Jesus, Our Good Shepherd

“And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”” Ezekiel 34:31

  • ”The Lord is my Shepherd”(Psalm 23), such a comforting thought don’t you think? Because, as a sheep, we are prone to wander, go our own way, choose our own path and sometimes end up in situations where we definitely need a shepherd’s help! 
  • There are several places in Scripture where God is called a shepherd. In Genesis 49:24, “…from there is the Shepherd, the stone of Israel.” Jesus is known as the “cornerstone”, our sure foundation; In Isaiah 40:10, “He will tend His flock like a Shepherd…”; Jeremiah 31:10 says, “…and will keep him as a Shepherd keeps His flock”. Psalm 121:5 reminds us that God is our keeper, “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.” But unlike human “keepers”, our God never slumbers or sleeps. He is our shade. As Psalm 91:1 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” He promises to keep us from all evil; to keep our life. And as Psalm 139:7-11 reminds us, there is nowhere we can go to escape His presence! He is always with us! That’s the kind of keeper our God is!
  • ‭I’m sure there are several ‭more examples that remind us of God’s care for us, but what about those who don’t know the “Shepherd” or perhaps are not being led by a “Shepherd” who cares for his flock?
  • In Ezekiel 34:4(ESV), the Lord says, “The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.” Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬
  • Ezekiel, as we know,  was a prophet during the Babylonian captivity. The Lord spoke through Ezekiel His displeasure at how those who were supposed to be caring for His people had not "Shepherd" them at all. They were more concerned with "feeding" themselves than feeding the people. So God told them, as in this verse, He Himself would search for His sheep and seek them out. Just like Jesus who came to seek and save the lost! As in Isaiah 40:11, it is God in Jesus who holds us, carries us and leads us! Jesus is our Good Shepard, as in Psalm 23, He is the one who leads us, guides us and restores our soul. And in John chapter 10 we are reminded that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares for His sheep!
  • Aren’t we thankful that He is our Good Shepherd, that we are His sheep, we are of His “pasture”, flock, family. He is our God, and we are His children, and He will never lead us astray.

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