The Substance of Hope - Ezekiel 34:23-31

Introduction

In 1957 Harvard psychologist, Dr. Curt Richter, studied the role that hope played in perseverance. He took a dozen rats or so, and he placed them in jars of water to see how long they could last. He discovered that, on average, they could tread water for about 15 minutes before they began to succumb to drowning. So, he did a second round of tests where he rescued the rats before they drowned to introduce hope. He’d let them swim for the 15 minutes or so it would take for them to be distressed. Then, he’d rescue them and let them rest for a few minutes. And, do you know how long they were able to tread water, on average, after he placed them back in the water jars? Not 30 minutes. Not 60 minutes. But, 60 hours!

Now, this is a reminder of why we’re all looking for hope. We’re looking for a reason to keep going. But, what some of you have found is that there is nothing more hopeless than realizing you’ve been living by false hope. You kept hoping, and you kept persevering, but then, one day, you came to the realization that you were waiting for a rescue that was never going to come. We may trust that children will make our lives better, but they make it harder. We trust that graduating or getting the promotion will help us to feel accomplished, but we still feel like an imposter. It’s as though the very hopes we had have turned on us. And now, how do we keep going?

God’s Word

A major plot line in the ministry of Ezekiel is for God to finally prove how misdirected the hope of Israel has been. Through Isaiah and Jeremiah and the minor prophets, God had continually sought to call his people away from their false hopes and to himself. But, they kept trusting in their swords and treaties and idols to give them what God had already promised them. And now, their false hopes have turned on them. So, God has allowed to Israel to see how hopeless their false hopes are so that they can realize that their hope is only as good as his substance. He wants them to see The Substance of Real Hope: (Headline)

Our “Shepherd” has “come.”

A few years ago, at the height of political turmoil in our country, an Alabama woman was interviewed. She explained that she no longer watched the news and was only concerned with what God was about to do. Alluding to the Jesus’ Olivet Discourse, she said, “We’re about to enter a time when God will separate the sheep from the goats.” And, the reporter asked her, “Well, which are you?” She said, “I’m a goat because I’ll never be a sheep. I’m a goat that will fight back.”

Apart from what that says about how we know our politics better than our Bibles, it’s a reminder that when the Bible calls us a flock of sheep that it’s not the most flattering of comparisons. Sheep are pretty dumb, and they’re defenseless against predators. They’re totally dependent on the provision and protection of a shepherd. But, the Bible is teaching us that if we have a good Shepherd, then being a sheep is a pretty good life. There’s nothing to worry about and nothing to fix. You’re taken care of. So, that’s what Ezekiel is saying about life in the New Covenant. We will have a Shepherd and....

He is “good.”

Ezekiel 34:23–24 “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

Ezekiel 34 is all about the shepherds that have been in light of the Shepherd that will be. “Shepherd” is word used throughout the Bible, and the ancient Near East, to refer to both political and spiritual leaders. So, it can refer to kings and priests. And, God starts off the chapter by saying that the reason that they’re in such bad shape is because they’ve had such bad shepherds. Their shepherds don’t feed the flock; they feed on the flock. Their shepherds aren’t holding the flock together; they’re scattering the flock. So, God says throughout chapter 34, God says, “I myself” will come to shepherd them.

So, there’s a lot of tension that emerges at the end chapter 34. After God says that He himself will come as Shepherd, He seems to change his mind. He says, “My servant David” will come. So, is it going to be God or is it going to be David? The tension gets thicker yet. You see, the bad shepherds had largely come from the line of David. And as a result, God had destroyed them. Zedekiah was the final king of the Davidic line had been set up as a puppet king by Babylon. But, he attempted to escape, he was captured, brought to Neb, his sons were brought before him, and slaughtered before his eyes. And, then his eyes were put out and he was put in chains and taken to Babylon where he lingered long and he died, so that the last thing he ever saw with his eyes was the end of the line of David.

Let’s summarize the tension. God says that He will come to be their Shepherd, but then He says that He’ll send his servant David. Which one? God had made a promise to David that his line would endure forever, but Babylon killed the king and every heir. How?

This is the tension you have to understand if you’re going to love every syllable of John 10. This is the tension you have to understand if you want to know why the Jews wanted to crucify Jesus. He says, “I am the good Shepherd!” That is, “I am the Son of David.” Through Jesus, God keeps his promise to David. And, “I AM the Son of God. I and the Father are one!” Through Jesus, God proves that He has come to Shepherd us himself. After all, you remember the conclusion of the Pharisees in John 10, don’t you? “Blasphemy!” This man is saying He’s God!

You see, the substance of our hope is not just a bunch of myths and stories that have been passed down. And, the substance of our hope is in a God that has proven He will come to us and rescue us from our drowning.

That is, Jesus is the proof that our God is good and our hope is substantial.

He is the “proof.”

He is the proof that God’s promises are sure. God has said my life will be used for good, but it doesn’t feel good. God’s promises to me appear in peril. Didn’t God’s promise to David look that way? But, Jesus came because God is good. Jesus is the proof that we can in those promises. He is the proof that we are safe. Sometimes, it feels like God has forgotten me. I feel like an oversight in the flock of God. It feels like my whole world is crashing in and can’t see God anywhere. Oh, this isn’t true! Your Shepherd so loves and knows you that He laid down his life for you. Jesus came because God is good.

Jesus has proven that He is a good Shepherd, and so, at the same time, He’s proven our hope is substantial. And, that’s how we keep going. I can face down my fear because my Shepherd WILL protect me. I can live boldly for God without all the answers because my shepherd WILL provide for me. I can keep going because my shepherd WILL never lose me.

Our “peace” is “secure.”

One of the verses I’ve heard quoted most, and right so, is: John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” But, have you ever wondered exactly who the “thief” is that Jesus is referring to? Ezekiel 34 shows us. It’s all the leaders and kings and priests and false prophets that sought to prey upon God’s flock like a wolf. They feed on the sheep rather than feeding the sheep. So, the flock can never really rest. They aren’t sure if they have a shepherd or a wolf just pretending to be one.

I’ve know what the insecurity feels like. A short time before his passing, I learned that the man that I most considered to be my mentor in ministry was guilty of egregious predatory behavior. It makes you feel so insecure, so uncertain that you can trust what you’ve believed. But, in John 10:10, Jesus is saying that life with him will be very different. We’ll be able to actually rest because we’ll be absolutely certain that our Shepherd is really good. The “abundant life” of John means that...

Our peace is “comprehensive.”

Ezekiel 34:25–29 ““I will make with them a covfenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.”

Ezekiel was old enough to have heard Jeremiah preach, and it appears that what we have in verses 25-29 are a meditation upon the New Covenant and what life will be like. So, He’s thinking of the reign of the Messianic King when He says that it will be a “covenant of peace.” The word for “peace” is probably one you’ve heard before, “shalom.” It’s more than just a lack of conflict. It means total wellbeing and optimum human flourishing. It means that the design of God for us is being completely realized and the effects of sin are being completely reversed. It’s an “abundant life.”

So, it’s comprehensive. It means we’ll be safe. He’ll “banish wild beasts.” You won’t be worried about stepping on a copperhead or the threats of tornados wiping out your life’s work. There will be no house fires or radiation treatment. The creation will be tamed. We’ll be prosperous. There will be “showers of blessings” and the “earth shall yield its increase.” There will be no economic sanctions or crippling inflation. There will be no hungry children or third world countries. There will be no scraping by or doing without. His reign will be described by excess. We’ll be free. We will “no more be a prey to the nations.” We won’t worry about planes flying into buildings. We won’t worry about our own countrymen turning on us because of our love for God. There will be no need for a nuclear arsenal or a second amendment.

You see, there is no area of our lives that will go untransformed in Jesus’ Kingdom. It will transform our relationship with his creation, our relationship with work, and our relationships with one another. That is, there is no enemy of your peace that won’t be completely overcome. And, here’s what it means to live by faith, to live as people of hope: We live like it’s already been accomplished. Because, brothers and sisters, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Your peace has already been purchased. It has already been proven. And, that means...

Our peace is “irrevocable.”

Ezekiel 34:25–29 ““I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land, so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. And the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase, and they shall be secure in their land. And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations.”

Insecure peace isn’t peace at all. Peace is only peaceful when it can’t be threatened. That’s why so much of our peace doesn’t seem to take. So, three times, Ezekiel thinks on the “covenant of peace,” and it has says it will be “secure.” Meditating upon this Ezekiel recognizes what’s so different about this and where he’s living, and where we’re living.The curse will be “banished.” The suffering will be “no more” and “no longer.” A PERMANENT CONDITION OF TOTAL SECURITY.

I want you to think of how Jesus summarizes this in John 10 when he talks about he security of the flock when He’s shepherd: John 10:27–28 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.”

Jesus’ grip on you is the substance of your hope in him. Every other hope requires you to cling to it. Only our hope says He’ll cling to us instead. Sometimes, when my peace doesn’t feel very peaceful, I lay down flat on the ground and imagine myself laying in the hand of Jesus. I physically want to redirect my attention away from problems and my worries to what is actually true. And, do you know what is truer than your cancer? Do you know what is truer than your job search? Do you know what is truer than your divorce or your addiction? If you recognize the voice of Jesus, you are clinched in his hand. Nothing can separate you. Your peace is secure now and secure forever. You have peaceful, comprehensive, irrevocable peace. Jesus’ grip on you

Our “knowledge” is “personal.”

One of the charges that’s being leveled against the evil shepherds of Israel is that they have “scattered” the sheep, meaning they’ve led them to exile. God says, “the strayed you have not brought back.” (34:4) It should bring to our minds the parable that Jesus teaches in Luke 15, a parable that teaches us the kind of Shepherd that Jesus. Jesus says that if a shepherd — a real shepherd, not an imposter — has 100 sheep and loses one, he will leave the 99 for a time to run after the one. Think of how beautiful that is. A good shepherd knows how many sheep He has. A good shepherd keeps up with each one. A good shepherd notices when one falls away. A good shepherd has no acceptable losses.

That’s who Jesus is. Jesus knows his flock. God isn’t looking down upon his creation as though it were an ant bed of faceless insects. No, He knows us. He knows our faces. He knows our travails. And, He knows us because He’s “with us.” And, that means that we know Him, too, and...

We “know” the “real” him.

Ezekiel 34:30–31 “And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.””

There’s a two-way knowledge between God and his people. The phrase in verse 30 “They shall know that I am the Lord their God” occurs 50 times in Ezekiel. It’s one of the main themes of the book because it is the single greatest reality of the New Covenant. And, it’s not mere intellectual knowledge. It’s experiential, relational knowledge. You see, that’s what separates God’s people from the demons. The demons believe in God and tremble, James says. They don’t know his love. They don’t know him experientially. That’s why Jesus summarizes this in John 10 by saying John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

The flock knows their shepherd and are comforted by his voice because they’ve experienced his kindness and his protection. Their hope in him has substance. It’s one thing to know that honey is sweet, but it’s another to taste it’s sweetness. It’s one thing to know that a fire is hot, but it’s another thing to thaw your feet by it’s flame. It’s one thing to know that your dad ought to protect you, but it’s another to see him step in front of the threat. It’s one thing to know that you can trust your wife, but it’s another when you’ve experienced her tenderness during your worst and lowest.

Do you know his voice? Are you comforted by the voice of your shepherd? Do you know the real Jesus, not like the demons, but as his flock?

Because if we do, we’ll get to enjoy the full him forever.

We “enjoy” the “full” him.

Ezekiel 34:30–31 “And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.””

Where will God’s flock live? We’ll live “with” God. We’ll stay in his pastures. Psalm 23 says that the Lord, as our Shepherd, will make us lie down in his pastures. Do you know when sheep lie down? They lie down when they don’t have anything to worry about. They don’t have to avoid a threat. They don’t have to find another meal. They are content.

Home is supposed to be our safest place. I know some of you haven’t experienced that, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. You go home, and you’re loved regardless of how well you performed at work. You go home and your noticed, regardless of how forgettable the world finds you to be. The shyest person should be comfortable at home. The quietest person should find their voice at home. Home is a place we’re meant to enjoy and become our full selves.

Over the last ten years, I’ve told you as often as the text will allow that this is not your home. We shouldn’t get too comfortable here. But, this morning, I don’t want you to focus on the fact that this isn’t your home. I want you to focus on the fact that you, as God’s flock, are the only ones who really have a home. And, your home is “with” God. Your home is in his pastures. This very moment, the Spirit of God is saying to your spirit what you’ll know forever. You are with God and God is with you. You aren’t forgotten by him. You aren’t lost on him. So, even if you’re exiled in Babylon or abandoned by your husband or lose your job and your house, you can live with the substantial hope that you have a home that is safe. And, you’ll be there soon. Lie down in God’s pasture, and enjoy the hope He provides.