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Daily Devotions

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 
Day 
Day 367

"I shall judge between sheep and sheep"

Text: Ezekiel 34:17

A WORD OF ADMONITION

The Lord’s plan to rescue and restore His flock back to their home land was announced. But this plan also carried a word of admonition.

“And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God:
‘Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep,
between rams and goats.
Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture,
that you must tread down with your feet
the residue of your pasture—
and to have drunk of the clear waters,
that you must foul the residue with your feet?
And as for My flock,
they eat what you have trampled with your feet,
and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.'”
Ezekiel 34:17-19

1. The flock of God.

a) In part it would be a national project.

b) That being the case, there will be a mixture of people who would return to Israel.

2. Different groups of people.

a) There would be good sheep.

b) There would also be bad ones.

c) The Lord would distinguish the following:

i) Between sheep and sheep.

ii) Between rams and goats.

3. A stern word of warning.

a) The stronger ones tended to bully the weaker ones.

b) They seek to seize the good pastures for themselves, edging out the weak.

c) Worse, they destroy with their feet the residual part of the pasture to prevent others from eating.

d) Worse than that, they dirty the clean water so that the other sheep would be unable to enjoy clean water.

e) The poor flock of God would have to:

i) Eat whatever is left.

ii) Drink foul water.

4. The Lord wanted to warn the bad sheep.

a) He knows what they were doing.

b) He would deal with them sternly if they continued to bully the weaker sheep.