Shepherds Provide

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them. Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”—therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.” For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; … I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Ezekiel 34:1-16

You must care for those you are responsible for.

God places you in authority over others with the expectation that you will provide for them. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8). Everyone in your household provides something for you, whether it is relational fulfillment or practical provisions. Your concern should not be how to maximize other’s benefit for you, but how to maximize your benefit for them. The Kingdom of God, as pictured by the shepherd and the sheep, is a giving relationship. The shepherd gets more by giving to the sheep (food and protection) than he does by keeping all of his resources to himself. The sheep, likewise, gets more by giving to the shepherd (wool and obedience) than he does by living independent of the shepherd.

You lead out of who you are.

The shepherd cannot provide wool for the sheep, nor can the sheep provide protection for the shepherd. What you provide for others comes out of who you are. Now, both the flocks are the Lord’s, and the shepherds are the Lord's, which means the system of shepherds providing for the sheep and the flocks  providing for the shepherd ultimately brings glory to God. Producing what you are designed to produce and providing for others brings glory to God. Also, withholding what you are supposed to provide to benefit others doesn’t just harm others, it takes away glory from God. (God is infinitely glorious so He doesn’t lose glory by anyone’s failure to give Him glory).

You learn leadership by engaging in leadership.

You can’t learn how to seek lost sheep by neglecting to seek the sheep you know are lost. You can’t be a good shepherd to a flock of sheep if you don’t care for each individual sheep. A good shepherd demonstrates his leadership in caring for the flock by caring for each individual sheep (Luke 15). You lead out of who you are as you produce what you are created to produce. And as you produce what you are designed to produce, you are enabled to provide a benefit to those around you. Maximize your usefulness by determining how you can best serve others