With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Key Verses:
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, 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 fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
(Ezekiel 34:1-10)
That is one of my favourite comic book quotes, what Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility". This rings true to anyone who is in a position of authority or leadership. As a leader, our responsibility is not, as the world seems to believe, to fatten our bank accounts, buy bigger homes, and add more to our portfolio, but to care for those that have been placed under our authority or leadership. We are to provide for their needs, to care for them, to look after them. Here in Ezekiel God is chastising the leaders of Israel for failing to care for their people both spiritually and physically. They were more concerned about their own selfish desires than the needs of those they claimed to serve. As a result, God tells them that they will lose their position and authority. We need to watch ourselves so that we do not allow ourselves to fall into that same trap. Like the leaders of Israel, if we are not good stewards of those that God has placed in our care then He may remove us from where we are.
The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord GOD: Ah, 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 fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them.
(Ezekiel 34:1-10)
That is one of my favourite comic book quotes, what Uncle Ben says to Peter Parker, "With great power comes great responsibility". This rings true to anyone who is in a position of authority or leadership. As a leader, our responsibility is not, as the world seems to believe, to fatten our bank accounts, buy bigger homes, and add more to our portfolio, but to care for those that have been placed under our authority or leadership. We are to provide for their needs, to care for them, to look after them. Here in Ezekiel God is chastising the leaders of Israel for failing to care for their people both spiritually and physically. They were more concerned about their own selfish desires than the needs of those they claimed to serve. As a result, God tells them that they will lose their position and authority. We need to watch ourselves so that we do not allow ourselves to fall into that same trap. Like the leaders of Israel, if we are not good stewards of those that God has placed in our care then He may remove us from where we are.