When I read scripture, I am always struck how timeless it really is. Whether in the New or Old Testaments, we can always find something which will relate to what is going on in the world today. 

Let’s look at Ezekiel 34  (EZ:34).  EZ 34 tells us what happens when we have a lot of shepherds, shepherds who don’t care about the sheep, instead only caring about themselves, using the sheep for their own enrichment.

 

“Thus says the Lord God: Ho, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you you have ruled them.”  EZ 34: 2 – 4

Couldn’t we substitute the words politicians, musicians, actors, talk show hosts and even some sports stars for the word shepherds? Look at the latest “stars” out there setting examples for us, especially our young people, breaking many of the Ten Commandments and other moral teachings of God and Jesus. Having children out of wedlock, committing adultery, coveting other’s goods, committing violent acts against others and even worshiping false Gods or idols are all visibly practiced and even worshiped  We see all of this in the tabloids, the internet, even in television news programs; it’s all out there to influence everyone and anyone who cares to see it.

Then after these “shepherds” lead every one down the wrong path, they abandon them, as it says in Ezekiel  to “the wild beasts”. They take what they can from them, making their money, getting their power; yet do nothing to help any of the “Sheep”. They abandon the sheep.

Politicians, arguably the biggest offenders of all, want us to pay more taxes so we can help those “who can’t help themselves” yet they find every way possible to avoid paying their own taxes and are consistently the least likely to donate to charity. They continually expand the definition of who qualifies for help, who can’t help themselves, all the time taking from one group to support the ever increasing ranks of “the poor and needy”. Their answer is not to help them to learn to help themselves, but rather enabling them, giving money someone else has earned, money which they didn’t earn themselves.

Politicians feed themselves off the fat, they clothe themselves from the wool of others, and they don’t look after the sheep. They will tell us they are making the world a better place by helping the poor, the needy, but are they really or are they only making them more dependent?

Are we following the wrong shepherds? Are we being led down the wrong path? Look around. There is no morality, we kill each other, we lie, we cheat we steal, we kill babies without a second thought, I think the answer is obvious.