Ezkiel 34:25-31

We pray that You, God, will bless America the land that we all love! May we learn to live in peace and give dignity and respect to ALL of her people. Peace, His peace He gives to us, not in the ways of the world, but in the depths of our spirit.

Shepherds Throughout the Bible, the image of the shepherd is very important. From David, the shepherd boy who became the first king of Israel, to Jesus Christ, who said of Himself, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11), the shepherd represents one who loves and cares for his flock just as a leader or ruler cares for those under his charge.

Some characteristics of a good shepherd include feeding the flock, tending the weak and sick, searching for the lost, guiding with love, gathering and protecting the sheep, and giving one’s best to them. On the other hand, a bad shepherd is more concerned about feeding himself, worrying about his own health, guiding with a heavy hand, abandoning or scattering his flock, and keeping the best for himself.

The exiles were encouraged through this promise of a covenant of peace, characterized by these promises: (1) security from foreign aggressor nations, the wild beasts; (2) showers of blessing, meaning productivity and prosperity; and (3) the certainty that the Lord is Israel’s God and desires reunion with His people and a lasting relationship built on a new covenant.

Ezekiel 34:25-31

²⁵ “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. ²⁷ Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹ I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. ³⁰ Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’ ” 
³¹ “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.