Passage to Ponder: Ezekiel 34:1-16
For thus says the Lord Yahweh: ‘Look! I, even I, will seek my flock, and I will look after them, just like the caring of a shepherd for his herd on the day when he is in the midst of his scattered flock. Thus, I will look after my flock, and I will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on the day of storm and stress.’”
-Ezekiel 34:11-12 (The Lexham English Bible)
Social media has been filled with examples of price gouging and greed the past few days. It has been on the television newscasts… “Man buys all bottles of hand sanitizer and resells them for $17,000 profit” … “Woman selling 9-packs of bath tissue for $50 out of the back of her SUV.” These are just two examples of many of people profiteering from the panic and desperation of others in this pandemic. You probably have read and seen others. If you are reading this, you probably aren’t the type of person who would stoop to such levels.
Sadly, you also know that religious people are not necessarily righteous people. In ancient Israel you couldn’t find anyone more religious than the priests. However, a close reading of Ezekiel 34 reveals that these men were wicked and were fleecing the sheep, God’s people, for their own profit. In verse 10 God says to those greedy priests, “Look! I am against the shepherds, and I will seek my flock from their hand, and I will put an end to them from shepherding flocks, and the shepherds will no longer feed themselves, and I will deliver my flocks from their mouth, so that they will not be as food for them.”
Look at that verse again. Now, contrast it with verses 11-12. God plainly says that He will remove the crooked shepherd and rescue the flock. I can hear you asking, “But what does this have to do with me? I am not a priest in ancient Israel; I am not a pastor in present-day America, either.” That may be true, but don’t get so hung up in the players that you miss the principle: God is against those who would take advantage of others who are needing help. God is on the side of the needy and those who help them. You don’t want to be on the wrong side!
As this pandemic spreads, more and more people you know will be suffering and have need. You will be faced with a choice to be greedy or to be generous. What will you decide? The Bible warns you, “The one who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). The suffering person will probably not ask for help. When you know of someone in need, especially one who needs a saving faith in Jesus, the decision you make can have eternal impact. You will not be able to fix every person’s plight. The good news is that God doesn’t ask you to do that. He only asks that you make a difference. Jesus said that when you even just give a cup of cool water to a person who is thirsty, it is as the same as if you gave the satisfying water to Jesus Himself.
Love,
Pastor Larry
Pastor Larry
(This is from a series of devotionals written during our time of restricted meetings and activities due to
the coronavirus.)
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