Shepherds took a stern warning last week, but God was not done. He had something to say to the sheep in the flock as well.
As for you, My flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. Ezekiel 34:17
Much of God’s instruction is for His people together, but here He distinguishes personal responsibility. And the rebuke is similar to what He gave to the leaders. They took what they needed without regard to others.
Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? Must My flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet? Ezekiel 34:18-19
They didn’t just eat from the pasture, but what was left was trampled down and unusable by others. They didn’t just drink the cool water, as they moved through it they stirred it up so it became undrinkable for others. The fat, healthy sheep pushed the smaller, weaker ones away. God said He will judge the individual sheep for how they treated the rest of the flock. And then He will put a righteous Shepherd over them who will protect and care for them.
We have responsibilities toward one another. There is a call to be good stewards of what we have so others are able to partake as well.
I wonder if there isn’t another piece to this, too, to not muddy spiritual waters. Let those who come behind us drink from the clear springs of Truth without stirring it up. If we engage in useless debates or self-serving opinions, might we make Him unpalatable to some?
If we follow Jesus, we are part of His flock. Let’s be careful how we handle ALL that He has given us.
You are My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD. Ezekiel 34:31
