Old Testament - Ezekiel 33-34 - October 25, 2022

10/25/22 – Ezekiel 33 & 34

Chapter 33: I just read that the name Ezekiel means “God is strong” or “God will strengthen”—both are true!

The Lord made Ezekiel the Watchman for the Israelites…a watchman who raised the warning voice to save the souls of the people. “…whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning: if the sword come, and take him away his blood shall be upon this own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.” (33:4-5). 

The Watchman has a calling that he must carry out for the benefit of all others, as well as his own benefit. 33: 9-10 give some of the Lord’s instructions to His watchman: “…If thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou has delivered thy soul. Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel…” And v 13 is very interesting—as it tells just why we need to endure, steadfast, to the end: “When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity [footnote: iniquity means the apostasy of individuals] , all his righteousness shall not be remembered, but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.  And then in v 15-16 He tells us what will happen if the “wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life without committing iniquity; he shall surely live…None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.”

In v 17 the Lord notes that the Israelites often complain that ‘life’s not fair!’: “Yet the children of thy people say, The way of the Lord is not equal”. The Lord’s answer to that is in v’s 18-20: “When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby. But if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby. Yet ye say, the way of the Lord is not equal, O ye house of Isarel, I will judge you every one after his ways.”

V's 31-33 tell us to simply “Do it!”: “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as. a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that. A prophet hath been among them.”

Chapter 34: Once again I love the synopsis of the chapter: “The Lord reproves those shepherds who do not feed the flock—In the last days, the Lord will gather the lost sheep of Israel—The Messiah shall be their Shepheard—The Lord will make his gospel covenant with them.”

We are to help each other. The Lord says it this way: “…Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?..The diseased  have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” 

President Spencer W. Kimball, in a priesthood session of general conference, charged the present shepherds—priesthood leaders—of the kingdom to be concerned about the welfare of the flock: “As we read and study the scriptures, we are made conscious of the fact that the Savior has always been concerned about the welfare of the members of his flock, both individually and collectively. It is about that principle of caring for and ministering to the needs of the Church membership in these troubled days that I desire to speak to you brethren tonight. “Bishops and branch presidents, please be ever alert to the needs of the precious individuals and families who make up the membership of your wards and branches. You are the nurturing shepherds of our people. To the greatest extent possible, let your counselors and others who serve and work under your direction be the managers of programs. If you will pursue this emphasis, you will often be able to detect very early some of those members who have serious difficulties, while their challenges and problems are still small and manageable. Be conscious of the little tensions and problems you may see in families so that you can give the required attention, counsel, and love when it is most needed. An hour with a troubled boy or girl now may save him or her, and is infinitely better than the hundreds of hours spent in their later lives in the reclamation of a boy or girl if they become inactive. “As we have said so many times, delegate those tasks which others can do so that you are free to do those things which you, and you alone, can do. Home teachers are to help watch over the flock. Even though they don’t counsel as bishops and branch presidents do, home teachers can render much appropriate and preventive help under the direction of the quorum leaders and bishoprics. “Stake presidents, bishops, and branch presidents, please take a particular interest in improving the quality of teaching in the Church. The Savior has told us to feed his sheep (see John 21:15–17). I fear that all too often many of our members come to church, sit through a class or meeting, and they then return home having been largely uninformed. It is especially unfortunate when this happens at a time when they may be entering a period of stress, temptation, or crisis. We all need to be touched and nurtured by the Spirit, and effective teaching is one of the most important ways this can happen. We often do vigorous enlistment work to get members to come to church but then do not adequately watch over what they receive when they do come.”

In v 30-31 the Lord assures us of His love and attention to individually: “Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, area my people…And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God…”