The Lord Said: Baaaad Shepherds

 

Ezekiel 34:7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.

Having addressed the evil of all the surrounding nations and arrogant empires of the day, God returns to again address the sins of Israel.  He now focuses in on the religious leaders, those who were responsible for the spiritual well-being of the nation. They had lived selfishly and sinfully, neglecting their duty, using the sheep for their own profit, while watching them roam away into spiritual danger. Here we find much of the imagery Jesus built on when He called the religious leaders of His day to task for their "using the system" and letting the sheep wander "as sheep without a shepherd." God would not let that continue.