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."