SHEPHERDING IN TIMES OF DIFFICULTY
When we look at Psalm 23 we see a good picture of how a relationship should exist between sheep and the Good Shepherd.
Now we will look at Ezekiel 34 which will give us a picture of some under-shepherds who are not doing their job of caring for God’s sheep and how He will respond to them.
Irresponsible Shepherds
Ezekiel 34:1-6 “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “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! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 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 sought what was lost, but with force and cruelty, you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, my flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them.”
The Word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel pointed out several things that revealed how irresponsible these shepherds were.
- Selfish. They feed themselves instead of the sheep.
- You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with their wool.
- You have not strengthened the weak.
- You have not healed the sick nor bound up the broken.
- You have not brought back those that were driven away.
- You have not sought out the lost.
- You have used force and cruelty on the sheep.
- The sheep were scattered because you did not shepherd them.
These are serious indictments against Israel’s shepherds. But it does not stop there. Many of those statements could be said about the shepherds who pastor God’s people today. And if that is true, it helps to explain much of the division that exists in the Body of Christ. It also explains why the church is so weak and sickly. Many are fighting for their spiritual life and have few resources to do the work of God assigned to them. Many good pastors spend most of their time with the sick sheep with very little time to do anything else to advance God’s kingdom.
What is God going to do about it? Listen to verse 10. “Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”
God is going to judge them in this lifetime. God says He is:
- Against these shepherds.
- I will require the flock at their hand. The shepherd is held responsible for the sheep.
- I will take the flock from them.
I get the idea that Jehovah is serious about His flock! He is equally serious about how His shepherds treat them.
The True Shepherd
Ezekiel 34:11-16 says, ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 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. 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. I will feed them in a 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. I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. “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.”
Listen to what Jehovah says He is going to do about it:
- I will search for my sheep.
- I will deliver them from the places where they were scattered.
- I will bring them back to their own land.
- I will feed them on the mountains of Israel.
- I will feed them in good pasture.
- They will lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
- I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away.
- I will strengthen what was sick.
You know it is serious when God steps in to displace those He has called and anointed to be His shepherds.
This is not only applicable to those shepherds and those of today but includes a prophetic element about how God will restore the nation of Israel in the end times.
The Sheep have Responsibility too.
Ezekiel 34:17-24 says, ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. 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? And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.” ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The sheep do not get by with their rebelliousness either. Notice some of the things He says to them:
- I will judge between sheep and goats.
- You have eaten the good pasture and trampled the rest down.
- You have drunk the clear water and fouled up the residue with your feet.
- You have pushed with your side and shoulder and butted the weak ones and scattered them.
- I will establish one shepherd over them and he shall feed them.
- He calls David His servant and a prince. Which no doubt is prophetic of Jesus Himself.
Perhaps some of the sheep’s behavior has been learned from the shepherds, but much of it reveals their own rebelliousness also.
Having been a Pastor for over 57 years, I have seen many church members get upset over something and sow further discord in the Body before they left to go somewhere else and do the same thing there.
God help us!
God’s Promises.
Ezekiel 34:25-33 says, “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. “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. 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. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; 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. 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. 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. 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.’ “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.”
Notice the promises Jehovah makes to His people:
- I will make a covenant of peace with them.
- I will make them a blessing.
- There shall be showers of blessing.
- Trees will yield their fruit,
- They shall be safe in their land.
- They shall no longer be prey to the nations.
- I will raise up for them a garden of renown.
- They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them.
- They shall know that they are my people.
- You are my flock, the flock of my pasture. And I am your God.
Some of these promises have already come to pass, but more are slated to occur in the future – specifically in the last days.
So, how does this relate to sheep and their shepherd? God is a God of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. If the shepherds have sinned, there is forgiveness and restoration. And the same is true of sheep. If they have been rebellious, they can repent and be restored. None of us are flawless. Just forgiven! Jehovah is Lord of His sheep and His shepherds. Each of them has a part to perform in His kingdom. We should be working together to do the work assigned to each of us to do.
copied from my book THE SHEPHERD AND HIS SHEEP available on Amazon