Ezekiel The Good Shepherd Look At The Book! Ezekiel The Good Shepherd

Preparing The Remnant For Messiah God was preparing to destroy Judah and Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Meanwhile, he sent the prophet Ezekiel, both to warn the wicked and to prepare His righteous remnant for exile, and to eventually welcome the Messiah. Today we’re going to consider Ezekiel 34, where God paints a picture of sheep under bad shepherds. He then compares their plight to life for sheep under the Good Shepherd.

Jesus As Good Shepherd Jesus adopted the term Good Shepherd for Himself. He is our Good Shepherd, and was the one God promised to bring into the world to nurture His sheep. As Christ’s sheep, we are charged to live faithfully. How do we, as sheep in a wicked world, live so as to remain faithful to Christ?

Bad Shepherds and Poor Sheep God sent Ezekiel to prophesy against the wicked shepherds of Judah. These shepherds were the spiritual leaders and civic leaders of Judah. Ezekiel 34:2 --“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock?”

What Were The Sins Of The Shepherds? Vs. 2 – Failure to feed the flock. Vs. 3 – Eating the fat, fleecing the flock, slaughtering the fat sheep. Vs. 4 – Not strengthening the weak. Not healing the diseased. Not binding the broken. Not finding the scattered. Dominating the sheep. Vs. 5 – Letting the sheep become ravaged by wild beasts. Vs. 6 – Letting the sheep become hopelessly scattered.

The Flock Became Prey Vs. 7-8 – “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ‘As I live,’ declares the Lord God, ‘surely because My flock has become a prey, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not search for My flock, but rather the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock….’” Judgment was about to befall them for their careless shepherding!

What Was God’s Judgment? Vs. 10 -- ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth, so that they will not be food for them.”’” God would become their shepherd!

A Good God And Healing Sheep With God as shepherd, the plight of the sheep improves. God will find them Vs. 12 – “As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.”

What Can God Supply? vs. 14 – Good pasture in the heights Vs. 15 – Food and rest Vs. 16 – Safety, healing, strengthening Vs. 16 – Slaughter of the fat sheep? Vs. 17 – Judgment between the sheep. “As for you, My flock, thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.” Have the former shepherds now become sheep?

Who Are Good And Bad? A thought: Leaders or followers, we are each and every one part of God’s flock. Leaders in the Lord’s church today are sheep, but they are also shepherds. How they treat God’s flock is highly important. God will one day judge between good sheep and wicked sheep – lambs from goats.

How Do We Treat One Another? Romans 12:10 – “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; giving preference to one another in honor….” Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

The Good Shepherd And Safe Sheep God promises the coming Good Shepherd Ezekiel 34:23-24 – “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.” David already dead. Who is this new shepherd?

Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd! Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul’ He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

A New Covenant With The Sheep Verse 25-30 A covenant of peace A covenant of security (no ravenous beasts) A covenant of provision Rain Produce A covenant of freedom A covenant of plenty

Through Jesus The Good Shepherd John 10:11,14-15- “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep…. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”

Are You Safe In The Fold? John 14:6 -- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”