Daily Verse
Friday, June 5, 2026
Godly Leadership
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Friday's Reflection
Ezekiel 34:2 — Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
God is angry in this passage. He is confronting the leaders of Israel who have used their position to benefit themselves while the people they were supposed to care for scattered, got sick, and were preyed upon by enemies. He goes through the list of what the shepherds failed to do — they did not strengthen the weak, heal the sick, bind up the injured, bring back the strayed, or seek the lost. They ruled harshly. And the result was that the flock was scattered across every mountain and hill, and no one went looking for them.
This is a description of leadership failure that is painfully recognizable. Leaders who use their position to accumulate comfort, status, or resources while those in their care go without what they need — this is not a rare failure. It is a common one. The person who leads a team and takes credit for the team's work. The parent who is present in body but absent in attention. The pastor who builds a platform while the congregation goes unvisited and uncared for. God's word to all of them is the same: woe. Not a mild disappointment. A declaration of judgment.
But the passage does not end in judgment. God says: since the shepherds have failed, I will search for my sheep myself. I will seek the lost, bind up the broken, strengthen the sick. I will be their shepherd. This is one of the most direct Old Testament anticipations of Jesus, who called Himself the Good Shepherd and said He came to seek and save the lost. The standard God holds up for human leaders is the standard He Himself meets perfectly in Christ. We lead best when we lead most like Him.
Prayer: Lord, show us where we have fed ourselves while those in our care have gone without. Give us the Good Shepherd's heart — that goes after the one who is lost, binds up the one who is broken, and strengthens the one who is weak. Amen.