Ezekiel 34

Introduction

I explained last week that Ezekiel 33 is a turning point in the book of Ezekiel. Throughout chapters 1 to 24, the Lord’s message to his people in exile in Babylon was a message of judgment. The Lord was angry with his people in Jerusalem and he was going to punish them for their persistent rebellion and unbelief by sending the Babylonians to destroy the city. And everyone in the city will either die by the sword or by famine or by disease or they will be taken away into exile. The once great city of God will be destroyed and will lie in ruins and will be desolate. That was the message in chapters 1 to 24.

Chapters 25 to 32 were about seven nations. And once again it was a message of judgment, because God revealed to his people in exile that he was going to punish the nations for what they had done to his people and for their foolish pride. He was going to destroy them, just as he was going to destroy Jerusalem.

And so, the whole of chapters 1 to 32 contains a message of judgment. From time to time, the Lord sprinkled his message to his people with words of hope and peace, but mostly it was all doom and gloom and judgment and terror.

But that’s going to change now. And chapter 33, which we studied last week, is the turning point. Chapter 33 contained terrible news: Jerusalem had finally fallen. What God said would happen did happen. But once Jerusalem had fallen, the Lord began to command Ezekiel to speak to the exiles a message of hope. He told Ezekiel to preach a message of better things to come. God was going to restore his exiled people to the Promised Land. And he gave Ezekiel visions of better days to come when God will dwell with his people.

And it begins with chapter 34, which we’re studying this evening. And the key to understanding this chapter is to remember that when the Lord refers in this chapter to his sheep, he means his people in exile. And when the Lord refers in this chapter to the shepherds of his sheep, he means the kings of Israel and Judah.

And the Lord’s message to his people in this chapter is that the kings who ruled over them in the past were wicked and selfish. They did not care for thm people the way a shepherd is meant to look after the sheep. But now, the Lord himself will shepherd his people. He will watch over them for their good and he will gather them and he will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak. In other words, he will care for his people. And he will make a covenant of peace with them and he will set over them a new and better king than the kings who ruled over them previously. And, of course, when he refers to this new and better king, he’s thinking of his Only Begotten Son, who came into the world as one of us to be our Great King and Saviour. The Lord was not wicked and selfish like the kings of Israel and Judah, because he was completely good and loving and kind and he gave up his life on the cross for the good of his people and for their eternal salvation. And now that he was been raised from the dead, he rules over his people from heaven and he takes care of us, working all things together for our good and giving us peace.

And so, this is a wonderful chapter. It can be divided into three main parts: verses 1 to 10; verses 11 to 22; and verses 23 to 31. In the first part, the Lord announces that he will deliver his sheep from these wicked shepherds. In the second part, he describes in more detail what he will do for his people. And in the third part, he promises to set a new and better king over them and to make a covenant of peace with them.

Verses 1 to 10

Let’s turn to the first part which is verses 1 to 10.

The Lord addresses Ezekiel in verse 1 once again and tells him to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. As I’ve already said, the key to understanding this passage is to know that when he mentions his sheep, he’s means his people; and when he mentions the shepherds, he means the kings of Israel and Judah. Kings and rulers were often portrayed as shepherds in the ancient world. And so, the commentators give examples of various kings of other countries who were described in this way. And we find it in the Bible as well. For instance, in Numbers 27, Moses asked the Lord to appoint someone to lead the Israelites after his death so that they will not be like sheep without a shepherd. Up until that time, Moses had been their shepherd, because God appointed him to lead his people the way a shepherd leads his flock. And in due course, Joshua was appointed to succeed Moses and to lead the people as their shepherd on God’s behalf.

And then, in 2 Samuel 5, we read of the time when the Israelites came to David to make him king over them and they referred to him as the one God had chosen to shepherd them.

And so, when the Lord commands Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, he’s referring to the kings of Israel and Judah. Some of them, of course, were good and faithful and they looked after God’s people well. But many, if not most, were wicked and they did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. And instead of caring for God’s people and protecting them, they took advantage of the people. So, back in 1 Samuel 8, when the people asked Samuel for a king, Samuel warned them that a king who rules over them will only take and take and take from them. He will take their sons and make them serve him in the king’s army or in his fields. And he’ll take their daughters and will make them his servants. He’ll take their fields and vineyards and their harvest. He’ll also take their livestock.

Samuel warned them that a human king will take and take and take from them. He will take advantage of them. And so, think of King Ahab who, with the help of his wife, Jezebel, took Naboth’s life and vineyard for himself. Or in 2 Kings 15 we read of the time when King Menahem gave the king of Assyria a thousand talents of silver to gain his support and to strengthen his kingdom. And how did he raise a thousand talents of silver? By taxing the people: every wealthy man had to contribute 50 shekels to the fund. Or think of David who was the best king. And yet he took Uriah’s wife and life for himself. The kings took advantage of the people instead of helping them.

And the kings did other wicked things, because we often read how they set up idols and they therefore encouraged the people to worship false gods instead of the one true and living God. When they were threatened by their enemies, the kings turned to foreign nations and their gods for help, instead of trusting in the Lord their God. And because they went astray and did not obey the Lord or walk in his ways, then the kings and their people forfeited the blessings which the Lord promised them for their obedience and they suffered the curses which the Lord warned them about for their disobedience.

And so, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against the kings of Israel. He was instructed to pronounce a woe on these kings who were like shepherds who only took care of themselves at the expense of the sheep. ‘Shouldn’t they take care of the flock?’ the Lord asks in verse 2. And the answer, of course, is that they should take care of the flock. Just as shepherds should take care of the sheep, so the kings of Israel were meant to take care of Israel. But the kings were like abusive shepherds. And what do abusive shepherds do? He tells us in verse 3. They eat the curds that come from the milk of the sheep. They cloth themselves with the wool that comes from the backs of the sheep. They slaughter and eat the choice animals. Instead of caring for the sheep, they have used the sheep for their own benefit. And that’s what the kings of Israel have done.

And good shepherds strengthen the weak and they heal the sick and they bandage the injured. And they bring back the strays and they search for any lost sheep. Think of the Lord’s parable of the shepherd who searched high and low for the one sheep which had gone missing. But instead of behaving like a good shepherd, the kings of Israel have failed to do their duty and to uphold and help and strengthen the people of Israel.

In verse 5 the Lord complains that his sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd. He means there were no good shepherds or faithful shepherds. And when he says his sheep were scattered and became food for all the wild animals, he’s probably referring to their exile to Assyria and to Babylon. They wandered over all the mountains like lost sheep whenever the Assyrians invaded the north and the Babylonians invaded the south and took the people away. They were scattered over the whole earth and no-one searched for them or looked for them.

And look at the beginning of verse 6 where the Lord refers to the people of Israel as ‘My sheep’. This means, of course, that they belong to him. But it’s also a term of endearment. By calling them ‘My sheep’, he’s expressing his love for them. They are his precious people and he entrusted them into the hands of the kings to look after them. But the kings failed to do their duty and they abused the Lord’s precious people and took advantage of them. And now the Lord’s people have been scattered and lost.

And since this is the case, what will the Lord do? Take a look now at verses 7 to 10 where he says that, since his flock lacked a good shepherd and since they have therefore been plundered and have become food for wild animals, and because the shepherds didn’t search for them, but cared for themselves instead of his flock, then this is what he will do: he is against them and he will hold them accountable. And therefore he will remove them from tending his flock. And by removing them, God will therefore rescue his flock from their mouths.

So, the Lord will not let those abusive shepherds feed on his sheep any longer. And what the Lord means is that he will remove the kings of Israel. He will no longer let them rule over his people. That’s one of the things he was doing when he sent the Assyrians into the north and when he sent the Babylonians into the south. He was getting rid of those wicked kings. And so, once Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar captured King Zedekiah and killed his sons so that none of them could become king in his place. And then he blinded Zedekiah and took him away in chains to Babylon where he was never heard of again. There was one surviving king — King Jehoiachin — but he too was a prisoner in Babylon. By sending the Babylonians to do these things, the Lord ensured that none of those wicked kings would be able to take advantage of his people ever again.

Verses 11 to 22

And so we come to verses 11 to 22 where the Lord describes in more detail what he will do for his people.

He says in verse 11 that he himself will search for his sheep and look after them. Just as a good shepherd will seek the lost sheep and bring them back to the safety of the sheep-pen, so the Lord will seek his lost people, who have gone into exile. And when he finds them, he will look after them. He’ll examine them carefully to see what harm they have suffered and he’ll bind up their wounds and strengthen them. And he will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered. He’ll bring them out of the nations and he’ll gather them from the countries and he’ll bring them into their own land. So, the Lord is announcing to his people in exile that the day is coming when the Lord will rescue them from Babylon and he’ll bring them back to the Promised Land. Though he was angry with them for a time, so that they were scattered, nevertheless the day is coming when he will display his love and mercy and he’ll restore them to the Promised Land. He will gather them the way a good shepherd gathers the sheep together and he will lead them.

He says he will pasture them on the mountains of Israel. That is to say, he will feed them there: on the mountains and in the ravines and in all the settlements or towns. So, he’ll provide them with everything they need throughout the land so that they will not be in want for anything. And just as sheep lie down once they have been fed, so God’s sheep will lie down. That is to say, the people will be completely satisfied. When it’s time to eat, God’s sheep will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains. It’s a picture of peace and contentment and satisfaction and it’s a picture of abundance. In the past, they suffered the covenant curses which God warned them about because of their disobedience. The rain did not fall and their crops failed. They did not have enough. But in the future, they will enjoy the covenant blessings which God promised them for their obedience. The rain will fall and their crops will grow and they will have plenty of good things to enjoy. And this suggests that he’s going to restore them, not only to the land, but he’s going to restore them to what they were always meant to be: people who love the Lord and who are obedient to his will and who will therefore enjoy his blessings.

That’s certainly the suggestion when he refers to all the good things they will enjoy. But the emphasis here is not so much on what the people will do, but it’s on what the Lord will do and it’s on how the Lord will care for his people. Instead of relying on other shepherds, as he did in the past, the Lord himself will tend his sheep and make them lie down. He means that instead of relying on other kings, he will himself rule over them and take care of them. He’ll search for the lost and he’ll bring back the strays. He will bind up the injured and he will strengthen the weak. He’ll do everything a good shepherd does. He’ll look after his people, because he’s a good and faithful king. The Lord will do it.

And then at the end of verse 16, he refers to the sleek and the strong. And he adds that he will shepherd his flock with justice. And what he means is that he will punish those members of his people who try to oppress the others. So, we’re to think of a fat sheep, barging the other sheep out of the way and taking all the food for themselves. And he’s using that image to refer to people who throw their weight around and who bully the weak and the lowly and who take advantage of them. These people are not kings, but they’re acting like kings. They’re oppressing the Lord’s people. But the Lord will deal with them with justice and he will remove them.

And he goes on to say in verse 17 that he’ll judge between one sheep and another and between rams and goats. Isn’t it enough, he asks in verse 18, for you to feed on good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture and ruin it for others? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also spoil it for everyone else? There are always people who only think of themselves. They don’t share what they have with others, because they only care about themselves. And so, they tread over the poor and the weak. They walk over them and oppress them.

But the Lord will not stand for it. He says in verse 20 that he himself will judge between these fat sheep and the lean sheep. And he will save his sheep from those bullies who shove and push and butt the weak sheep and who drive them away. In other words, the Lord will save his weak and lowly people from those who oppress them. He will care for the weak and the poor and for the little people who have no one else to defend them. The kings of Israel were meant to do this. But since they failed to do it, the Lord himself will do it He will care for the weak and lowly.

In this way, he will establish a good society, where no one takes advantage of anyone else and where no one oppresses the poor and the weak. Instead they care for the poor and the weak. Those who have plenty will share with those who don’t have enough. They will all take care of one another, because this is what God their King does. He cares for his people and provides for them.

Verses 23 to 31

And then, when we get to verses 23 to 31, he announces that he will place over his people one shepherd. And he names this one shepherd ‘David’. He says that this one shepherd, David, will tend his sheep and will be their shepherd. So, the Lord will be their God and David will be prince among them. He will be their ruler or their king.

And this is unusual, because when the Lord announced these things to Ezekiel, David had already been dead for hundreds of years. He died many generations before this. And so, the Lord can’t be referring to the original David, who lived hundreds of years before Ezekiel. He must be referring to a king from David’s line. So, the one shepherd who will be over them and who will tend them will be a davidic king.

And there’s something else which is unusual, because the Lord has been saying that he himself will shepherd his people. He will search for them and he will gather them and he will lead them back to the Promised Land and will look after them and provide for them and judge them. He’s been stressing how he himself will do it and he won’t rely on a human king. But now he’s saying that he will place another human king over his people. So, which is it? Will God himself be their shepherd or will God place another shepherd over them? Will God himself be their king or will he place another king over them? Which is it?

And the answer is that it will be both. God himself will be their shepherd and king, because the new and better human king who will shepherd them and tend them and who will rule over them is God himself in the flesh. In these verses, the Lord is announcing the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is God’s Only Begotten Son, the Eternal Son of God, God from God, light from light, true God from true God. And he came into the world as one of us when he was born to the virgin Mary. And do you remember the words of Gabriel, the angel? He told Mary that her son will be given the throne of his father David. He will be given David’s throne. And the angel said that he will reign over Jacob’s house — he will rule over God’s people — for ever. And his kingdom will never end. Gabriel announced to Mary that her son — who is also God the Son — will be a davidic king and he will rule God’s people for ever. God was coming to rule over his people in the person of his Son.

And when he came, he did not abuse the people or take advantage of them. He did not take and take and take from them, the way the other kings of Israel took from them. And he did not lead the people astray by doing what is evil. Instead he came to do God’s will and he came, not to take from his people, but to give up his life for his people, as the ransom to pay for their sins and to make peace for them with God.

And so, when we read on in Ezekiel 34, we read that the Lord announced through Ezekiel that he will make a covenant of peace with his people. And to convey to us what this covenant of peace will mean for his people, the Lord uses the image of a land where the people will live in peace and safety, because there won’t be any wild animals to harm them; and they will be able to sleep out in the open in safety. And he uses the image of a well-watered land where the trees will yield their fruit in season and the crops will grow and the people will live securely in the land. No one will remove them from the land and they’ll have all that they need.

And God will rescue them from their enemies and he’ll keep them safe from the other nations and from wild animals. No one will make them afraid. And God will provide for them a land that is renowned for its crops and there will be no more famines in the land.

And so, it will be wonderful. The people will enjoy peace and prosperity. They will be content and safe and happy when God rules over them by means of this new davidic king, who is God himself in the flesh.

And this fits with what the angels announced to the shepherds after the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem. Do you remember what they said? They announced that a Saviour had been born who is Christ the Lord. That is to say, he is the Christ: God’s Spirited-Anointed King. And so, they announced that the new and better king has been born. And they said that his coming will bring glory to God in the highest and his coming will bring what? It will bring peace on earth.

What Gabriel announced to Mary and what the angels announced to the shepherds matches what the Lord announced to the exiles in the days of Ezekiel. God was going to rule over his people in the person of his Son. and God will give his people peace. They will have peace with God because the coming King will give up his life on the cross to pay for their sins. In this way he will satisfy God’s justice which was against us and he will reconcile us to God. And he will give us peace with one another, because he will also give us his Spirit to help us to love one another and to care for one another.

And that matches what we read about the early church, which is God’s new society here on earth. And God’s people loved one another and they cared for one another. And so, we read in the book of Acts that there were no needy believers among them, because they shared what they had with one another. Those who had plenty sold some of their land and gave the proceeds to help the poor among them. And when the Gentile believers in Antioch heard about the coming famine in Judea, they had a collection and sent the proceeds to help their brothers and sisters in the Lord living in Judea. And instead of fighting with one another and holding grudges and complaining about one another, they loved one another and were patient with one another and they forgave one another, just as God forgave them.

The Lord announced through Ezekiel that he will bring his exiled people back from Babylon to the Promised Land. Then he will place over them a new and better king, who is Jesus Christ, God’s Only Begotten Son. By his death on the cross, he will establish for his people peace with God through the forgiveness of their sins. And he will give them peace with one another with the help of his Spirit. And so, God’s new society on earth will be a peaceful one where his people love and care for one another.

And what God has begun to do for his people in this life through Jesus Christ the King, he will bring to completion in the new heavens and earth, when we will be made perfect and we’ll love God perfectly and we’ll love one another perfectly and we’ll live securely for ever and for ever and there will be no one and nothing to hurt us or to harm us or to make us afraid.

And as the Lord says in verse 30, God will be with us for ever and for ever. And we will be his people for ever. We will be his sheep; and he will be our God. And it will be wonderful. And while we wait for the consummation of God’s promises in the new heavens and earth, we can rest assured in the knowledge that Christ our shepherd-king rules over all things in heaven and on earth on our behalf. And so, we have no reason to be afraid of anything, when we have such a wonderful and powerful king to take care of us. He loved us so much that he gave up his life for us on the cross. And if he was prepared to do that for us, when we were his enemies, then there’s no good thing that he will withhold from us now. And so, we can trust in him to take care of us. And as members of his new society here on earth, we should love God with all of our heart and we should love one another, because this is his will for us.