When you dig into the Old Teatament you begin seeing that a common theme is the people of Israel failing to listen to God and His commandments. God does all these supernatural things for His people, Israel, from the plagues of Egypt, to the parting of the Red Sea, to mana and quail in the desert, to leveling walls and bringing down giants. Yet, despite God repeatedly demonstrating His love and giving the people a guidebook for how to best live life (Scripture), the people fail to listen time and time again, creating a seeming”y endless cycle of problems. Are we failing to listen to God like the Israelites before us?
The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 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. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. Ezekiel 34:1-6
Here, yet again, the Israelites failed to listed to God. Specifically, God has asked His people to guide and care for one another as a shepherd watches over their sheep. Instead of being for others, the people became so self-focused that they ignored the very people God commanded them to love and care for. Look especially at verses two and three. How often are we the same way in our lives? How often do we get so focused on ourselves and our personal wants and successes that we forget about helping others in need, including the needs of those closest to us?
Verse four verse really makes me jump up pay attention.
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.
Are we failing to listen to this verse? Are we so caught up in our own busy and chaotic lives that we forget God’s command to love unto the least of these? I encourage all of us to hit mute this week and reflect upon where we are failing to listen to God. Reflect on those times where you’ve focused so much on yourself that you’ve forgotten about loving others, perhaps even others within your own family. Let’s all turn our ears towards God, being the shepherds to His family we are commanded to be.
