Ezekiel 34:23-31 (NRSV)
God provides perfect pasture
I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.
I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely. I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their soil; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be plunder for the nations, nor shall the animals of the land devour them; they shall live in safety, and no one shall make them afraid. I will provide for them a splendid vegetation so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the insults of the nations. They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture and I am your God, says the Lord God.
Reflection
A promise of peace. God will remove the wild animals. All the threatening aspects of our life with God will be gone. We can look forward to living in peace with God, his people and his creation. It is a vision of unity and peace. It is a vision of salvation that only comes through or is achieved by the Messiah; salvation brought on by God not ourselves or our doings.
It's time to relax and listen to the Word of God and focus on what will be...Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Lord, I sense the peace and rest you bring. Only through you can the chaos be overcome. In creation...in life...in all --- you have created life and good out of chaos. Thanks! --- Amen
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