restoring Shepherd

And they shall know that I am the LORD their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord GOD.  Ezekiel 34:30

Ezekiel 34 is one of scripture’s great passages on God’s tender care. Read it now before reading on.

After exposing Israel’s unfaithful shepherds, the Lord promises that He Himself will seek His scattered sheep, rescue them, find them, and provide a new faithful Shepherd for them. He does it so that they may intimately know the Lord their God. This restoration is more than material blessing; it is about restoring the clear presence of God with His people. The greatest gift God gives His people is Himself. His promises assure weary hearts that they are not abandoned, forgotten, or beyond His love.

God’s restorative work usually unfolds gradually. Like a shepherd tending His wounded sheep, He binds up the broken, strengthens the weak (even carrying them), and patiently leads His flock back to safe green pastures. There are seasons when the scars of sin and suffering seem too deep to heal, yet God’s promises will be kept and He is stronger than our painful experiences. His faithfulness isn’t dependent on our strength to believe Him, but rather He is faithful because of His covenant love! His restoring grace is certain to accomplish His good purposes even when we are in the dark about the outcome.

This metaphor is fulfilled in Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who laid down His life for His sheep. He restores people to fellowship with God forever! All broken things are restored in Him when He brings a new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness. The God Who promises “I am with them” had not changed. His restoring hand, unfailing presence, and everlasting promises will always be fulfilled as Jesus shepherds us right now!

Song of our Deliverer

I would soon subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their foes.

Those who hate the LORD would cringe toward him,

and their fate would last forever.​

Psalm 81:14-15

Raise joyful songs with grateful voice,

Let every thankful heart rejoice.

The God of Jacob still is near;

His mighty arm removes all fear.

“I broke your yoke and set you loose;

Why chase the chains that once bound you?

Open your mouth, I’ll fill it still —

Delight to trust my loving will.”

Yet stubborn hearts too often stray,

Preferring every lesser way.

They wouldn’t heed their Shepherd’s call,

And so they stumbled among idols all.

O turn again with faith renewed;

Our Savior offers the richest food.

He is the Rock, the Bread, the Vine —

The sweetest honey tasted in love divine.

humiliated pride

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While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you…”

Daniel 4:31

Pride mistakes God’s gifts for our own greatness. Nebuchadnezzar surveyed his magnificent capital city and took personal credit for all of it. Before the words could completely exit his mouth, God humbled him. The man at the top of the greatest nation on earth became powerless, living like an animal in a zoo until he learned that “the Most High riles the kingdoms of men”.

We may never build such an empire, but our hearts want to claim ownership of our accomplishments, careers, families, ministries, or talents. Every good gift comes from God’s hand. He alone deserves the glory of it all. His sovereignty is in no way threatened by our pride. Instead, He opposes the proud so that all men, including the proud, would learn to trust Him.

Nebuchadnezzar’s bizarre fall ends in hope. He finally lifted his eyes to heaven in submission. His reason returned along with meaningful, heartfelt worship of God. His confession is one that all believers should sing: God’s dominion is everlasting, His purposes cannot be resisted, and no one can question what God has done (Daniel 4:34-35). Humble repentance opens the door to worship and fellowship with God. It abandons self-exaltation and bragging and embraces God’s rule. And in Jesus’ cross proud sinners are saved by a humble king. As we now bow in repentance and faith, our pride is forgiven and our joy is found in the gracious reign of Christ’s everlasting dominion.

awful circumstances / excellent spirit

And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs… Daniel 1:9

Daniel was probably a eunuch, meaning that given his noble lineage (probably a part of the royal family in Judah in some way) and competency in training (due to his position in society), he would have been put to service in the Babylonian court. This meant he was probably castrated and made a royal slave/official. Why else would the court official, Ashpenaz, “chief eunuch”, be given charge over Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego (see Daniel 1:3-7)? This sheds a whole new light on his story, his service, and his ministry to both the Jewish captives in exile and the court of the king of Babylon. Daniel could have chosen to be a bitter and broken young man. Instead, he found favor and compassion with his captors. 

Daniel would be known in Babylon for having “an excellent spirit” (Daniel 5:12; 6:3). His life was a powerful testimony to God’s grace. A young man who had lost his homeland, family, future descendants, and even the physical ability to enjoy marriage or family nevertheless focused on being useful for God’s purposes in less than wonderful circumstances. His identity and hope did not rest in earthly categories of happiness. He was dedicated with excellence to the service of the Lord. In this way another prophet’s predictions that royal children would be made eunuchs in captivity and would find a promise grow would take root in Daniel as he would receive “a name better than sons and daughters” (Isaiah 33:7; 56:3-5).

tears as prayers

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My eyes will flow without ceasing,

without respite,

until the LORD from heaven

looks down and sees;

Lamentations 3:49-50

Jeremiah does not pretend that faith eliminates sorrows or silences our weeping tears. Instead, we see here that faithful suffering brings every cry into God’s presence. There will be seasons when our prayers seem to be more sighing than speaking, when the aching in our hearts squeezes out words and answers seem to never be coming. But in these verses we are reminded that our tears aren’t wasted. The Christian weeps with hope because the Lord sees perfectly, knows completely, and will act in His gracious wisdom and timing for our good and His glory.

Our greatest assurance is found in Jesus Christ, the Man of Sorrows, Who Himself wept, suffered, and cried out to the Father. At His cross, Jesus entered the deepest human grief so that those who trust Him would never suffer alone without purpose. Now that Jesus is risen and reigns, we can wait with confidence, knowing our Lord will certainly “look down and see” in the prefect sense, wiping away every tear and making all things new. Until that day, our tears can be prayers and our sorrow is an invitation to lean on God’s steadfast love. Our hope remains anchored in our Savior Who has promised to never leave or forsake His people!

the fire of His wrath

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He has cut down in fierce anger

all the might of Israel;

he has withdrawn from them his right hand

in the face of the enemy;

he has burned like a flaming fire in Jacob,

consuming all around.

Lamentations 2:3

His mighty arm withdrew His shield,

the hope of mercy hidden away.

Like blazing fire His anger reeled,

consuming all before its sway.

No corner stood without His flame,

no fortress held, no refuge stayed;

The proud and low treated the same,

as all beneath His judgment paid.

Who then shall stand before His face?

His holy justice burns so bright.

Our only hope is sovereign grace —

the cross where wrath gives way to light.

carrying our condemnation

My transgressions were bound into a yoke;

by his hand they were fastened together;

they were set upon my neck;

he caused my strength to fail;

the Lord gave me into the hands

of those whom I cannot withstand.​

Lamentations 1:14

Sin is not merely a collection of isolated failures. It is a crushing burden we will never throw off by our own efforts. Every selfish word, every act of pride, any thoughts of unbelief are all woven into a yoke that weighs us down before a holy and just God. We have tried to carry this burden ourselves by excusing sin, self-improvement efforts, and religious exertions only to find our strength failing. We forget that the gospel announces an exchange we could never broker on our own. Jesus Christ stepped willingly beneath the yoke by which we were self-bound. He bore the full weight of the guilt of our sins on the cross, endured the judgement we earned, carrying our condemnation so that we who trust Him might be forgiven and set free.

Father,

We confess we daily add to the burden of our transgressions. Our sins deserve judgment. Thank You that Jesus does not leave us to stagger under this impossible load. Thank You, Lord, for carrying our yoke to Calvary, where You satisfied justice and secured forever our peace once-for-all by Your death and resurrection. Teach us to abandon self-trust and to rest in Your finished work. Having thrown off our sinful yoke, rest upon us Christ’s easy yoke, as grateful disciples now walk in obedience until the day we see you face to face!

Amen