Our True and Trustworthy Shepherd

Ezekiel 34:11-31 

11 'For thus says the Lord GOD: "Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down," says the Lord GOD. 16 "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 the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment."

17 'And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet."

20 'Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: "Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and 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.

25 "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. 26 I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. 27 Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. 28 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. 29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that I, the LORD their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people," says the Lord GOD.'

31 "You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God," says the Lord GOD.

After seeing the irresponsible shepherds of God’s children in the first half of this chapter, we find the answer declared is God Himself as our true and trustworthy shepherd.  He searches for the lost sheep who are of His flock as one who seeks to save (Matthew 18:11, Luke 19:10, John 10:14, Romans 3:11, 5:8) and not to mislead or to expect them to find the Shepherd on their own as of that was even possible (John 6:44, 64-65)!  The same God who promised to seek out the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 15:24, Luke 15:4) now seeks the rest of His flock out of every nation and people group (Revelation 5:9) from all the world.  Ezekiel called them to the promised land of Israel as a foreshadowing for us because we and they together now anticipate the call to a better heavenly country (Hebrews 11:16) in eternity as an unearned reward that never fades away (1 Peter 1:4, 5:4).  We also will be fed and find rest in that good pasture as His sheep (Psalm 1:3) who have our great Shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) to tend to us with His loving kindness and goodness of grace before His face forevermore.  What a loving hope to be gathered to our Shepherd by His drawing that leads to such an end in that blessed flock!  He said, "I will seek what was lost,” and now our Lord has fulfilled this word to all of His children called according to the faith of Abraham who heard God and trusted the promise because he knew that He who calls and who promised is absolutely faithful (Romans 4:16, 20-21, Galatians 3:7-9, Hebrews 10:23).  There is also a warning for the flock here to remember that the goats among them will be taken out to preserve His sheep (Matthew 25:32-33) and set one Shepherd over us to keep us humble and not self-serving with ambition but to treat others as we want to be treated and shepherded (1 Peter 5:2-4).  The we’d of David, Jesus the Christ, is our Shepherd who fulfilled this promise and who tends His sheep and to care and feed us all we need.  This is his covenant of everlasting peace that cannot fade away because the eternal sacrifice of Jesus covers all time and all sin completely, a covenant much anticipated then but realized for us now in Him.  His grace is our showers of blessing spoken of here to have that peace that does not pass away (Romans 5:1, John 16:33).  Yes, we know the LORD because He has broken the yoke of sin from our necks that held us in bondage with only the just sentence of death before us until He set us free indeed!  Whom shall we fear (Psalm 27:1) then?  Just as He was with Israel, so He is with all His people chosen and called in Christ; we are His flock in His world’s pasture and He is our God who is our great Shepherd.  In these things we have a more certain hope (Hebrews 6:19), sure and steadfast under the true and trustworthy Shepherd of our souls.