In His Great Commission to His disciples, Jesus has charged us to be a watchman. God’s warning to Ezekiel should be a sobering reminder to us. Today’s reading is full of messages directly to God’s New Testament people. The righteous man trusting in his righteousness instead of walking by faith is not righteous at all. The one who breaks the covenant won’t possess the land. God is no more pleased today by those who gather to hear His word from a prophet but fail to put it into practice, than He was pleased by such so-called followers in Ezekiel’s day. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd who lay down His life for the sheep. I pray that we are all taking these words seriously for our own lives.
Notice that once again God is going to do what men have failed to do. His plan for His people was to be led by a shepherd-like servant-leader who would care for them instead of wield power over them. When time after time men failed to fill that role as God intended, He devised a plan whereby He would save His people from their power-corrupted leaders and provide the shepherd they need. This need is where Messiah shows up in the book of Ezekiel. What a great God He is to us, and how blessed we are that He is!