A Prophecy against Israel’s Shepherds

1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord God; O shepherds of Israel, do shepherds feed themselves? do not the shepherds feed the sheep? 3 Behold, ye feed on the milk, and clothe yourselves with the wool, and slay the fat: but ye feed not my sheep. 4 The weak one ye have not strengthened, and the sick ye have not cherished, and the bruised ye have not bound up, and the stray one ye have not turned back, and the lost ye have not sought; and the strong ye have wearied with labour. 5 And my sheep were scattered, because there were no shepherds: and they became meat to all the wild beasts of the field. 6 And my sheep were scattered on every mountain, and on every high hill: yea, they were scattered on the face of the earth, and there was none to seek them out, nor to bring them back.

7 Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. 8 As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my sheep became a prey, and my sheep became meat to all the wild beasts of the field, because there were no shepherds, and the shepherds sought not out my sheep, and the shepherds fed themselves, but fed not my sheep. 9 For this cause, O shepherds, 10 thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hands, and will turn them back that they shall not feed my sheep, and the shepherds shall no longer feed them; and I will deliver my sheep out of their mouth, and they shall no longer be meat for them.

The Good Shepherd

11 For thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will seek out my sheep, and will visit them. 12 As the shepherd seeks his flock, in the day when there is darkness and cloud, in the midst of the sheep that are separated: so will I seek out my sheep, and will bring them back from every place where they were scattered in the day of cloud and darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the Gentiles, and will gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land, and will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, and in the valleys, and in every inhabited place of the land. 14 I will feed them in a good pasture, on a high mountain of Israel: and their folds shall be there, and they shall lie down, and there shall they rest in perfect prosperity, and they shall feed in a fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed my sheep, and I will cause them to rest; and they shall know that I am the Lord: thus saith the Lord God. 16 I will seek that which is lost, and I will recover the stray one, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen the fainting, and will guard the strong, and will feed them with judgment.

17 And as for you, ye sheep, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will distinguish between sheep and sheep, between rams and he-goats. 18 And is it not enough for you that ye fed on the good pasture, that ye trampled with your feet the remnant of your pasture? and that ye drank the standing water, that ye disturbed the residue with your feet? 19 So my sheep fed on that which ye had trampled with your feet; and they drank the water that had been disturbed by your feet.

20 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will separate between the strong sheep and the weak sheep. 21 Ye did thrust with your sides and shoulders, and pushed with your horns, and ye cruelly treated all the sick. 22 Therefore I will save my sheep, and they shall not be any more for a prey; and will judge between ram and ram.

23 And I will raise up one shepherd over them, and he shall tend them, even my servant David, and he shall be their shepherd; 24 and I the Lord will be to them a God, and David a prince in the midst of them; I the Lord have spoken it.

The Covenant of Peace

25 And I will make with David a covenant of peace and I will utterly destroy evil beasts from off the land; and they shall dwell in the wilderness, and sleep in the forests. 26 And I will settle them round about my mountain; and I will give you the rain, the rain of blessing. 27 And the trees that are in the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her strength, and they shall dwell in the confidence of peace on their land, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken their yoke; and I will deliver them out of the hand of those that enslaved them. 28 And they shall no more be a spoil to the nations, and the wild beasts of the land shall no more at all devour them; and they shall dwell safely, and there shall be none to make them afraid. 29 And I will raise up for them a plant of peace, and they shall no more perish with hunger upon the land, and they shall no more bear the reproach off the nations. 30 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, and they my people. O house of Israel, saith the Lord God, 31 ye are my sheep, even the sheep of my flock, and I am the Lord your God, saith the Lord God. — Ezekiel 34 | Brenton's Septuagint Translation (BST) The English translation of The Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton (1851). Cross References: Leviticus 26:5; Leviticus 26:13; Numbers 16:9; Deuteronomy 30:3; 1 Samuel 2:29-30; Psalm 23:1-2; Psalm 46:7; Psalm 72:12; Psalm 78:52; Psalm 147:3; Proverbs 25:26; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 55:3-4; Jeremiah 30:10; Ezekiel 22:25; Ezekiel 33:33; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 25:32; Mark 6:34; Luke 13:14; Luke 19:10; John 10:8-9; John 10:11; John 10:16; Acts 14:7; Acts 20:29; Revelation 7:17

I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:25-26 NIV (2011)

EZEKIEL S.O.A.P. ~ CHAPTER 34

Thursday, 6/29/30

SCRIPTURE:

"I will feed My flock and I will lead them to rest,” declares the Lord God.  ... “I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.  "I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing.  "And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing.  “Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land.  "Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.  "They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid."

~ Ezekiel 34:15, 25-28

OBSERVATION:

Again... I'm no theologian, but... seems like a description of Jesus to me...

The Good Shepherd:

"...feed My flock..."

"...eliminate harmful beasts..."

"...they [ I ]will live securely..."

God makes a "covenant of peace" - the New Covenant of forgiveness through Christ Jesus...

Overcoming the enemy...

"...eliminate harmful beasts..."

deliverance from ",..the hand of those who enslaved them [me]..."

Breaking the bar of the yoke - His yoke is easy...

No one will make me afraid...

APPLICATION:

Keep my eye on the Shepherd...

PRAYER:

Protecting Father God - thank You for Your promised Shepherd, Jesus, Who leads me to rest and security in Your grace... may I feed on Your Word and lean into His yoke... Thank You for the watchfulness of Your Holy Spirit Who reminds me - especially when I wander off - to live securely in Your promises and will for my life... In Jesus's Name, and for Your honor and praise...

Counting you among the blessings He has showered on me...

𝖌

<))><

God Will Take Care of You (Ezekiel 34:23-31)

So many people long for peace, simply because they aren’t experiencing it. They feel unsafe – either physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually – and are separated from the sort of resources which would give them what they need to live well.

I will give them a king like my servant David to be their one shepherd, and he will take care of them. I, the Lord, will be their God, and a king like my servant David will be their ruler. I have spoken. I will make a covenant with them that guarantees their security. I will get rid of all the dangerous animals in the land, so that my sheep can live safely in the fields and sleep in the…

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I Am the Lord Their God with Them

25 “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. 27 And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its…

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his covenant of peace

his covenant of peace

20221206 Photo by Artem Podrez on Pexels.com his covenant of peace Ezekiel 34:25-31 (JDV) Ezekiel 34:25 ” ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate dangerous creatures from the land, so that they may live securely in the open country and sleep in the forest.Ezekiel 34:26 I will make them and the area around my hill a blessing: I will send down showers in their season; they will…

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Lamentation, Jeremiah's Companion

Lamentation, Jeremiah’s Companion

Yesterday’s post about plans for reading Jeremiah should be companioned with an understanding of lamentation, for lamentation is a liquid ribbon of sorrow through out the book. Lamentation — (Heb. ginah, an elegy or dirge. The first example of this form of poetry is the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17–27). It was a frequent accompaniment of mourning (Amos 8:10). In 2 Sam.…

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Good News and Fair Warning

Good News and Fair Warning

Today’s reading is from the Prophet Ezekiel, one of the really interesting prophets. Ezekiel was among the first wave of refugees forced from Jerusalem and relocated to Babylon in 597 BC. No doubt he had other plans for his life. He certainly was not planning on becoming a stranger in a strange land nor becoming a prophet to the people in exile. Ezekiel’s problems started back 1 Samuel 8. (more…)

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Ezekiel 34:11 (NLT) - “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I Myself will search and find My sheep.

𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃  :  what  are  you  doing  out  here  by  yourself  ? 𝚁𝙴𝚀𝚄𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙱𝚈  :  @hoggleswart​​  /  ezekiel  burke  ! 𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽  :  knockturn  alley  !

"  smoke,  ”  comes  unsmiling  reply  ;  luca  holds  her  cigarette  up  a  little  for  him  to  better  see  it  in  the  dark  and  then  immediately  takes  the  last  drag  that  it’ll  allow,  dropping  the  remaining  butt  to  the  dirty  cobble  beneath  their  feet.  it  joins  a  small  collection  from  the  last  hour  or  so  and  continues  to  glow  down  there  until  she  uses  the  toe  of  her  boot  to  stub  it  out.  “  you  want  one  ?  ”  she  reaches  into  her  pocket  and  pulls  out  the  most  recent  box  she’d  purchased,  offering  it  to  him  without  further  preamble.  there’s  only  about  five  left,  hard  to  see  in  the  little  light  offered  by  the  low  hanging  moon,  but  she  doesn’t  care.  “  ‘got  one  of  those  muggle  lighters  here  somewhere,  too,  if  you  need  it.  ”

Revelation 6: The Second Seal

Reading about the second seal gives more context to the first seal, the first horse, and the first rider. If they are part of a set, then how does the first rider fit in? #Revelation6 #SecondHorseman #SecondSeal

A Fiery Red Horse Then, when He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Go, you!” And another horse, flame-colored, went out, and to the one sitting upon it was given to him to violently remove peace out of the world and in order that they would kill one another, then a great sword was given to him. Revelation 6:3-4 Reading about the second seal gives more context…

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The Good Shepherd

Then I will place one shepherd over them, my servant David, and he will take care of them. He will take care of them and be their shepherd. — Ezekiel 34:23 | God's Word Translation (GWT) The Holy Bible, GOD’S WORD® Translation Copyright 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Cross References: Psalm 89:49; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 3:15; Jeremiah 23:4; John 10:11; John 10:16; Revelation 7:17

Harmony

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40:3 I am sure many of us have witnessed two distinct ways of singing a song and playing an instrument; and one appears to be more of a gift or an acquired gift than the other. There is the soloist and musician who studies the notes and practices methodically until the…

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Ezekiel 34:16 God Will Seek And Restore His Sheep

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 judgement. Ezekiel 34:16 Every time a person loses something that person will do a search for it. The higher the value, the more the person will search. If something has happened to that item searched for, the person will…

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Pastoral Care (Ezekiel 34:17-23)

“Only through love can we obtain communion with God.” Albert Schweitzer

“Now then, my flock, I, the Sovereign Lord, tell you that I will judge each of you and separate the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats. Some of you are not satisfied with eating the best grass; you even trample down what you don’t eat! You drink the clear water and muddy what you don’t drink! My other sheep have to eat the grass you trample down and drink the water you muddy. “So now,…

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You Won’t, But I Will

11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the…

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