Keep Your Eyes on the Shepherd … by Moriah Rice

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 32 – 34 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Colossians 1 – 4Psalms 41 – 45Proverbs 9)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 61:1 – 3

Read the “ 0909 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

The passage of Scripture that spoke to my heart follows chapter 32 and 33 of Ezekiel, but as I read through those chapters it struck me how Ezekiel 32 is a picture of death and destruction (of Pharaoh and Egypt) and Ezekiel 33 is one of repentance and hope. We continue with chapter 34, where these verses struck the hope that we see in Ezekiel 33 to life. I want to focus on the following passage and see what we can glean from it:

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.” (Ezekiel 34:11-16)

This passage is one of comfort. It is a picture of God (our Shepherd) searching us (His sheep) out from the world (a dark and cloudy place). It leads us to the realization that God seeks after our hearts even when we entangle ourselves in the world; He searches for us. He desires to have a relationship with us and in the following verses He promises to feed us, guide us, and protect us. What a good Shepherd we have that He would not only search for us when we are wandering and lost, but that He would strengthen us and bring us back to Him. It is easy to wander off the trail, but when we do it only leads us towards death and destruction as we can see in Ezekiel 32. But, we still have the hope of repentance in chapter 33. Repentance is not only sorrow, but rather turning away from those things that give us temporal satisfaction and lasting sorrow. And finally, in chapter 34, we can have comfort in the fact that God desires to be with us, to protect us as His sheep, and to guide us on this daily journey. Let’s keep our eyes on the Shepherd as He guides us through this journey of life!

Moriah and her brother Micah

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Debbie Leatherman
Debbie Leatherman
3 years ago

Good message. Thank you for sharing

Cindy Erickson
Cindy Erickson
3 years ago

Great post. Thank you.

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