Day 250 (Ezekiel 34-36) - Year 4
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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Remember way back in 1 Samuel 8 when God had appointed Samuel as a prophet to lead Israel, and they were like, but all the other nations have a king. We want a king. God said, okay, but be careful what you wish for because it's not going to go well for you. And as we've seen in the 500 years since then, it hasn't. Their kings have mostly been terrible.

Today, God calls those wicked kings to account. He compares them to shepherds who have not looked over their flock. They've been selfish shepherds, using the wool and the meat of the sheep and surely the cheese too, because who doesn't love a good pecorino romano? But they haven't taken care of the sheep at all.

In his explanation of what the shepherds have done wrong, it becomes clear what God expects shepherds to do well. Strengthen the weak sheep, heal the sick ones, bind up the injured ones, bring back the strays, seek the lost ones, make sure they're all fed, protect them from attack, and rule over them with gentleness and grace. God says these shepherds not only ruled selfishly, but verse 4 says, "...with force and harshness you have ruled them."

They made life unnecessarily hard for the sheep. When God had actually provided Israel with more than enough for its kings to care for their people well. Since their leaders acted harshly and abdicated their responsibilities, the sheep scattered. And some of them were devoured by wild animals. God says he will hold the shepherds responsible for how they've treated the sheep, for how they failed in fulfilling their assignment. But God doesn't stop there. He's not just going to punish the shepherds. He's going to rescue the sheep.

He'll snatch some of them out of the mouths of the wild animals, and instead of being food, they'll be fed. God says he will seek them out. He'll separate out the sheep that are his, and he will care for them and bring them back into the land. He'll make them lie down in good pastures. Does that sound familiar? Maybe some echoes of Psalm 23 there? He will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak and feed them justice. This is what it looks like for the sheep when the Lord is their shepherd.

Kings will never provide us with everything we need. They will always fail us. But God has set up a good shepherd, a king from the line of David who will care for his sheep. And that eternal king handles things on an eternal level. He's our shepherd forever. He never abdicates his role.

Because of that, God says in verse 28 that his sheep shall dwell securely and none shall make them afraid. Again, we're reminded that God is actively engaged in driving out our fears by his presence. Then we move on to chapter 35, where Ezekiel prophesies against the people of Edom. God has already addressed Edom in chapter 25, but today he circles back around to them with, oh, and another thing, before listing like five more things they've done wrong that have resulted in his punishment of them.

He uses the word because a lot in this oracle. And here's a pro tip. When you're reading scripture, pay attention to the connecting words. Words like so and because and therefore. Because those words show us the connection between an action and a response. So they often help us understand the motive behind that response. God wants them to know why he's responding to them the way he is. So he uses a lot of becauses.

Here are the things God says Edom is guilty of. Always being hostile and not aiming for peace. Standing by idly as Israel fell into destruction. Being apathetic about death and murder. Aiming to take over the land of Judah and Israel after their downfall. Hating Israel and Judah. Celebrating their downfall. And magnifying themselves against God. That's a pretty terrible list. Though to be fair, I can't say I blame them for wanting to pack up and move to Israel when the opportunity presented itself.

God makes it clear that he doesn't punish people out of cruelty or because he likes to see them suffer. It always has a reason and he always wants them to know what the reason is. He doesn't want to hide it from them because if they don't know the why, they'll miss out on understanding who he is and what he's about, which, as we continue to see, is super important to him. He keeps saying, then they will know that I am the Lord. In fact, he says it three times in this short prophecy to Edom.

The first part of chapter 36 addresses the actual land of Israel. God says it may be emptied out now, and other nations, like Edom, think they're going to come in and possess it. That's ironic because they also think the land itself holds some kind of curse over the people who live in it. But God says, nope, this land isn't yours to take, it's mine, and I'm bringing my people back to live in my land and thrive there.

Based on how many times God says it, it seems pretty clear that the primary reason God is doing this is not because of Israel's goodness, duh, but because he wants his reputation and his character to be widely known. In verse 22, he says, It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name.

Sometimes it's hard for us to hear things like this. We like to think of ourselves as the center of God's universe. But think about how ill-fitting that would be. Wouldn't that set us up to be the point? Wouldn't that kind of theology be more like me-ology, human-centric instead of God-centric? God loves us for sure, that is absolutely clear. But before us, and through us, and with us, God's goal is the glory of God.

Loving us is one of the many ways that is displayed throughout creation, but He is the point. You and I aren't weighty enough to be the point. We worship God, not the other way around.

Then God uses 18 verbs to tell us how he will initiate, sustain, and fulfill his plan for restoration. He says,

I will deliver you from all your uncleanness. I will summon your food. I will make it abundant. I will keep you from famine. I will make fruit increase. There are three things I want to point out in this section. First, all of these verbs are future tense except for one. I gave the land to your fathers. He's reestablishing that nothing has changed. That's still their home, even though they don't live there anymore. Second, God makes it clear that he is the author of heart change and he is the author of obedience.

I've had open heart surgery, and there's zero chance I could ever perform it on myself. God says he will remove the heart of stone. He will give the heart of flesh. In biblical times, the perspective on the heart was that it wasn't just where your emotions came from, but where your will and your thoughts came from too. So God is saying he'll give them a new will and new desires. How will he do this?

He'll put his spirit in his kids, and he'll cause his kids to walk in his statutes and obey his rules. I can't make myself love God or obey him because I can't change my own heart or will, but he can. What a relief! And third, in verse 37, God says, Ask me for these things because it's a guaranteed yes. God wants to be asked even for things he has promised because it's about the relationship, not just about the outcome.

I had approximately 1 million God shots today, but here's my favorite. In 3611, he says, I will do more good to you than ever before. This is what he's saying to the people who are currently rebelling against him. Who is like that? Only Yahweh. Only the God who has always been good would look at a bunch of sinners and promise to be even better.

He's where the joy is. You guys have been at this for 250 days. That is worth celebrating and we want to celebrate with you. For September's bonus content, we have a special gift for our Patreon community. And if you're not in it, consider this your official invitation to join us.

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