LIFE-STUDY OF EZEKIEL
Message 16
GOD’S RESTORATION BY LIFE
WEEK 7 - THURSDAY
Scripture Reading: Psa 23; Ezek 16:60, 62, 34:25-28, 37:26a; Acts 20:29
Read and pray: “And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he will feed them; My servant David will feed them; he will be their shepherd” (Ezek. 34:23)
Raising Up David as a Shepherd over Them
Verse 23 continues by saying, “And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he will feed them; My servant David will feed them; he will be their shepherd.” David typifies Christ. Christ is the true David, the real Shepherd, feeding us and leading us to be full and satisfied.
Caring for Us
As our Shepherd, Christ cares for us, including all our problems and responsibilities. He cares for us not only in spiritual matters but in all things related to our human needs. This means that, according to Psalm 23, He cares for us in every aspect of our life.
Since the Lord Jesus is our Shepherd and cares for us, we should not worry about our problems or about our living. Instead, we need to learn to trust in Him. At the end of the day, it is very good to pray to the Lord as our Shepherd.
There is no need to pray in a formal, religious way. Simply say, “Lord Jesus, I thank You because I am under Your care. Now I am going to sleep, and I ask You to come and take care of me.” Such a simple prayer is good enough.
When you wake up in the morning, say, “Lord, I thank You, for I am still under Your care.” There is no need to be religious, asking the Lord to protect you and to do many other things for you. If you pray in a religious way, the Lord may say, “Child, I know what you need. Do not waste your time and do not burden Me with this kind of prayer. Simply enjoy My care.”
The Lord Jesus is truly our Shepherd. I could give many testimonies of how I have appreciated His care over the years. Wherever I go and wherever I work, I have been under His shepherding care.
I rejoice that we are under the care of our Shepherd. We are not a flock without a shepherd. In His restoration, we as His flock are under His constant shepherding. While He cares for us, He feeds us, and we have the real experience of Psalm 23: The Lord is our Shepherd, and we have no needs. May we all learn to experience Christ as our Shepherd.
Coming to Be the King
When the Lord Jesus comes as the Shepherd, He also comes as the King. The result of the Lord’s care for us as our Shepherd is that we obey Him as our King and submit to His reign.
The Lord is our Shepherd to be our King, and He is our King to be our Shepherd. On the one hand, He shepherds us; on the other hand, He governs us. When we receive the Lord’s shepherding, we understand the throne, the kingdom, and the Lord’s authority. He is shepherding us with His care and supply so that we may submit to His kingship and that He may establish His throne and His kingdom within us.
Making a Covenant of Peace with Them
Certain portions of Ezekiel speak of God’s covenant with Israel. Ezekiel 16:60 and 62 say, “But I will remember the covenant that I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant .... I will establish My covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord.”
In 37:26a the Lord promises, “I will make with them a covenant of peace; it will be an everlasting covenant.” Once a matter has been agreed upon, it is established and secure and cannot be changed. Therefore, this covenant of peace is established, secure, and unchangeable.
When we experience the Lord’s shepherding and remain under His reign, we can enjoy His peace and are no longer subject to spiritual problems and disturbances. Concerning this covenant, there are a number of points that deserve our attention.
Putting an End to the Ferocious Beasts of the Land
Ezekiel 34:25a says, “I will make with them a covenant of peace and will cause the ferocious beasts to cease from the land.” Here we are told that under the Lord’s shepherding all the ferocious beasts will be kept away from the Lord’s restoration.
According to Paul’s word in Acts 20:29, the ferocious beasts (“fierce wolves”) refer to evil people who disturb God’s people. In the proper church life there are no wolves, only lambs. In His restoration, the Lord puts an end to the ferocious beasts.
Breaking All Their Yokes
In Ezekiel 34:27, the Lord promised to break all the yokes, including the yokes of sin and of the world. With Him as our Shepherd, we have no yokes or slavery. Jesus breaks every chain! In the local churches we have no yokes. Rather, we have full freedom and complete liberation.
Delivering Them from Slavery
Verse 27 also indicates that the Lord delivers us from every kind of slavery. In the church we do not have the feeling of being under slavery. Rather, we have the feeling of freedom. The more we have the Lord’s shepherding, the more we are freed from every kind of slavery.
Never Being a Prey to the Enemy
Verse 28a says, “And they will no longer be a prey to the nations.” Here the Lord promised that those who are in His restoration would never be a prey to the enemy. This means that they would never be defeated or captured by the enemy.
In the church life we share the spoils of the Lord’s restoration, the Lord’s victory. Instead of fighting to gain victory, we simply enjoy the Lord’s victory.
🌿Enjoy more:
Hymn: Praise the Lord - “His Name”
No comments:
Post a Comment