Throughout the Bible, the Lord often referred to His people as His “flock.” Yet they were “doomed to slaughter” (Zechariah 11:4), partly because of the neglect of the shepherds tasked with overseeing, protecting, and feeding His sheep.
One of these worthless shepherds is described in this way: “For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs” (Zechariah 11:16).
Though the sheep would certainly suffer because of the neglect and abuse by this shepherd, he would be held responsible by God for his actions. The Lord said, “Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered and his right eye will be blind” (Zechariah 11:17).
We may not be in the same position as this shepherd, but the principle applies to us. No matter what position we find ourselves in, we need to be committed to carrying out our duties to the best of our abilities rather than abandoning our place whenever it seems advantageous for us to do so.
So remember that we must not forsake our responsibilities. Whatever obligations we have, we need to fulfill them faithfully. While others will suffer for our failure, God will hold us accountable for not doing what we should have done.