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Israel's Leaders
1 The Lord God said:
2Ezekiel, son of man, Israel's leaders are like shepherds taking care of my sheep, the people of Israel. But I want you to condemn these leaders and tell them:
I, the Lord God, say you shepherds of Israel are doomed! You take care of yourselves while ignoring my sheep. 3You drink their milk and use their wool to make your clothes. Then you butcher the best ones for food. But you don't take care of the flock! 4You have never protected the weak ones or healed the sick ones or bandaged those that get hurt. You let them wander off and never look for those that get lost. You are cruel and mean to my sheep. 5 They strayed in every direction, and because there was no shepherd to watch them, they were attacked and eaten by wild animals. 6So my sheep were scattered across the earth. They roamed on hills and mountains, without anyone even bothering to look for them.
7-8Now listen to what I, the living Lord God, am saying to you shepherds. My sheep have been attacked and eaten by wild animals, because you refused to watch them. You never went looking for the lost ones, and you fed yourselves without feeding my sheep. 9-10So I, the Lord, will punish you! I will rescue my sheep from you and never let you be their shepherd again or butcher them for food. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Is
11The Lord God then said:
I will look for my sheep and take care of them myself, 12just as a shepherd looks for lost sheep. My sheep have been lost since that dark and miserable day when they were scattered throughout the nations. But I will rescue them 13and bring them back from the foreign nations where they now live. I will be their shepherd and will let them graze on Israel's mountains and in the valleys and fertile fields. 14They will be safe as they feed on grassy meadows and green hills. 15I promise to take care of them and keep them safe, 16to look for those that are lost and bring back the ones that wander off, to bandage those that are hurt and protect the ones that are weak. I will also slaughter those that are fat and strong, because I always do right.
Judgment on the Strong Sheep
17The Lord God said to his sheep, the people of Israel:
I will carefully watch each one of you to decide which ones are the strong sheep and which ones are weak. 18Some of you eat the greenest grass, then trample down what's left when you finish. Others drink clean water, then step in the water to make the rest of it muddy. 19That means my other sheep have nothing fit to eat or drink.
20So I, the Lord God, will separate you strong sheep from the weak. 21You strong ones have used your powerful horns to chase off those that are weak, 22but I will rescue them and no longer let them be mistreated. I will separate the good from the bad.
23 After that, I will give you a shepherd from the family of my servant King David. All of you, both strong and weak, will have the same shepherd, and he will take good care of you. 24 He will be your leader, and I will be your God. I, the Lord, have spoken.
A Bright Future
The Lord God said:
25The people of Israel are my sheep, and I solemnly promise that they will live in peace. I will chase away every wild animal from the desert and the forest, so my sheep will not be afraid. 26They will live around my holy mountain, and I will bless them by sending more than enough rain 27to make their trees produce fruit and their crops to grow. I will set them free from slavery and let them live safely in their own land. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 28Foreign nations will never again rob them, and wild animals will no longer kill and eat them. They will have nothing to fear. 29I will make their fields produce large amounts of crops, so they will never again go hungry or be laughed at by foreigners. 30Then everyone will know that I protect my people Israel. I, the Lord, make this promise. 31They are my sheep; I am their God, and I take care of them.
Reflect
This may well have been Ezekiel’s first public utterance since the messenger came with the news that Jerusalem had fallen (ch 33:21). The prophet makes clear that behind the waywardness of God’s people lay a failure of leadership, here expressed by the shepherd metaphor. Those who are leaders do well to ponder verses 1–6. Are the weak strengthened, the sick healed, the injured bound up? Are the strays brought back and the lost sought after (v 4)? Are unhealthy attitudes and behaviours in the body of Christ a priority to be dealt with? Or do personal issues get in the way?
If there was failed leadership in sixth century BC Israel, there were also unruly followers. Willful squandering of resources (vv 18,19) and mutual victimization (v 21) were making the flock dysfunctional.
Verses 17–19 raise some hard questions for those of us who are followers. Do we shove and butt one another rather than committing ourselves to follow the vision of our leaders? Do we muddy the water by withholding our resources unless the church agrees to use them according to our personal preferences?
Then the Good Shepherd himself steps in and takes over. Verse 23 foresees the coming of Jesus as Messiah. He is the Shepherd through whom the Lord will make a covenant of peace with his people (v 25). While Ezekiel and his contemporaries could only anticipate the coming of Jesus, we are able to celebrate it. But do we? Are we asking him to establish his peace (“shalom” or well-being of all) in our fellowship? Are we willing to hand our local church back to Jesus? After all, the church is his body, not our own private club.
Respond
Father, we pray as Paul did for the Ephesians, “Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 6:23).
First used in Encounter with God, April – June 2015, written by Fergus Macdonald, copyright Scripture Union. Used with kind permission.
Fergus Macdonald
Rev Dr Fergus Macdonald is a Presbyterian minister living in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is retired, having formerly served as General Secretary of the United Bible Societies and as Director of the Center for Scripture Engagement at Taylor University, Indiana. He is an Honorary Chairman of the Lausanne Committee, and is the current Chair of the Scottish Evangelical Theology Society. His major interests are leadership development and facilitating Scripture engagement.