Transcript
Beth (0:00)
Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ in All of Scripture. Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.
Podcast Host (0:17)
Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire Biblical story, but but the center of it.
Alexa (0:31)
Hey everyone. Welcome back to Year in the Bible. I'm Alexa and I'm here with my co host Beth.
Beth (0:36)
Hey friends, Today we're going to be going deeper into the passage that we annotated yesterday. Ezekiel 34, 7, 16. So to start us off, Alexa, can you share with us how this passage fits into the story of Scripture?
Alexa (0:48)
Yes. We have been discussing different prophetic books for a bit now. Last week we are in Jeremiah and this week we are in Ezekiel. God's people are in exile and God commissions a man who is also a priest, Ezekiel, to speak to the Israelites who are being stubborn and hard hearted. Ezekiel will speak God's words to the people, calling them to repent from their sins and walk in obedience to God. The Israelites were struggling in their obedience to God, but they also had leaders over them who were failing to take care of them as they should. They they aren't caring for Israel's physical and spiritual needs. Instead, they are taking advantage of Israel for their own selfish gain. And that's the situation we see being talked about in Ezekiel 34. We read in Ezekiel 34, 2, 6 that God speaks these words to the shepherds. Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves. Shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock? You eat the fat, wear the wool and butcher the fat animals, but you do not tend the flock. You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost. Instead you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd. They became food for all the wild animals. When they were scattered, my flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill. My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth and there was no one searching or seeking for them. So while the Israelites are being disobedient, we see that God still cares for his people. And he's not going to allow these shepherds, these leaders to take advantage of his people, people any longer. He is Going to be their shepherd instead.