WEEK 3 | FEED
Sheep need to be fed. While many animals are highly resourceful and capable of fending for themselves, sheep require a ready supply of food. Sheep don’t hunt, they don’t track down their food, they don’t store up food supplies. Sheep graze, which means that in order to be fed, sheep must be led to green pastures. They need to be brought to the food, or the food needs to be brought to them. A good shepherd, then, ensures that her sheep have the food they need.
Notice that this is an active task. It’s different than sitting back and “keeping an eye” on the flock. If a shepherd is going to function as a shepherd, finding food for the sheep must be a constant pursuit.
The Selfish Shepherds of Israel
In the remainder of our sessions, we will focus on one portion of Scripture: Ezekiel 34. In this passage, God sent a rebuke through the prophet Ezekiel to the leaders of Israel. These leaders were supposed to be shepherds to God’s people. They were tasked with caring for the people, guiding them, feeding them, gathering them, etc. Instead, these “shepherds” were using their position as a means of gain. In addressing what these spiritual shepherds were supposed to have been doing, Ezekiel reveals God’s heart for shepherds. In each of the remaining sessions, we will focus on a different aspect of shepherding highlighted in Ezekiel 34.
>> TAKE A MINUTE RIGHT NOW TO READ EZEKIEL 34:1–10 SLOWLY AND REFLECTIVELY. <<
Feeding on the Word of God
God rebuked the so-called “shepherds” of Israel because they failed in their responsibility to feed the sheep. This negative warning reminds us of an essential responsibility of every shepherd: Sheep need to be fed.
In the same way, God’s people need God’s Word. It’s that simple. The Bible is filled with calls to “hear the Word of the Lord.” Throughout Scripture, God’s people are those who hear God’s words and respond accordingly.
At a certain point in Jesus’ ministry, “many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him” (John 6:66). Huge crowds were initially attracted to Jesus as a powerful teacher and a miracle worker. But most people eventually found Jesus’ specific commands too difficult to follow, so they lost interest and wandered away. At this point, Jesus turned to his twelve disciples and asked if they wanted to leave as well. Peter’s response is a great reminder of something we believe deeply: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v. 68).
We would be lost without God’s Word. We would dry up without it.
In warning about the divine judgment coming upon the nation of Israel, Amos delivered a terrifying prophecy:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the LORD.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD,
but they shall not find it.” (Amos 8:11–12, emphasis added)
Many books and movies take us through a post-apocalyptic version of our world: What would life be like after some disaster completely altered our state of life? Some feature zombies, others show a shortage of food and water. In many of these accounts, resources are scarce, and people search desperately for and assign high value to commodities that we now take for granted. Amos’ prophecy fits this genre, but the scarcity he predicts is a famine of the Word of God. People will run back and forth, they will search everywhere, desperate to hear a word from their Maker. But they will come up empty handed. How could we live in a world where no one was able to hear the voice of God?
QUESTIONS | REFLECTION
1. Why is it such a terrifying thought to be cut off from hearing God’s Word?
That terrifying image underscores the importance of regular feeding on God’s Word. If experiencing a “famine” of God’s Word is painted as a horror story in the Bible, then why would we ever cut ourselves off from it? The odd twist is that many of us create this famine for ourselves. We all have instant access to God’s Word, yet we often choose to live in famine conditions. We can converse with God in prayer, but we don’t make prayer a priority. As shepherds, one of our primary responsibilities is to end this famine in the lives of our sheep. We ensure that they have the food they need. We lead them to the green pastures, we provide a steady diet of the food they truly need.
QUESTIONS | REFLECTION
2. Have you ever lived under a “famine” of God’s Word (whether because no one was teaching you God’s Word or because you chose to cut yourself off from regular exposure to the Bible or because you weren’t listening to God in prayer)? If so, what effects did you see in your life?
The Word of God Is Powerful
We often underestimate the power of God’s Word. In these times, we can be tempted to veer away from Scripture and begin feeding the flock our own opinions. This temptation is natural, but we must avoid it at all costs. You are certainly entitled to your opinions, and they are probably insightful and well-researched. There is much that people can gain from discussing various viewpoints on so many subjects. But we can never forget that God’s words belong in a different category from our own. Your own opinions will never be satisfying food for the sheep, they could never carry the power that flows through the Word of God. They need to hear God’s voice, not yours. Your voice must be used in service to God, speaking his words as often as you can.
Paul reminded Timothy that Scripture is “breathed out by God” and is profitable for all types of ministry, for the purpose of making us “competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). So if we want to grow, if we want to become the mature, God-pleasing people he intends us to be, then we need the Scriptures. Of course these words are profitable! They come directly out of the mouth of God!
Perhaps the most powerful declaration of God’s Word comes in Isaiah 55:10–11:
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
When God speaks, things happen. When God speaks, we had better be listening. This power cannot be counterfeited. If we want access to power like this, we need to be feeding on the Word of God.
QUESTIONS | REFLECTION
3. What is so powerful about God’s Word?
The Problem: Shepherds Who Eat But Don’t Feed
In Ezekiel 34, God asked the shepherds of Israel rhetorically, “Should not shepherds feed the sheep?” They, of course, knew the right answer, but these “shepherds” had actually been feeding themselves (v. 2). Actually, it’s worse than that. God said, “I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them” (v. 10). The “shepherds” had been feeding themselves, but what had they been eating? As it turns out, these “shepherds” had been devouring their own sheep. A shepherd is there to care for her sheep. In this case, the shepherds turned from caretakers to predators: the sheep became food for the shepherds.
Many shepherds in the church today use the sheep as a way to gain prestige. Being a leader generates respect. People think highly of you if you “rise to power.” Many church leaders let their position go to their heads and turn an opportunity to serve into a platform for power and prestige. This has actually been a major problem throughout church history. Beginning soon after 300 AD, positions of church leadership were so highly esteemed that people would pay huge sums of money to attain an official church position. (This practice was known as “simony”—named after Simon the magician in Acts 8, who tried to purchase the Holy Spirit from the apostles.) This led to widespread corruption in the church, because positions of humble servitude were transformed into seats of power where so-called “shepherds” began to demand respect, service, and inevitably, money.
You’re probably not interested in shepherding because you’re hoping to get rich (if so, the joke’s on you!). But it’s easy to forget what a shepherd is meant to be. When people begin to see you as a leader, the temptation can be strong to see yourself as prestigious. You can quickly begin to pursue more respect. You long for the affirmation of the people you’re leading and of the people who see you leading others. This is all but inevitable. If it hasn’t happened to you already, the day will likely come when you crave the title of “leader,” when you want to be seen as a leader, when you stop looking for ways to serve the people around you and begin exploring ways the sheep can be advantageous to you. When this temptation arises, listen again to Ezekiel’s warning with fresh ears.
QUESTIONS | REFLECTION
4. Have you seen examples of “shepherds” trying to lead people for their own personal gain? What does this look like?
5. Can you think of any times in your life when your motivations for leading people have become skewed? How so?
6. How would you be able to tell if you began to shift from being a shepherd who feeds the sheep to a shepherd who uses the sheep?
The Call: Devote Yourself to Feeding God’s Flock
When Jesus was betrayed, all of his followers abandoned him. Peter famously denied knowing Jesus three times. It’s significant that when Jesus restored Peter, calling him back into his role as a shepherd, Jesus gave Peter a simple charge: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15–17).
This is an essential commitment. There is a sense in which this calling to feed the sheep is all-consuming. Paul gives Timothy a demanding commission:
Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:11–16, emphasis added)
Paul is essentially calling Timothy to feed the sheep. Notice that it requires an all-encompassing commitment. Not only is he called to teach the Word of God, he’s called to model it as well, setting an example for the sheep to follow. Paul uses strong verbs here: devote, practice, immerse, watch closely, persist. This matters.
We will never be perfect shepherds in this life. No teacher is perfect. Our feeding of the sheep will always be lacking in some respect. And that’s okay. God is the one who chose to use us as shepherds, knowing full well that we are sheep ourselves. But feeding the sheep is a significant responsibility that God has entrusted to us. It requires devotion. The sheep need God’s Word in order to thrive. And thankfully, when we immerse ourselves in Scripture to feed the sheep, we find that we are being fed as well.
QUESTIONS | REFLECTION
7. As a leader in the church, what are some ways you can ensure that you are feeding people God’s Word? (Think of the more obvious answers as well as creative approaches.)
8. Keeping in mind the material in the previous session, how can you ensure that you will continue feeding on God’s Word (as a sheep under the care of the Good Shepherd) even as you feed the sheep God has placed under your care?
9. How would you say you most need to grow in regard to feeding the sheep? (Or, if you’re new to leading in this capacity, what do you anticipate will be your greatest challenges?)