Ezekiel 34:1-16 – The Good Shepherd

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

When you are under the care of the Good Shepherd, there’s no place you can stray to where He won’t come to get you.

Introduction

When you are of God’s flock, you can never stray far from God; there isn’t a place where God won’t go to find and retrieve you.

Our lesson this week takes a look at the word that came to the prophet Ezekiel.  Ezekiel’s prophecy began in the thirteenth year after he had been living as a captive of Babylon (Ezek. 1:1).  By that time, you can imagine that many of the Jews thought they were lost to the captivity of Babylon, yet God had a message for them.  This week’s Sunday School commentary covers Ezekiel 34:1:16. 

What we will focus on learning in this week’s Sunday School commentary:

1. The difference between a good and bad shepherd.
2. The responsibility of the shepherds of God.
3. Who is the Good Shepherd.

God’s Word to Shepherds

Our lesson this week opens with Ezekiel speaking of a word that came to him from the Lord.  In Ezekiel 34:2, we will see that God called on Ezekiel to prophesy against shepherds of Israel.  Let’s note that the shepherds that Ezekiel was to prophecy to were the false shepherds.

We saw in the lesson, God Sends a Righteous Branch, that God had Jeremiah speak to the shepherds who destroyed and scattered the sheep of His pasture (Jer. 23:1).  Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord said that He would attend to them.

Because Ezekiel’s prophecy began in the thirtieth year of captivity, his prophecy came after Jeremiah’s prophecy against those shepherds.  What this tells us is that God had not forgotten those shepherds.  

A warning for today’s shepherds 

Ezekiel was to prophecy to those shepherds, saying, “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”  

Now, when God levels a woe, it is often seen as a warning.  Now, when I think of a warning, I think of something said that will help prepare me to endure or move/escape.  The woe that God levels in this scripture is not a warning.  

If this were a warning, the Lord would have said something along the lines of, “Woe to you when…”.  Take Luke 6:26 for example, when Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.”  Jesus was warning the apostles about seeking to be loved by everyone.  The false prophets of the Old Testament did that, and look what became of them, is the warning. 

The woe God levels here in Ezekiel 34:2 was a promise that judgment was coming to the shepherds who were responsible for leading the people astray.  The shepherds who had led Judah astray weren’t even shepherds that God had sent to the people.  

In Jeremiah 14:14, the Lord told Jeremiah that He hadn’t even sent the prophets who were misleading the people.  The prophets whom God was set to judge were people who had made themselves prophets!

Moreover, in Jeremiah 14:15, the Lord said that the false prophets who justified the sins of the people and spoke against the fall of Jerusalem would be consumed by the sword and famine.  I repeat, the woe that God leveled against the prophets in Ezekiel 34:2 was a promise of a certain judgment.

Now, while Ezekiel 34:2 was a promise of God’s judgment coming upon those false prophets, it ought to serve as a warning for anyone who takes on being a spiritual leader.  Yes, we pastors have a great responsibility, but to anyone who would take on the role of leading others spiritually, woe to you as well because God will hold all of us spiritual leaders accountable for how we led others.

The responsibility of a shepherd

Now, why was God’s judgment coming upon those shepherds?  Ezekiel 34:2 tells us that rather than feeding God’s flock, they fed themselves.  God asked the question of those shepherds, “Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”

Such a question opens the door to focusing on what the responsibility of a shepherd is.  Just for a moment, let’s talk about an actual shepherd’s responsibility over a flock of sheep.  

Now, I don’t know how much you know about sheep, but without one watching over it, sheep can’t truly take care nor fend for themselves.  In the wild, a herd of sheep might find comfort being in a flock, but at the first sight of a predator, they will scatter, and it will be every sheep for itself, and since sheep aren’t fast, they would eventually be captured.

Sheep are dependent on their shepherds, which means a shepherd carries a great responsibility for the life of his sheep.  So, the responsible shepherd must watch over his flock, right?  Not only must the shepherd watch over his flock, but he must tend to the needs of his flock, like feeding them, anointing them for their own protection, and keeping them from any danger.  

Now, let’s apply the role of a shepherd to his flock to the role of a spiritual leader in the lives of those who follow him or her.  A spiritual leader is to put the needs of their flock before their own needs.  A spiritual leader is to do their very best to keep watch over their flock, shielding them from danger.  A spiritual leader is to do their very best not to lead their flock astray.  

So, when you are a spiritual leader, you must certainly understand the responsibility you have, and take on that responsibility with great care because, again, God says woe to His shepherds.  If one does not take the responsibility of being a shepherd seriously, that means that one takes God’s judgment of His shepherds lightly.

God rebukes irresponsible shepherds

In Ezekiel 34:3, we can see that God rebuked the shepherds for enriching themselves rather than feeding the flocks.  In Ezekiel 34:4, God rebuked the shepherds for not strengthening the flock, not healing them, not calling for repentance, and not seeking those who were lost in sin.

Lastly, in Ezekiel 34:4, the Lord rebuked the shepherds, saying, “With force and cruelty you have ruled them.”  Again, I feel that this statement is one that spiritual leaders of this age must take into serious consideration because we set an example that will guide the lives of those who follow our example.  

So, we spiritual leaders must be conscious of the example we set because God will judge the example that we set for others to live by.  Spiritual leaders should also live in a manner where we strengthen (edify), heal (comfort), call for repentance (rebuke), and encourage one to come to the Lord.

God’s judgment of irresponsible shepherds

Our goal as spiritual leaders ought to be to bring our flock with us to the kingdom.  The Lord’s anger towards the irresponsible prophets pours through Ezekiel 34:5-6, as they were the cause for the sheep being scattered and left to the “beasts of the field”.

God’s judgment of the shepherds is delivered in Ezekiel 34:10, and it speaks to what I have already shared within this commentary.  The Lord said, “I will require My flock at their hand,” which is to say He would hold them accountable/responsible for His flock.

The Lord said, “I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep,” which is to say they would no longer be in a position to “minister” to the flock.  

Not only that, the Lord said, “The shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”  God would cut off the source of how the false prophets enriched themselves.  

There are false prophets today who enrich themselves by falsely using the name of God.  The day of God’s judgment caught up with the false prophets of old, and His judgment will certainly catch up to the false prophets of today, as Christ has spoken of and the apostles also spoke of in their epistles.

The Good Shepherd

Now, the second half of our lesson brings attention to God being the shepherd of His people.  In the lesson, God Reconciles His People, we saw that the Lord spoke of gathering Israel and keeping him as a shepherd does his flock (Jer. 31:10).

In Ezekiel 34:11, the Lord spoke of searching His sheep, those who had been scattered from Him.  Now, let’s be clear about this: God knew that His flock was in Babylon, as He had permitted Babylon to capture His people.  So, what was the Lord speaking of when He spoke of searching for and seeking out His scattered flock?

Well, in Ezekiel 34:12, the Lord said that He would seek out His sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day.  Then, in Ezekiel 34:13, the Lord said that He would gather His flock from the countries and bring them back to their own lands.  Of course, this certainly speaks of the return from Babylon and its provinces.

However, at the end of Ezekiel 34:13, the Lord added that He would feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys, and in all the inhabited places.  God continued to speak of feeding His flock throughout Ezekiel 34:14-15, saying that He would feed them in good pasture, and cause His flock to lie down in a good fold and further feed in the rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.

I believe this statement was looking beyond the fact that God would and did deliver the Jews back to the land of Judea and its cities after living seventy years in captivity.  I believe the Lord had His only begotten Son in mind when He told Ezekiel to speak them.  

In John 10, Jesus said that He was the Good Shepherd.  Jesus spoke of the false prophets who had come before Him and how they were thieves and robbers (John 10:8).  As the Good Shepherd, Jesus did all the things that God said a good and responsible shepherd ought to do.  Jesus called for repentance, rebuked sinners, literally healed people physically and spiritually, and He also taught and strengthened those who heeded His word.

Furthermore, Ezekiel 34:16 certainly points to the everlasting promise.  Israel has an earthly promise, and at the Second Coming of Christ, the remnant of Israel will be gathered to Christ and rejoice with Him.

Now, Israel’s eternal promise is an earthly promise only because they rejected Christ.  In Matthew 21:43-44, Jesus told the Jews that because they rejected Him, the kingdom would be given to another nation (Matt. 21:43-43).  In John 10:16, Jesus told the apostles that He has other sheep who are not of the fold of Jews that He will bring and be the shepherd over one flock.

The other nation, the other fold that Jesus spoke of, was His Church, His bride.  The Church does not speak of a sanctuary, but rather, all of those faithful believers who rise during this age, the Church age.  IF you are of a sincere faith, Christ is also your shepherd as well, and all that the Lord said He would do for Judah, He does for all of us believers today.

Like David, you can say that God is your shepherd.  As your shepherd, the Lord knows you by name.  As your shepherd, God tends to your every need and you will never live in want of anything.