God had some harsh words for the leaders of Israel—and well
should He! These words from God
would be a nightmare if that is how my priesthood was assessed. Please, God, may it never be.
I
mean, imagine if I took all of the perks of being a priest—cookies brought in
by the church ladies, dinners in your homes, fishing expeditions—and did nothing for you! If I wore my clerics around demanding
you serve me at every moment, I would deserve condemnation from God. The leaders of Israel were bad
shepherds, taking their wool and milk while failing to feed, protect and lead
them.
With
this prophecy of Ezekiel in mind, listen to the words of Jesus recorded in John
10: “I am the
good shepherd. The good shepherd
lays down his life for the sheep. He
who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the
wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and
scatters them. He flees because he
is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as
the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus is
the exact opposite of the greedy leaders of the Israelites and that is why he
is the good shepherd.
With
the Psalmist, let us pray today, “The
Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…”
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