Ezekiel

Ezekiel 34:1-6

The sheep & shepherd relationship was a common metaphor in ancient Mesopotamia.  The idea was that the people were the sheep of God and the king was the shepherd of God's sheep.  This metaphor was not just pertaining to Yahweh but other perceived gods in that time.  The idea as widely understood and made for a good metaphor for the irresponsible shepherds of Israel.  Woe was spoken to them.  They worried more about feeding and caring for themselves than taking care of the sheep.  They were shepherds only to take advantage of the flock (fleecing them instead of feeding them).  The flock had its weak, sick, broken, disenfranchised and lost.  The shepherds did nothing to feed, guide, heal and keep a healthy flock.  As a result, the flock was scattered.  The idea of scattering was the punishment for breaking covenant; this is what the shepherds led them to: apostasy!

Ezekiel 34:7-10

The woe brought on these shepherds was the judgment of the Lord.  They would no longer be tending the sheep.  Shepherds without sheep are no longer shepherds.  They would be held accountable for the flock.  They had fed themselves while the flock had become food to the wild animals.  The shepherds were essentially fired and God would be their shepherd.

Ezekiel 34:11-16

As the shepherd of His people, God will search for His sheep and seek them out Himself.  They will no longer be scattered because He will gather.  He'll bring them to the land, give them a fine pasture where they will lie down.  I read somewhere once that seep won't eat and lie down unless they are secure and safe and confident there is no threat.  In God's care they will feed in His pastures and lie down.  The Lord will seek, bring back, bind up and strengthen the sheep.  These are the things a shepherd does.  God would deal with the fat & strong.  In the end, they were not shepherds but wolves that led them astray. 

Ezekiel 34:17-19

Yahweh turns His attention from the shepherds to the sheep.  They needed to understand His judgment would sort out the goats from the sheep but also a sorting of different kinds of sheep (wolves in sheep clothing).  The sheep didn't just eat of the good pasture, they trampled it down so others couldn't eat from it.  They fouled the waters so others were robbed of clean water.  It seems to speak of individual sheep acting selfishly with no thought to the rest of the flock.

Ezekiel 34:20-24

Some sheep are oppressors and some were oppressed; these are the fat and the lean respectively.  God will sort sheep from sheep.  The goats were easy to see, wolves that made their way in could be spotted and dealt with, but the bad sheep were dangerous and harmful.  God will save his flock.  The Lord's messiah, called My Servant David, because He will be the Son of David to rule on David's throne.  He will be the perfect King Israel always longed for.  Jesus fulfills this role and speaks of it John 10:1-18.

Ezekiel 34:25-31

The Good Shepherd will bring restoration.  With the restoration will come peace and safety in the land.  This is a real peace and safety provided by God.  It is the only time this land will have this, all the leaders of this will that promise it are deceived with the own empty promises.  The flock is then blessed with covenant blessings as outlined in Leviticus 26:3-13.  The showers of blessings indicate a reversal of God's judgment. 

See also Psalm 23.

©2020 Doug Ford