“I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
~ Ezekiel 34:15
Hi James and Ellen,
How does it feel to be sheep? The Bible says that you are sheep. Can sheep take care of themselves? Sheep need to have someone – like a shepherd, always keeping an eye on them. Why do you think that sheep always need to have someone – like a shepherd, taking care of them? It is because sheep are not able to take care of themselves. Sheep will go where they want to go and do what they want to do. Sheep are not smart. God called His specially chosen people – the Israelite people group, sheep. When God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids did not obey God, they were not acting smart. What God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids needed was to have someone watching over them. Shepherds are to lead the sheep that they are responsible for to where there is green grass and to where there is water. Shepherds also are to keep the sheep that he is shepherding all together. God sent shepherds to care for His specially chosen guys, gals and kids. Ezekiel is writing about these shepherds in Ezekiel 34. Ezekiel tells you that the Lord came to him to tell him to warn the guys who God had sent to shepherd His flock of sheep. God calls His specially chosen people – the Israel people group, His flock of sheep. God knew how these shepherds had been caring for His flock of specially chosen people. These shepherds were doing a very poor job of caring for His flock of specially chosen people. Instead of caring for God’s sheep – who were God’s specially chosen people, these uncaring shepherds were letting God’s sheep be scattered. These uncaring shepherds did not take care of the guys, gals and kids who needed the kind of help that God wanted these shepherds to give to them. These uncaring shepherds were letting God’s specially chosen people do whatever, whenever and wherever.
Your dad’s grandpa asked your grandpaa to do something almost every summer. Your grandpaa’s dad would ask your grandpaa to herd his cows as the cows grazed on the grass that grew alongside the road that went past your grandpaa’s dad’s house. Your grandpaa did not like to herd his dad’s cows but . . . your grandpaa knew that obeying his dad was the right thing to do. Cows are not like sheep. Cows stay together. Sheep do not stay together. It was not hard to herd cows. It gets very hot in the summer where your grandpaa lived when he was a kid. There normally is plenty of grass in the pasture on your grandpaa’s dad’s farm for the cows to eat but sometimes after it gets really hot in the summer and if it does not rain for a number of weeks, the grass in your dad’s grandpa’s pasture will begin to stop growing. There was always a lot of grass growing in the ditches near the farm where your dad’s grandma and grandpa live. Your grandpaa was to make sure that the cows stayed together to graze the grass that was growing in the ditches. Your dad’s Uncle Craig and Uncle Cedric would help your grandpaa herd their dad’s cows. What do you think would have happened to your grandpaa and to your grandpaa’s bros if they had not kept their eyes on their dad’s cows and their dad’s cows had wandered off out of the area where your grandpaa and his bros were supposed to keep them? Your grandpaa and his bros were not to let their dad’s cows get on the lawn that almost surrounds the house where your dad’s grandma and grandpa live. Your grandpaa and his bros were not to let their dad’s cows get past what was called the half mile marker. If the cows had gotten past the half mile marker, the cows easily could get into a field that would have oats or corn growing in it. The cows would also be able to get down to the lake that was near your grandpaa’s dad’s house. Your grandpaa and his bros knew that they would be in big trouble with their dad if they did not do what their dad had asked them to do. Do you get in big trouble with your dad when you do not do what he asks you to do? The bad shepherds who are in this chapter in the book that Ezekiel wrote are in trouble with God because they did not take care of God’s specially chosen people.
Sheepherders today have dogs that help them keep their sheep together. Your grandpaa’s dad had two of these kinds of dogs which are called Shetland sheep dogs. Your grandpaa’s dad had these two dogs sent to him by mail. These dogs also are called border collies or miniature collies. They were good little dogs. These dogs like to herd animals – like cows. Your grandpaa’s dad always has had dogs on his farm. If you know that you are sheep, who do you have shepherding you? Sheep will always need a shepherd. God is your shepherd today. God says in verse 15 “I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord.” How is God watching over His sheep – who are you, today? Sheep still do what they always have done; they will wander off without knowing that they are in danger. Sheep will walk right off a cliff if there is no one – like a shepherd, nearby to stop them. You will sometimes walk right into sin as you sometimes do not watch where you are going. Sheep have enemies. Wolves will kill sheep. Do you have an enemy? Your enemy is Satan. Satan is doing everything that God is allowing him to do to lead you astray. What will happen to a sheep if there is no one around to care for it? The sheep faces threats. What will happen to a guy, gal or kid who is lost who is one of God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids. These guys, gals and kids need someone to find them. God knows who these guys, gals and kids are and where these guys, gals and kids are. God has guys on planet Earth finding them and taking care of them. Some of these shepherds are pastors. Some of these shepherds are missionaries – like your grandmaa and grandpaa. Your grandmaa and grandpaa will always be sheep in God’s eyes but . . . God has His shepherds like pastors, missionaries and other guys and gals rescuing His sheep, caring for the sick and lame sheep, keeping His sheep together, feeding and guiding His sheep through His Word. God has been blessing your grandmaa and grandpaa by letting them care for some of His sheep.
Ezekiel 34 (42)