a couple of times and that you read it once out loud as though the Lord is saying it to you, because He is. Once I stopped searching out all the sin and punishing elements about God, which is what I was doing when I was honest with myself, He opened my eyes to His tenderness and care that as I seek more and more to know about Him, He pours out rivers of living water and love to others through me. I cannot do that on my own! 

We serve an all powerful, just, and holy God no doubt! However, once we get past the awe and fear of Him, He reveals to us such an incredible tenderness and compassion that I feel we do not hear enough of. At least He has to me!

I pray that even just one person is encouraged by this blog, and if there is anything my husband and I can do to encourage you, please leave a comment or visit us at George Lisa Miller on facebook.

Peace and grace…Lisa