Ezekiel 34:10 - A Prophecy Against Israel's Shepherds If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. April 26, 2020 by PastorRich In Ezekiel 34, we find God's people in a time of duress-a defeated nation in exile. Now God spoke to the flock. Matt. Prophets and priests were also called shepherds, but here kings are also in view. Feed them in judgment: It is an irony; I will feed them, but with wormwood and gall, my sore but just judgments and displeasure. (Poole), And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.. At that time, when Yahwehs people live securely in their land, are ruled by a divinely appointed David, and enjoy the shalom of Gods presence and grace, they will finally acknowledge him as their Savior and covenant Lord. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Theirs is the greatest guilt. These features of the Messianic leaders person and kingdom are more significant to Ezekiel than the physical succession of the line of Davids kings. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, Thus says the Lord God,. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. i. 1 Sam. Even in the tranquil meditations of Psalm 23, we are reminded that the shepherd carries a rod to fend off attacks from would-be assassins (Ps. Matt. (:24a) The Lords Servant as the New David Reigning Among Them, and My servant David will be prince among them;. 25-31). 10:21; Matt. 12As a shepherd(R) looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. In the greatest sense, this was wonderfully fulfilled in the work of Jesus Christ. The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 was an important milestone in the fulfillment of this promise, though we would say that it is yet to be completely fulfilled. Dont read into rams and he-goats (Ezekiel 34:17) the New Testament image of sheep and goats as found in Matthew 25:31-46, because in Bible times, it was customary for shepherds to have both sheep and goats in the flocks. (Wiersbe). Ezekiel 34 NKJV - Irresponsible Shepherds - And the word - Bible Gateway The sheep had not had proper guidance, they had not had protection, and no one had sought them out when they went wrong, and thus they had given way to false teaching and had been physically misused. Ultimately, all should work for the honor to which God is entitled. e. I will feed them in good pasture: The restoration God promised to Israel was not only geographical but also spiritual. 110), then the Lords announcement that as owner of the flock he would take over as shepherd (vv. i. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. 2531). The restoration of the land is much further along in its fulfillment than the spiritual restoration of Israel. He is among his scattered sheep: God promised to come down among His own scattered sheep to seek them and care for them. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Ezekiel 34 | NLT Bible | YouVersion They shall lie down in a good fold: When the Lord reveals to you that he has loved you with an everlasting love, is not that a good place to lie down in? 37:24, 25; Hos. Ezekiel provides no general pronouncement on such issues, but provides criteria by which each corporations practices could be assessed. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. [a](AV) I will send down showers in season;(AW) there will be showers of blessing. God would do it stopping their abuse of the flock (the shepherds shall feed themselves no more). Revised Nov. 11, 2010. But Ezekiel 34 implies that the worker who produces an economic loss or the manager who fails to get the team to accomplish the job is no better than those who mistreat coworkers or subordinates. . Because you push with side and with shoulder. (:17) Judgment Will be Individually Based. 17-24), followed by a literal message to the people (vv. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. Therefore, God promised to judge between sheep and sheep. Some think Ezekiel turns here from the kings to lesser officials who had mistreated their fellow countrymen. but prince in their midst. (Block), I will make a covenant of peace with them, and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. (E) 5So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,(F) and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. They were, after all, also His sheep. It is both unnecessary and impossible to spiritualize these promises. He is the servant of the Lord, represented as an idealized David: for David was the man whom God chose and in whom he delighted; the king who triumphed against all his foes and who extended his kingdom in all directions; the man of Judah under whose genius the whole nation was for a time united. 11:17; 20:41; 28:25; 36:24; 37:21, 22, Is. 30:3 a day of clouds and # Joel 2:2; Zeph. The rulers have taken excellent care of themselves, but they have not cared for the flock. i. i. Pushed butted: It would be interesting to know whether Ezekiel had any specific examples of oppression in mind as he uttered these words. The shepherds have violated the economics of their obligations by "failing to produce the required return on an investment and misappropriation of the owner's property. I. Second, the shepherds fleece the flock: the wool you wear. 1. For I will deliver My flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.' Bible > Ezekiel > Chapter 34 > Verse 10 16(V)I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy (W)the fat and the strong, and feed them (X)in judgment., 17And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: (Y)Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. and the beasts of the earth will not devour them; but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid.. Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews. a. i. This shows that damage can be done to the flock not only by the shepherd, but also by sheep who are not considerate of other sheep, and who treat the pasture as if it were theirs to do with as they pleased. The abundant fertility of the land, however, is paralleled in other golden-age prophecies, such as Hosea 2:22; Joel 3:18; Amos 9:13f. No longer a prey for the nations: They are still that today, but God says, I will, and when He says that, He is going to do it, my friend. (McGee). 31 You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. i. 1:11; [John 10:11; Heb. Log in, Ephesians 5:8-14: From Shadowed Unbelief into the Clarity of Truth. 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. 20Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: (Z)Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Ezekiel 34 | ESV Bible | YouVersion If the scattering were literal, and no one is foolhardy as to deny this, then the regathering must be equally so. (Feinberg). They had to live in an unpleasant, unsustainable pasture because other sheep had abused it. There shall be showers of blessing: The refreshings of the Spirit are often compared to a shower (see Isaiah 44:3). b. I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats: God recognized that all sheep are not the same, and He reserved the right to make such distinctions. Ezekiel now turns from the people to their leaders. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! c. They shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid: God promised that in the completion and perfection of the new covenant, Israel would be restored and set safely in the land (as also in Jeremiah 23:6, 30:8-9). Should the shepherds not [ d]feed the flock? You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. God will revive His people, now allegorically lost and sick, while at the same time destroying their oppressors (who are surely the wicked kings who ruled Israel, as well as perhaps the foreign nations repeatedly excoriated in chs. 40:11; Mic. Ezekiels phrasing here (you are men, and I am your God) acknowledged the great divide between humanity and deity. (:25-31) RATIFYING THE COVENANT OF PEACE IN THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM, A. Constable: Specifically, these unfaithful shepherds ate the best parts of the sacrifices rather than offering them to God (cf. Without doubt, Ezekiel 34 presents Yahweh as the good and perfect shepherd of Israel. 1112). 23:1; Ezek. John Taylor: Because of all this, God declares that he is against the shepherds, even though they ruled by his dispensation. What listeners say about Daily Lectionary with Hunter Barnes - Tuesday, May 30, 2023: Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Ezekiel 39:7-8, 21-29; Romans 8:26-27 Average Customer Ratings. (S) 13I will bring them out from the nations and gather(T) them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. The shepherding metaphor sends a message promising judgment on Israel's wicked rulers and hope for the downtrodden and disadvantaged of the nation. The people had suffered greatly not only at the hand of the Babylonians but at the hands of corrupt leaders who took advantage of the peoples suffering to get rich and fat. I will seek out: Who is this that says, I will? They did not care for their own pasture but trampled it down. (AU) 26I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. 7:23; 9:9; etc.). 40:11, 12; 50:6; Ezek. There would be a cleansing of judgment among Gods people, as described in the following verses. He is the owner of the flock, and He will find His own sheep, having fired the shepherds who botched the job and allowed the flock to be scattered and subject to danger (vv. In contrast to the unfaithful shepherds (Ezekiel 34:4). 4(D)The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor (E)sought what was lost; but with (F)force and [a]cruelty you have ruled them. 1-16) and to the people as sheep (vv. (:1-16) REPLACING SELFISH SHEPHERDS WITH THE GOOD SHEPHERD, (:1-2a) Prologue Prophesy against the Selfish Shepherds of Israel, Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Biblical decision-making principles for tough situations at work. They were more interested in providing for themselves than for the people whom God had placed in their care (cf. 2:25, Jer. 2010 by the Theology of Work Project, Inc. They will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods: That this points to the Millennial Kingdom is also indicated by the promises of the transformation of the ecological order (cause wild beasts to cease from the land there shall be showers of blessing) as is promised in other passages about the millennium (Isaiah 11:1-10, Isaiah 65:20-25). Ironically, just as with the unfaithful shepherds, the renegade sheep made other sheep a prey. Wiersbe: In Ezekiels time, the Lord brought His people back from Babylon; but the picture here is certainly much broader than that, for the Lord spoke about countries., 2. Feinberg: In beautiful and unforgettable words Ezekiel predicted a literal return and restoration of the people of Israel to their own land. NKJV, Ancient-Modern Bible, Comfort Print: One faith. New International Version (NIV). This, instead, is the language of promise: the true Israel will know that God is with them, their being His people and His being their God. INTRODUCTION TO EZEKIEL 34. But certainly, if there is anything promised in the Bible it is this. II. Who is this person? 9:36; John 10:12-13). 26I will make them and the places all around (AH)My hill (AI)a blessing; and I will (AJ)cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be (AK)showers of blessing. This he is bid to do, Eze 34:1,2, whose cruelty to the flock, negligence and unfaithfulness are exposed, Eze 34:3-6, for which reasons they are . Is it any wonder that the godly in Israel have always looked with longing and faith to that hour of blessed consummation? (Feinberg). Should not shepherds feed the sheep? Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Notice it will be a regathering from worldwide exile and dispersion. (:2b-6) Charged with a Wide Range of Offenses, a. United and purified, they now enter upon the supernatural golden age of peace and prosperity. (Taylor), ii. God would do it by removing His flock from them (I will deliver My flock from their mouths). (U) I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. When considering sheep abused by a shepherd, it may be that one sheep has no responsibility, another sheep has some responsibility, and a third sheep has great responsibility. I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. a. I will make a covenant of peace with them: Again, all this points towards the new covenant, especially in its perfection and culmination in the Millennial Kingdom. During His earthly ministry, the Lord called Himself the "good shepherd" . Matt. They have neither gone after the strays nor sought the lost. 23:3; Ezek. Beyond that, they are responsible to accomplish the economic task they have been hired to do. 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones . The Bible offers guidance for a Christian view of wealth and how wealth can be used for God's redemptive purposes. Daniel Block: Following the customary opening word-event formula and the direct address of the prophet as Human (ben-dm), Ezekiel receives the double command to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel (r yirl). Peter Pett: The verdict is now given beginning with the accusatory facts. Daniel Block: covenant of peace The description offers one of the fullest explications of the Hebrew notion of shalom. Ezekiel 34:2. 2. Look also for . They were men, made in the image of God and capable of so much more than sheep. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. They were men, made in the image of God and capable of so much more than sheep. As long as they were within Yahwehs pasture, they need only respond to the Chief Shepherds correction and instruction. (Ezekiel 26-28), Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, Israels Failure of Leadership (Ezekiel 34). . In Ezekiels picture, they are the fat sheep that spoil the pasture and the waters for the other sheep. 2. (H) They were scattered(I) over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit, Then they will know that I am the LORD,, C. (:27d-29) Deliverance from the Enemies of Peace and Security, 1. i. (V) 14I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel(W) will be their grazing land. A covenant of peace: The description offers one of the fullest explications of the Hebrew notion of shalom. Here the Lord viewed the exilic leaders as sheep among His sheep rather than as shepherds. All rights reserved. The designation shepherds for leaders is traditional in ancient Near Eastern usage, dating back to Sumerian times. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have (AM)broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who (AN)enslaved them. Ezekiel 34 Irresponsible Shepherds 1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: "Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! There is a subtle but clear testimony here to the deity of Jesus Christ. Yahweh has an enduring interest in his land. iii. On a cloudy and dark day: The reference to a day of clouds and thick darkness (Ezekiel 34:12, RSV) has eschatological overtones (cf. The verb zba often denotes the slaughter of a sacrificial animal, especially for the zeba, sacrificial meal. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. Constable: The Lord swore to oppose these shepherds, to hold them accountable for His sheep, to stop them from leading them further, and to rescue His sheep from their influence (cf. D The stray (niddaat) I will fetch (hb). B The sick (l) you have not healed (ripp).
Lancaster Sheriff Station Covid Testing, Average Rent Uk Per Month, 2022 Topps Luminaries Checklist, Who Are The Shepherds In Ezekiel 34, Articles W