Welcome to a year in the Bible with Daily Grace.

This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study Christ and all of Scripture.

Each week we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New,

seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are

hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present

throughout the entire biblical story, but the center of it. Hey everyone, welcome back to the year in the

Bible. I'm Alexa, and I'm here with my co-host Beth. Hey friends, today we're going to

be going deeper into the passage that we annotated yesterday, Ezekiel 34, 7 through 16. So to start

us off, Alexa, can you share with us how this passage fits into the story of scripture? Yes,

we have been discussing different prophetic books for a bit now. Last week we are in Jeremiah,

and this week we are in Ezekiel. God's people are in exile, and God commissions a man who

was also a priest, Ezekiel, to speak to the Israelites who are being stubborn and hard-hearted.

Ezekiel will speak God's words to the people, calling them to repent from their sins and walk in obedience to God.

The Israelites were struggling in their obedience to God, but they also had leaders over them who were failing to take care of them as they should.

They aren't caring for Israel's physical and spiritual needs. Instead, they are taking advantage of Israel for their own selfish gain. And that's the situation we see being talked about in Ezekiel 34. Reread in Ezekiel 34, 2 through 6 that God speaks these words to the shepherds.

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves shouldn't the shepherds feed their flock

you eat the fat wear the wool and butcher the fat and animals but you do not tend the flock

you have not strengthened the weak healed the sick banished the injured brought back the strays or sought the lost

instead you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd.

They became food for all the wild animals when they were scattered.

My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.

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