307. The Flock of God’s Pasture
Ezekiel 34:31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God.
The common Biblical metaphor of Shepherd and Sheep continues as the Lord promises that we shall be the Flock of His Pasture, and He will be our God. All of the pastoral, bucolic, peaceful, and tender loving care of a Good Shepherd describes in picture the nourishing and restful condition of the sheep of the flock of our Shepherd God. It informs us of the kind of relationship we have with out Lord Jesus Christ.
The green pastures to which He leads us to lie down and find comfort and rest describes our relationship in graphic terms. This is God’s pasture, not our own, not the world’s, and there is no greener pastures anywhere else than in Christ. The sheep are contented and happy in God’s pasture, and we do not, as is the sinners’ wont, want more. This contented, safe, nourishing and peaceful rest satisfies us fully. Sin and Satan tempt us through the world with more: more money, more fame, more power, and more pleasures. However, the world cannot fill the spiritual hunger and emptiness of the human spirit. There is no life in the world; life comes from God. “Greener pastures” are empty promises. We are already in the green pastures, and that is more than enough. When we are feeling a yearning, a craving, a wanting, we may turn to the gospel of Christ and receive everything we want and need in the Shepherd’s pasture.
We are God’s people, His flock, and He is our God. This is the essence of the covenant relationship we have with God through faith in Christ. Our God is in charge of our life, health, wellbeing, and provision of every good. There is no outside danger or inside turmoil that can defeat us, for the Lord, our Overcomer, is right next to us and in us. I could never find another flock for belonging, another pasture for pleasure, or another God for my good. Jesus is my Lord and my God.