Should not shepherds take care of the flock? (Ezek. 34:2)
THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION asked by our Scripture verse is an emphatic “Yes!” Absolutely, shepherds should take care of the flock. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God asked this question to drive home the point, since the shepherds (national leaders) of that day were not caring for the flocks. They were “fleecing” the flocks, making their living from them without giving adequate care. They symbolize the worst in human government—when the leaders fatten themselves at the expense of the populace.
Most of us reading these words are not national leaders. So does this question have anything to do with us? While we may not be leaders of government, commerce, or industry, we all have responsibilities. The question is, are we being faithful to our responsibilities?
On the East Coast of the United States, a statue stands in New York harbor—the Statue of Liberty. It symbolizes the value of personal freedom so important to the American people. Someone suggested we should erect another statue on the West Coast, perhaps in San Francisco harbor—a Statue of Responsibility.
With great liberty comes great responsibility. We owe our best faithfulness to those for whom we are responsible—our families, our coworkers, our brothers and sisters in Christ. However you define your flock, be sure you are faithful in taking care of it.
Let the love of God flow through you to others as you faithfully care.
Ron McClung works at his denomination’s world headquarters and lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife, Carol. They have two sons and nine grandchildren.
