Shepherd

 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 34:14 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/ezk.34.14.ESV

In context, God has used the metaphor of sheep for His people, and described their leaders as shoddy shepherds. God isn't just someone who snipes from the sidelines at how rubbish we are. Instead, He comes down to earth, and gets His hands dirty to deliver us.

God's self designation as a shepherd seems almost blasphemous. Shepherds are dirty, humble people. Yet God isn't ashamed to describe Himself as our Good Shepherd.

We have a choice as humans. We can either have God as our Shepherd, or death. With God as Shepherd, we enjoy eternal life. With death as shepherd we only have hell to anticipate.

By default, death is our shepherd. Like lost sheep, we need to cry out to God to find us and to bring us into His flock. Jesus might have been sent to the lost sheep of Israel, but He sent His followers out into the world to bring in the strays.

'Good Shepherd of our souls, we thank You for not just shepherding Jews, but even Gentiles as Your people, united by faith in You. May You gather many more strays in, for Your glory, amen'

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