“As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock” (Ezekiel 34:8)
Sheep without a shepherd are “dead meat.” Likewise, human beings without the oversight of God’s Spirit are the easy prey of wicked men and devils.
The good shepherd cares for the sheep. His chief interest is their welfare, not his own. Not so, the false shepherd. He is interested in what he can get out of the sheep. False shepherds pretend to care; but in the end they have one goal in mind: to feed their own belly. They are adept at leading the simple astray. “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.” (Rom. 16:18)
Predators are manipulative. They know how to take advantage of the deepest desires of their victims. They lie in wait to deceive. They lay a trap laden with the most attractive bait; but once they have bagged their prey, the fangs come out. No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Jesus has one remedy to avoid becoming dead meat. You must hear His voice.
Jesus has one remedy to avoid becoming dead meat. You must hear His voice. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27,28) The Good Shepherd doesn’t tickle our ears. He doesn’t tell us what we want to hear; He tells us what we need to hear. He never steers us wrong; He always leads us in paths of righteousness. The path of His choosing often seems to lead us further away from obtaining our heart’s desire; but it is a path of life, not death.
When Jesus becomes our Lord, we are no longer to operate as we once did: simply according to our own thoughts and desires. The Lord is with us. We are not alone. We are no longer sheep without a shepherd. Our one responsibility: diligently seek to hear and follow the Shepherd’s voice. Don’t move in your own mind, according to your own desires. Give God the opportunity to lead you aright. In gaining His counsel, you will disappoint the wolf; but you will abide in the life that Christ came to abundantly give you.