Scripture: “And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.” – Ezekiel 34:23
Examination: Ezekiel is telling the religious leaders of Israel that they have not done their job. Now, God Himself is going to become the Shepherd who will lead and care for His chosen people.
Application: Recently, a large part of our country was in the grips of winter storm Fern. The ice and snow that came from this storm disrupted the normalcy of life for many of us. Because the roads were hazardous, most of us who lived in my region of the country were homebound for a few days, and one of those days was a Sunday.
Normally, my family would be at church, involved in Sunday school and the two worship services, but not this particular time. Instead, we were home watching Fern’s progression on the weather channel and settling in for the duration of the storm. A bit later, we were notified via text message that our pastor would be on social media live to have an online service at our normal morning service time!
This reminded me of the responsibilities of a shepherd, which is what pastors are often referred to in the Bible. Acts 20:28 refers to pastors as overseers, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Shepherds are responsible to feed, water, and protect their sheep. In our region, we don’t have many sheep farms, but there are several cattle farms and even a safari park! In each case, regardless of the weather, someone must be there to care for the animals. They must have their food and water, and they must be protected against anything that could harm them.
The same holds true for a church’s congregation. Regardless of whether or not the doors of a church are open or closed, a pastor still has the responsibility to care for his flock, and many are available to their congregations 24/7. The most important duty he has been given is to feed his flock with the Word of God. The example that many pastors faithfully follow is the Lord Jesus Christ, who presented Himself as the “Good Shepherd”. In John 10, our Lord describes His role.
- He protects His sheep.
- “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.” – John 10:7
- He sacrificially serves His sheep.
- “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” – John 10:11
- He knows His sheep, and they know Him.
- “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” – John 10:14
- He saves His sheep.
- “For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” – 1 Peter 2:25
Psalm 23 is perhaps the most familiar and oft-quoted psalm, even among those who do not profess faith in Christ. Written by David, who was himself a shepherd, he notes several duties of a shepherd. In the second verse, he states, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Feeding the flock is his primary responsibility.
In this day and age, there is much criticism of the church and its leaders. It is a good thing to belong to a church where, even in situations when churches cannot be attended due to the weather or, as in 2020, when a pandemic caused the doors of many churches to close, the shepherd still finds a way to care for his flock. 1 Corinthians 4:2 says this of a steward, another reference to a pastor, “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” It is a blessing for our church to have a pastor/shepherd who finds a way to make sure his flock is well fed, and for that, I thank my Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ!
Memory Verse: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” – Psalm 23:1
When I enter heaven's glory and I see my Saviour's face,
I will offer Him ten thousand years of praise.
Then I'll find that special one in whose life I saw God's Son,
And through tears of joy with trembling lips these words I'll say:
I saw Jesus in you, I saw Jesus in you,
I could hear His voice in the words you said- I saw Jesus in you,
In your eyes I saw His care, I could see His love was there,
You were faithful, and I saw Jesus in you
(from “I Saw Jesus in You” by Ron Hamilton)