God's concern is not just whether the sheep are fed. It's whether there's anything left for the others as well.
The sheep in Ezekiel 34 aren’t starving or fighting over scraps. In fact, they have enough. Plenty, even. But after they eat, they trample what's left. And after they drink, they muddy the waters they leave behind.
The problem, then, for some of God's sheep, God's people, is not hunger, but carelessness or selfishness of others. Now, Ezekiel has already taken the religious leaders to task. But he doesn't stop there because sometimes, too, the problem in the flock is the flock.
So, let's think about this careless and selfish faith. It's the kind of attitude and presence that consumes space, it dominates conversations, and leaves little room for anyone else. To be sure, it doesn’t always come across as overly loud or aggressive. It's just that it has a need to be heard that drowns out everyone else’s voice.
As such, this faith doesn't have to destroy the field to make it unusable. You can do that by just trampling what you don’t even need. And then there’s the muddy water. The sheep drink the clear water first, but instead of leaving it for others, they stir it up so that what was once life-giving becomes dirty.
Unfortunately, this happens spiritually, too. When we complicate grace. When we turn our personal convictions into someone else's burdens. When we’ve received what we need from God, but make it harder for others to receive the same.
Ezekiel's words tell us that God notices this. God sees the ones trying to live off what’s been trampled and straining to drink from what’s been muddied. And it is not acceptable.
Because in God’s pasture, there is enough. But faith isn’t just about our receiving. Our willingness to make sure others can receive, too, matters to God.
Stay blessed...john
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