Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24
34:11 For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for
my sheep, and will seek them out.
34:12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among
their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue
them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day
of clouds and thick darkness.
34:13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them
from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I
will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and
in all the inhabited parts of the land.
34:14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain
heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down
in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the
mountains of Israel.
34:15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will
make them lie down, says the Lord GOD.
34:16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the
strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the
weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them
with justice.
34:20 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself
will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
34:21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted
at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far
and wide,
34:22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be
ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
34:23 I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant
David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their
shepherd.
34:24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant
David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.
Although the prophet Exekial spoke of and to the lost tribe of
Israel, God's desire for all person becomes the focus of this
message.
Shalom, Pasthersyl
Verses 17-19 are too good to leave out: (kbc in sc)
34:17 As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord God: I shall judge
between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats: 34:18 Is it not
enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down
with your feet the rest of your pasture? When you drink of clear
water, must you foul the rest with your feet? 34:19 And must my
sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you
have fouled with your feet?
KBC in SC: The extra vv. give this passage a clear connection to the
gospel lesson for this Christ the King Sunday. I may add them!
Another connection is, of course, the custom in Israel & other
Middle Eastern countries, of identifying their kings as "shepherds"
or shepherd-kings. So, as we have it in Samuel, where the prophet
fumes over crowning a king for the nation because he knows that only
God can be king over Israel, so here also, Ezekiel is making the
claim that only God is king and has the power to invest that
authority in whom he chooses. Here, it's his "servant David," which
came to be understood and which we accept as a prophecy of the
Messiah. Ken in WV
I'm having trouble seeing how the focus of this passage is for all
people. The lost and the strayed sheep in vs 16 immediately follows
vs 15 which refers to my sheep so I dont see that this passage
focuses on the lost etc. in general. Is seems to be a specific
message to God's people. Nina in the North
Just an idea (taken from Whole People of God resources)... our youth
group is rewriting this passage tonight (i.e., translating so that
little children can understand it). Then one of the kids will read
the translated version as the OT lesson at the family service (lots
in kids), in costume, dressed as a shepherd or prophet. Maybe he/she
will even write and read it on a "scroll". Should be fun! I'm
preaching on Matthew: any short dramas/skits the kids can perform
would be appreciated!
Blessings from Edinburgh, Dingwoman
This passage surely DID originally apply only to Israel. The thrust
of Ezekiel's prophecy is on the neglect of the leaders & the rich &
powerful of Israel of the poor and dispossessed. However, remember
that Jesus himself, confronted by the syro-Phoenician woman, said "I
was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel," yet in the end, grants
her the desire of faith. Even so, it's appropriate to interpret this
scripture in the light of God's expressed desire that "none should
perish." The image here is of a king who cares for people, not one
who grabs power and demands to be the center of attention. Ken in WV
The Lord says, "I will...seek, feed, rescue, bring, make, bind up,
strengthen, judge, save, set up, etc... It is the Lord who will do
all these things. When we stop trying to take care of all these
things ourselves and let God take care of them, then God is finally
our Lord. But when I insist on feeding myself I am never satisfied.
When I try to cure my own illness I am never whole.
It is as if a very wealthy woman had children that she adored and
was devoted too. She knew that she could not live their lives and
that they must learn their own lessons. But whenever they were in
need she would be there to provide both the love and the resources
they needed to live well. Then one day she found one of her children
asking the neighbors for some food because he was hungry and was
afraid to ask his mother. Later she found another child begging the
people down the street for a place to stay the night because she was
afraid her mother wouldn't let her stay at home. How would that
mother feel to find her children turning to other people when she
had truly been loving and kind to them all of their lives?
The Lord is making a claim of authority here. The Lord is the LORD!
The Lord is KING. All authority in heaven and earth belong to the
Lord and God does not skip out on responsibility. If we humble
ourselves and let God be our Lord and King, we will see that God
does provide for all and that we don't need to struggle and steal to
povide for ourselves.
I love Ezekiel for his imagery - I just wish he had stated away from
the Shepherd one. It is all stock stuff till we get to the second
part of vs 16 where the sleek and the strong will be destroyed.
Having worked with some sheep as a hobby I am well aware of the
indignity of being butted away from the feed trough by our tup but I
was never tempted to send it down the road. I cannot reconcile,
within the imagery, seeking the lost, destroying the strong, and
justice. Yes I can see the historical context - but the exegesis for
three rural communities defeats me. Any help MACYETHOLM Scotland.
