Monday 27 February 2017
- Bible Book:
- Ezekiel
“Thus says the Lord GOD, I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them.” (v. 10)
Psalm: Psalm 116
Background
In 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated the kingdomof Judah in battle and installed Zedekiah as king in Jerusalem. Hehad a huge empire to govern, and his way of reducing the likelihoodof rebellion was to take many of the political, military andreligious leaders into exile in Babylon. This provided him withhostages, and removed those most likely to be able to motivate orlead a revolt.
Among those who found themselves in exile was a young man of apriestly family. His name was Ezekiel, and a few years afterleaving his homeland, aged probably about 30, he was called by Godto a ministry of prophecy. His was not a comfortable message. Hecame to understand Judah's defeat as an expression of God'sdispleasure; God's people were being punished for theirdisobedience and lack of faithfulness. Perhaps, even in exile, theJudeans were expecting God to rescue them quickly, and restore themto their homeland. Ezekiel prophesied instead a lengthy period ofexile, and the destruction of Jerusalem and her temple. This dulyhappened in 588-586 BC, following a rebellion by King Zedekiah.
Today's passage comes just as the tone of the book has changed.Jerusalem had fallen, and the prophecies change from warnings ofjudgement to a promise of redemption. The worst had happened, andnow there was hope for the future. But that didn't mean that therewas no judgement. God's wrath was now reserved for the leaders ofthe people, whose sin had led to defeat and exile. They had notfaithfully fulfilled their responsibilities to their people, buthad exploited them.
God will be the judge of the shepherds, and good Shepherd of thesheep. He will intervene on behalf of the oppressed, and hold theoppressors to account. So the promise is not just for a restoredhomeland, but for a homeland characterised by good government,justice, and abundance.
To Ponder
- How can you appropriately hold our political and religiousleaders to account, while also supporting them and upholding themin their difficult task?
- Ezekiel is looking towards the future, with a rebuilt societyshaped by God's values. What would such a society look like today?What policies would you put in place if you were startingafresh?
- The image of the good shepherd is a popular one in Scripture(eg Psalm 23:1;