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❤️ First Love Weekly #27: The Shepherd and the Sheep
Weekly post about God in the daily with encouragements from the Word
Jae Leeholland
August 04, 2024
In Ezekiel 34, God accuses the shepherds of Israel of disregarding His flock and only looking out for themselves. Oh, how history likes to repeat itself! (Eccles. 1:9)
In response, He declares, “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them” (Ezek. 34:11). And a few verses down, God describes the way He will care for His people:
I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.
As a fun learning exercise, I prompted an AI tool to find out how a shepherd tends his flock. Here’s what it said:
A shepherd tends his sheep through a variety of tasks and responsibilities, ensuring the well-being and safety of the flock. Here’s a detailed look at how a shepherd tends to his sheep:
Daily Routine and Care
1. Feeding and Watering:
- Provide the sheep with sufficient food, which may include grazing in pastures and supplementary feed such as hay or grain.
- Ensure access to clean water, either from natural sources or troughs.
2. Herding:
- Use a combination of trained dogs, whistles, and calls to guide and move the sheep between pastures and enclosures.
- Ensure the sheep stay together and are protected from wandering off.
Health and Welfare
3. Health Monitoring:
- Regularly check the sheep for signs of illness or injury.
- Administer vaccinations, medications, and treatments as needed.
- Trim hooves and shear wool to prevent diseases and discomfort.
4. Breeding and Lambing:
- Manage breeding programs to ensure healthy offspring.
- Assist ewes during lambing, ensuring both mother and lambs are safe and healthy.
Protection and Safety
5. Predator Protection:
- Use guard animals, such as dogs or llamas, to protect the flock from predators.
- Build and maintain secure fencing around pastures and enclosures.
6. Shelter and Weather Protection:
- Provide adequate shelter for the sheep during extreme weather conditions.
- Ensure the flock has shade during hot weather and warmth during cold weather.
Do you see the blood, sweat, and tears God pours out to take care of us? Goodness, what tender love and care!
I cannot imagine any sheep even wanting to wander off on its own and intentionally choosing to chart its own path— apart from such abounding care of a shepherd. But we do this all the time! Seriously, how grateful are we to have God who’d leave the ninety-nine time and time again to gather the ones once lost? (Matt. 18:12-14)
Yet, why do we stray still? I’ve been ruminating on this topic lately, and I’ve come to realize a pattern of the most common lies the enemy whispers to entice God’s people away from the Lord: (1) God doesn’t know nor care about what’s best for us, and (2) we need to take ownership over our own lives and do more.
All these are nothing but futile lies. For we know God knows what’s best for us (Rom. 8:28), and He desires for us to rest and walk with Him (Matt. 11:28-30).
My dear brothers and sisters, I encourage you to let Jesus lay you down for a moment. Did you know that shepherds lay their sheeps down to help them rest and recover and strengthen their bonds with the rest of the flock in a safe environment?
Anything beyond that which we desire, we shall surrender to Him and let His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
With love,
Jae
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:3-5)
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