OUR DAILY BREAD : DUMB SHEEP, GOOD SHEPHERD

[cimi]

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2018

THE BIBLE in A YEAR
LAMENTATIONS 1-2 and HEBREWS 10:-18



DUMB SHEEP, GOOD SHEPHERD
READ:
Ezekiel 34:7-16
_________________________________________________________
As a shepherd looks
after his scattered
flock when he is
with them, so will
I look after my
sheep. Ezekiel 34:2
__________________________________________________________
My friend Chad spent a year as a shepherd in Wyoming. "Sheep are so dumb that they'll only eat what is right in front of them" he told me. "Even if they've eaten all the grass in front of them," he told me. "Even if they've eaten all the grass in front of them, they won't turn to look for a fresh patch__they'll just start eating dirt!"

We laughed, and I couldn't help but think about how often the Bible compares humans to sheep. No wonder we need a shepherd! But since sheep are so dumb, not just any shepherd will do. Sheep need a shepherd who cares about them. When the prophet Ezekiel wrote to God's people in exile, captives in Babylon, he compared them to sheep led by bad shepherds. Instead of caring for the flock, Israel's leaders had exploited them, profiting form them (v.3) and then leaving them for the wild animals to devour (v.5).

But they were not without hope. God, the Good Shepherd, promised to rescue them from the leaders who exploited them. He promised to bring them home, put them in lush pastures, and give them rest. He would heal the injured and go after the lost (vv. 11-16). He would banish wild animals, so that His flock would be safe (v.28).

Members of God's flock are in need of tender care and direction. How blessed we are to have a Shepherd who is always leading us to green pastures! (v.14).
__AMY PETERSON
___________________________________________________________


***********************************REFLECT & PRAY******************************
Am I listening for the voice of my Shepherd?

For more on the topic of spiritual growth, see christianuniversity.org/SF212.