Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Saturday after Misericordias Domini

Posted on May 11, 2019 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: Ezekiel 34:23-31 (NKJV)


34:23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.


25 “I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’”


31 “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.


Devotion


Great David’s greater Son is the King after God’s own heart. Jesus is God’s beloved Son in whom He is well-pleased.


Ezekiel calls our Messianic King “My Servant, David!” We are called God’s “flock, the flock of My pasture!” How did we find ourselves in such a blessed relationship so that God says, “I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people”? It all comes down to the covenant of peace which God made with us. We were prey for the wild beasts. We were under the bonds of a yoke and had been enslaved. We were consumed with hunger. We could not bridge the gap, but the Father sent His beloved Son to take on human flesh and redeem us.


After His resurrection our Lord came to His disciples saying, “Peace be with you.” He showed them the nail prints on His hands and feet. Those wounds could not hold Him. “…and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.” Our Jesus has delivered all believers from “the sentence of death” (2 Cor. 1:9). The Lord has brought us into His land (the Church) so that we live in safety. We are free and we are fed by the fruits of the land. The pastoral office has been given the keys of the kingdom to forgive the sins of the repentant. We are God’s “garden of renown.”


We pray: Heavenly Father, we give You thanks for Your new covenant which bring us peace and forgiveness. Strengthen our faith in the Son of David, our Lord Jesus. Amen.


Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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