Have you worked for a bad boss? Have you known a company that seemed to have a revolving door of employees? Have you noticed there are some cities, states, and countries that people are leaving in droves? Have you taken time to consider why this is happening?
There are a variety of reasons for people to change jobs or move to different locations. But one of the most prominent is bad leadership in the workplace or the place where they live. People will stay at a place with good leadership, often working for less money.
The prophet Ezekiel is passing along God’s message to the leaders of Israel. God had seen that they were not following his commands and guidance while leading the nation. They were not doing what was best for the people under their leadership. They were being selfish, looking out for only themselves. God lists just a few of their failures and states these failures are the reason the people scattered to different locations.
Perhaps the most condemning accusation is the last one — they ruled harshly and with force. We might say they ruled with an iron fist. They squashed the people with demands. They used force to extract payment. They showed no care for the people other than as a source of revenue and forced labor.
God states he is against those types of leaders. He will remove them from their role as leaders. He will rescue the people from them. He equates it to rescuing a sheep from the mouth of a wolf. Though this promise came to Ezekiel nearly six-hundred years before Christ, it is a promise we can still hold on to today. God cares for his people and he will rescue them.
I pray we all recognize the bad leaders we encounter. I pray we know that God is against them. I pray each one of us trusts that God will rescue his people from bad leaders, including us. Recognize bad leaders. Trust God will rescue his people. Trust in God’s promises.
Ezekiel 34:4 You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.
Marty Pressey 