THE GOOD SHEPHERD (Ezekiel 34:11-20)
Ezekiel 34:11-20
If a shepherd does not find his lost sheep, they will be driven to death. Through Ezekiel, God promises to find the lost sheep. The day God finds the sheep will be both a day of judgment and a day of salvation. However, sharing in the joy of salvation by sharing grass and water is the sheep's responsibility. God considers even the small act of giving a cup of water to a little one as having been done to Him. If we confidently pray for forgiveness as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us, we must seek out and help our vulnerable neighbors.
Background of Ezekiel 34
Israel was divided into two kingdoms after the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam around 926 BC. About 200 years later, the northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC, and the southern kingdom, Judah, fell to Babylon about 150 years later in 587 BC. Judah did not fall all at once. Ten years before the complete destruction of Jerusalem, in 597 BC, many southern Judeans were taken into captivity by Babylon for the first time. At that time, Ezekiel was also taken into captivity in Babylon. Ten years later, in 587 BC, Babylon's Nebuchadnezzar completely destroyed Judah. Ezekiel prophesied during the time when the southern Judeans were first taken captive in 597 BC until about 10 years after the complete destruction of the kingdom in 571 BC. Therefore, Ezekiel served as a prophet for about 30 years. Ezekiel chapter 34 was prophesied during the last 10 years of his prophetic ministry.
God's Promise
When the people of southern Judah were in captivity in Babylon and saw no hope, God spoke through Ezekiel and said, "I will be your shepherd." This is the entire message of the passage. The people did not imagine the words "I will seek out my sheep and look after them" while they were in the desert without any strength to even pray. Ezekiel's proclamation that "I will seek you out and be your shepherd" was a word that stuck in the hearts of the people of southern Judah. The passage begins with "This is what the Sovereign Lord says" (v. 11) and ends with "declares the Sovereign Lord" (v. 15). The paragraph is structured with the phrase "declares the Sovereign Lord" at the beginning and end of the proclamation to signify God's promise to find the people of southern Judah and be their shepherd.
Verse 11 of the passage says that God will search for and continue to search for his scattered sheep. Even if the sheep are gathered together in a flock, what strength do they have? God promises to find even the weakest and most lost sheep among the scattered flock of southern Judah. The phrase "searching and searching" is an expression of God's determination to find every single sheep, even if it's just one, among the scattered flock of southern Judah.
In verses 12 and onwards, the sheep that God has sought out are said to be brought to safety on a dark and cloudy day. This refers to the day of God's judgment, which we often think of as a frightening and ominous day because of the judgment it brings. However, for the sheep that God has found, this is not a day of judgment, but a day of salvation where they can rest peacefully with their shepherd. The passage bookends God's declaration with the assurance that his judgment is not a curse but a salvation. The Bible expresses this fact in various ways, such as "the dead shall live again," "the bruised reed shall not be broken," and "the smoldering wick shall not be snuffed out." All of these are expressions of God's salvation that occur when he finds his lost sheep. The sheep that God has found will recover everything they have lost, and in fact, they will return from exile and eat rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
The Uniqueness of the Prophecy of Ezekiel
In other prophecies, God instructs Israel to do this or that, but in the book of Ezekiel, God himself intervenes. Verse 15 expresses this sentiment: "I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down." While the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel are similar to those of other prophets, there are unique aspects to them. Typically, prophecies go something like this: "If you listen to God's word, He will bless you. If you do not follow God's word, He will discipline you." However, in the case of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, a different kind of prophecy is heard: "I will pour out a new spirit in your deep hearts." "Even if you are lying in a pile of discarded bones, I will breathe new life into you with a hot breath." "I will give you a new heart." "I will remove your stony heart and give you a fleshy heart." "I will put my spirit in you, so that you may follow and obey my laws and decrees."
This is what happens when God becomes your shepherd. God promised this himself and sealed it by saying "This is what the Sovereign Lord says" at the beginning and end. In the book of Romans, Paul explains that the prophecies of the Old Testament were fulfilled in the work of Jesus Christ, writing "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38). The promise of God becoming a shepherd is a gift that lost sheep cannot refuse, an act of pure grace, and something that falls like a bolt from the sky. The sheep didn’t become this way because they wanted it to happen.
Goat-like sheep
However, verse 16 in the passage urges the sheep to be vigilant. "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice." (16a) This is a repetition of verses 11-15. The problem arises in the next sentence: "I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice." (16b) The Hebrew word used for "destroy" is "ashmid," which means "to annihilate." This statement carries a different meaning from when God becomes the shepherd and restores the flock. Therefore, some translations interpret this word as "watch over" (especially in collaborative translations). However, verses 17 and following reveal that among the sheep that God finds, there are also goat-like sheep. The fat and strong sheep, i.e., goat-like sheep, trample on the grass that their companions eat and turn the water they drink into muddy puddles. God gives the sheep pasture and water, but in reality, they are divided into fat and lean sheep. The fat sheep eat the grass of the lean sheep. They have not become fat by the grace of God, but rather by taking away the feed or not sharing it with their companions. It is an unconditional grace that God becomes the shepherd of the lost sheep, but the issue of fat and lean sheep is a matter for the sheep to resolve. God promises to handle the unfortunate and unjust situation with justice. As we read Ezekiel 34, we should be infinitely grateful that God has become our shepherd. At the same time, we need to examine ourselves to see if we are trampling on our companions' feed or turning the water we should share with them into muddy puddles.