THE CHIEF SHEPHERD | Ezekiel 34

Rev Kev | Cornerstone Baptist | For Sunday AM, December 8, 2013

 

Ezekiel 34:1-2 "The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? [v 10] Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them."

Ezekiel was among 3,000 ruling Hebrews taken to Babylon.

• He lived on the bank of the Chebar River. Many of the  Hebrew exiles sought his prophetic insight (Ezekiel 1:1; 3:15).
• At the age of 30, Ezekiel describes his calling by going into great detail about his encounter with God (Ezekiel 1). Ezekiel served as a prophet for at least 22 years.
• He constantly spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem & its temple. 
• Ezekiel (Babylon) & Jeremiah (Jerusalem) witnessed the fulfillment of their prophecies when Jerusalem was finally sacked by the Babylonians (587 BC).
• Ezekiel purpose in this chapter is to point out the faults & failures of the rulers in the Kingdom.
• Verses 1-10 is a scathing rebuke...

If you read Romans 13:1-7, you find the Lord intended, For rulers not to be a terror to those who are good, but to those who are evil. Unfortunately, godly rulers are rare!

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Dispensational Designations.

Genesis 1–3	Genesis 3–8	Genesis 9–11	Gen 12 to Ex 19	Ex 20 to Church	Church to Rapture	Revelation 20:4–6	Revelation 20–22
Innocence	Conscience	Government	Patriarchal	Law	Grace or Church	Millennial Kingdom	Final Eternal State

One of the greatest metaphors in the Word of God, identifying the relationship of Saviour and Saint is that of Shepherd and Sheep.

There are many beloved portions of Scripture that radiate the love, care, patience and mercy of our great shepherd.

Psalms 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. ² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. ⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. ⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

1 Peter 5:4 When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

In Ezekiel 34, with regard to His sheep the Lord says…

 
 1. He Will Search For Them (v 11)."I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out." 
 
2.  He Will Deliver Them (v 12)."As a shepherd…I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day."

3.   He Will Lead Them (v 13). "I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country."

4.  He Will Feed Them (v 14). "I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains…shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed..."

5.      He Will Rest Them (v 15). "I will cause them to lie down,.."

6.    He Will Rescue The Wayward & Wounded (v 16). "I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away,.."

7.      He Will Heal Them (v 16)."I…will bind up that which was broken,.."

8.      He Will Chasten The Lazy & Willful (v 16). "I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment."

9.      He Will Strengthen The Weak (v 16). "I…will strengthen that which was sick:"

10.  He Will Separate The Sheep & The Goats (v 17-22). "..as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats...²⁰...Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. ²¹ Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; ²² Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey;..."

11.  He Will Never Forsake Them (v 23-25). "I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it."

12.  He Will Bring Peace (v 25) "I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness,..."

13.  He Will Bless Them With Abundance (v 26). "I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing."

14.  He Will Satisfy Them With Provision (v 27-31). "The tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. ²⁸ And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. ²⁹ And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. ³⁰ Thus shall they know that I the Lord their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord God. ³¹ And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord God."

Do You Know What You're Asking?

Do you know what you're asking?

1 Samuel 8:1-22 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, “Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.”

The difference between Chapter 7 & 8 is a matter of years, not months.

·      National unity is non-existent.

·      The 12 tribes are scattered over a wide area, connected by very few roads.

·      When hostile nations attacked a tribe, other tribes were indifferent.

·      In addition, Samuel’s sons were dishonest politicians.

Before beginning our message in 1 Samuel 8, I want to make some important observations that weigh heavily on the way we understand and apply our text.

1.   When God delivered Israel from Egypt and gave them His law, He established Himself as their King.  Ex 15:18 “The LORD shall reign forever and ever.”

2.   When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He knew they would one day ask for an earthly king. Deut 17:14-15 “When thou art come unto the land… and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about…

3.   A chief emphasis in chapt 8 is on the high cost of having a king (v 10-18).

4.   The demand for a king does not come from the elders of Israel only (v 4) but from all the people (v 7, 10, 19, 21-22).

5.   The passage does not suggest Samuel is another Eli (See Prov 22:6).

·      Joel = Jehovah is God | Abiah = my father is Jehovah.

·      Hophni = my first, fisty | Phineas = mouth of pity.

6.   Israel’s reason for wanting a king is not because of Samuel’s age and the vice of his sons; the reasons run much deeper…

The problem was with their wrong reasoning…

God says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9

1.   They desired the governance of a Finite man over that of the Infinite God.

·      They no longer trusted God whom they could not see – they wanted someone they could see.

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

Luke 18:27 Jesus said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

·      Only God can… Create out of nothing; Save from sin; Deliver from judgment; Love completely.

2.   They wanted to be like everyone else, though God had called them to be different (v 5). The people said to Samuel, “Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

·      We just want to be like everyone else! We want to have parades, palaces and progress. We’re tired of being different!

·      In order for us to fulfill God’s eternal purpose – we must be different.

Leviticus 26:3-9 “If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; ⁴ Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit… and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. ⁶ And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid:… neither shall the sword go through your land. ⁷ And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you… ⁸ five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight:… ⁹ For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.”

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?... ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

3.   They wanted a man to remedy what only God could (v 3). Samuel’s “sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”

·      They became dissatisfied with God because their eyes were on men. This was not a government problem – it was a sin problem!

·      Samuel’s sons were corrupt and needed to be replaced…

-     In order for a bribe to be received, one had to be offered first.

-     They wanted renovation instead of transformation.

-     They wanted revenge instead of peace.

4.   They wanted a man to do what God had done previously (v 20). “That our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”

·      While God went before them and gave them great victories, He also allowed them to suffer defeat in response to their rebellion and sin. There is an unalterable law called “The Law of sowing and reaping.”

·      Their demand suggested God’s judgment was unfair and they were not pleased with His plan for their life and future.

·      They were saying the battle is theirs and not God’s. They wanted to have more say over their boundaries and allegiance.

·      They were suggesting God did not always have their best interest in mind.

CONCLUSION: When God is in control…

·      All things work together for good to them that love God,.. (Romans 8:28).

·      The counsel of the LORD shall stand (Proverbs 19:21).

·      What is impossible with men is of no concern, because “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

HE MAKETH NO MISTAKE

My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me
He made not one mistake.

-- By A.M. Overton