Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel 34 ESV

1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; 6 they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them. 7 “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As I live, declares the Lord God, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my sheep at their hand and put a stop to their feeding the sheep. No longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, that they may not be food for them. 11 “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. 17 “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? 19 And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet? 20 “Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, 22 I will rescue my flock; they shall no longer be a prey. And I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 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. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken. 25 “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. 26 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. 27 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. 28 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. 29 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. 30 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. 31 And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God.”

ezekiel begins here with the shepherds of Israel

commonly referring to the leaders of Israel

these leaders were to be strong and caring

Ezekiel like many other chapters is charged to list their sins

Starting with the selfish nature

The leaders of Israel were serving themselves

they had put their own interests above the people

They had been profiting monetarily

they viewed the sheep as a flock to exploit for personal gain

We also see in verse 4

they were extremely harsh to the sheep

the leaders of Israel were harsh and brutal leaders

they did not gently nurture by any means

They constantly beat the flock and exploited them for personal gain

The third error

their disregard for the people

Not only had they exploited and been brutal leaders

they had also did not look out for them

they let them scatter abroad

The shepherds were there to keep them away from enemies

they were to keep the nation safe

This error likely refers to the literal scattering of Israel across the nations of Babylon and Assyria

The very role of the shepherd was to herd the flock

Sheep herder

keep the flock together

keep the flock safe

These leaders had not done this at all

they had completely neglected their task

the sheep were scattered

for their failing to lead the sheep appropriately

it was time for judgment against the shepherds

God would intercede for Israel and rescue His people

He would bring them out of ruin

Next passage leads into future prophecy

Here we begin to get to God’s promise to Israel

God says since these shepherds have failed you

I will lead over you

God states that He will lead the sheep

He would be the one to care for the flock

He would restore Israels lands

He would

tend to

search for

bring back

strengthen

shepherd

with Justice

This prophecy will be fulfilled in the millennium reign

This prophecy points to the fact that before the millennium

God will sort righteous from unrighteous

only the righteous will be allowed to enter this period

We see that the character of the sheep is seen in their conduct

Those who follow the conduct of these poor shepherds

They that trample the lands

have selfish gain and agendas

those strong sheep that brutalize the weak sheep

God will bring justice to these sheep in separation

leading to the ultimate restoration of Israel

God then names the new shepherd as David

There are 2 thought processes here

Many allude to the idea that this is Christ as the shepherd and prince

As He descended from the line of David to be King of Israel

Nothing in Ezekiel states that it couldn’t actually be David resurrected to lead once again

David is referred to be name elsewhere in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 37:25 “25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.”

Ezekiel 45:22 “22 On that day the prince shall provide for himself and all the people of the land a young bull for a sin offering.”

Ezekiel 46:4 “4 The burnt offering that the prince offers to the Lord on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish and a ram without blemish.”

this sin offering that would be presented by the prince in chapters 45 and 46

are explicitly stated for the sin of the prince and the people

Jesus would not need a sin offering as He is the sinless and blameless Son of God

more than likely we would have a literal reference to David here in Ezekiel 34