Ezekiel 34:7-16
The things God promises to do in Ezekiel 34 correspond with what the wicked shepherds in Ezekiel 22:25-29 were not doing. God won’t lie or handle truth carelessly; He will speak the truth in love. God won’t try to get to the top; He’ll serve. God won’t oppress the poor or take advantage of the vulnerable; He’ll provide for them, elevate them, and care for them. And God won’t feast on them; He’ll lead them into pastures where they can be satisfied. This is the heart of God for people. This is the promise to visit. But when? This promise begins to see its fulfillment about 600 years later on a cold night in the Middle East when a baby was born to a young woman and her husband – a baby related to David, the Shepherd King, a baby whose birth was first announced to a group of shepherds. Friends, our Good Shepherd has arrived, and even today He walks among us. Like so many promises of God, there’s an already, but not yet quality to this fulfillment. God has come down. He is shepherding His people, yet life is still hard. People in power, at times, still abuse their power. Even this is a part of the beauty of the incarnation. The incarnation is full of mystery and wonder. It’s full of love and concern. It’s full of the faithfulness of God to do what He promises to do. But the incarnation is also full of the call to walk by faith. The call to wait. The call to trust that one day, when our Shepherd returns in person, He will once and for all turn what is barren into green pastures.
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