Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Remember way back in 1 Samuel 8 when God had appointed Samuel as a prophet to lead Israel, and they were like,

But all the other nations have a king. We want a

king. God said, okay, but be careful what you wish for because it's not going to go well for you.

And as we've seen in the 500 years since then, it hasn't. Their kings have mostly been terrible.

Today God calls those wicked kings to account. He compares them to shepherds who have not looked over

their flock. They've been selfish shepherds, using the wool and the meat of the sheep and surely

the cheese too, because who doesn't love a good pecorino Romano? But they haven't taken care of the sheep

at all. In his explanation of what the shepherds have done wrong, it becomes clear what God expects

shepherds to do well. Strengthen the weak sheep, heal the sick ones, bind up the injured ones,

bring back the strays, seek the lost ones, make sure they're all fed, protect them from

attack, and rule over them with gentleness and grace. God says these shepherds not only ruled selfishly, but verse four says,

with force and harshness you have ruled them. They made life unnecessarily hard for the sheep,

when God had actually provided Israel with more than enough for its kings to care for their people

well. Since their leaders acted harshly and abdicated their responsibilities,

the sheep scattered, and some of them were devoured by wild animals. God says he will hold the shepherds

responsible for how they've treated the sheep, for how they've failed in fulfilling their assignment.

But God doesn't stop there. He's not just going to punish the shepherds. He's going to rescue the sheep.

He'll snatch some of them out of the mouths of the wild animals, and instead of being food,

they'll be fed. God says he will seek them out. He'll separate out the sheep that are his,

and he will care for them and bring them back into the land. He'll make them lie down in good

pastures. Does that sound familiar? Maybe some

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