The good book, the Holy Bible, never stops to fascinate: its eternal truths, its lucid language and wry humour. From age to age, the message remains the same and man is in parts, sometimes portrayed as a clown fooling around on his own stage.
The good book is particularly unsparing of some self-styled men of God: the chief priests, the prophets, the shepherds and the rulers. At every turn through many portions of the book, men of God are set up for especial tanning and savaging. Of course, it is the Lord himself speaking and laying down His statutes for those who elect to step forward and lead the flock.
Let’s pick one quick example from the book of the great prophet Ezekiel (chapter 34): “And the word of God came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherd feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who are sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost…So they were scattered because there was no shepherd;…”
And indeed Hardball would not deign to publish the stated repercussions for irresponsible shepherds but they are all there; all through the good book, the Author has laid down the terms of engagement quite clearly for those who have ears.
But as we have seen, especially in our country recently, our modern day leaders and shepherds do not only feed themselves, many seem to feed on the flock. They install themselves sole owners and near-gods and they make the flock worship them.
They do not only compete with kings, they live like emperors and create paradise of their own here on earth; completely repudiating the mansions above.
It is a stale story you might say, but just recently, a General Overseer of one of those churches just unveiled a customised Rolls Royce Phantom that would be worth no less than N50 million.
As the story goes, he turned 50 years and his flock considered it worthy to mark the GO’s golden age with this exquisite automobile, often the plaything of Hollywood stars and oil sheikhs. And why not, if it is good for worldly sheikhs it is even better for the GO, after all our God is not a poor God. Besides, what is a mere Rolls in an age big boy GOs cruise multiple private jets.
But the question is: if indeed the congregation raised this cash, where from? And does it not matter to the Man of God, whether such hefty cash was from graft or witchcraft?
Anyway, no matter, the author of the Good book who had long foretold such wayward behaviour as purchase of Rolls Royce and private jets by his ‘shepherds’ says that in due time, he would redeem his flock and judge those feeding on them. Yes, so He decreed.
