Shepherds in the night
Just finished reading a really good post over at Herescope.
Funny how it was only last night that I was thinking about the bad shepherds in Ezekiel…
Eze 34:5-10 And they were scattered for lack of a shepherd. And they became food to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep strayed through all the mountains and on every high hill. And My sheep were scattered on all the face of the earth, and none searched, and none sought for them. For this reason, shepherds, hear the Word of Jehovah: As I live, declares the Lord Jehovah, surely because My sheep became a prey, and My sheep became food for all the beasts of the field, from not having a shepherd, and because My shepherds did not search for My sheep, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed the flock, so, O shepherds, hear the Word of Jehovah: So says the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My sheep from their hand and cause them to cease from pasturing the sheep. And the shepherds shall no longer feed themselves, for I will deliver My sheep from their mouth, and they will not be food to devour.
Then I happened upon the post by Herescope which speaks about the shepherds during the night watch…
Today, we live in a time when there are many slumbering shepherds who are not abiding in the fields faithfully, nor are they keeping watch over their flock by night. Particularly in these dark days of great growing spiritual apostasy, so many shepherds have become complacent, reticent, apathetic and drowsy.
Night time in scripture always means tribulation. This post has a good midrashic understanding of symbolism and imagery. There is a heavy use of night time imagery, fire imagery, and leaven imagery in this excellent article. A must read!
After reading this post I read Hosea chapters 4 and 7. Those chapters are of uptmost importance for the Church today. These particular chapters speak about the sin in the land of Israel; this is being recapitulated in the church. Why? Because it is not so different today as she compromises the Word of Truth as she engages with our pluralistic culture/society and pretty much beds it. She has become the adulterer, and there are temple prostitutes within her walls. Chris Elrod has the right balance when it comes to addressing today’s culture.
The Church has been called out of any given culture throughout her history…
Church - ekklēsia
ek-klay-see’-ah
From a compound of G1537 and a derivative of G2564; a calling out, that is, (concretely) a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation (Jewish synagogue, or Christian community of members on earth or saints in heaven or both): - assembly, church.
In Hosea 7 the leaven is left unchecked and then inside the oven over night the cake becomes a fire that destroys, the baker did not keep watch during the nigh. There is a sense of a bad mix in the bread, a little leaven [sin] leavens the whole lump…
Hos 7:4-8 They are all adulterers, like an oven heated by the baker; he ceases from stirring, from kneading the dough until it is leavened. In the day of our king, the rulers have sickened themselves with the heat of wine. He stretches out his hand with scorners. For they have brought their heart near like an oven, while they lie in wait. Their baker sleeps all night; in the morning it burns like a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and devour their judges. All their kings have fallen; not one among them calls to Me. Ephraim mixed himself among the peoples. Ephraim is a cake not turned.
