Book of the Prophet Ezekiel
Compiled by WD Kemner January 2024
Prophesy against the shepherds of Israel
and Glimpse into the Millennial
|
Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 1-10 |
|
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock.
The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;
Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
|
All this is directed at the shepherds and the lack of what they are doing for God’s sheep. This would include all those in authority: Princes, Priests, Sanhedrin, Magistrates and even their kings now held captive. But then he will have a tender message for the sheep.
This Passage now begins discussing End Times
It describes the conditions that the Jews will be living in after the Second Coming of Christ and into the Millennial reign of Christ
|
Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 11-16 |
|
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
|
God will seek out and find ALL His sheep and in the verses above he now gives His tender promise of a return for His children. However, there will be a dividing of the sheep. Dividing of the good and the bad.
|
Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 17-22 |
|
And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
|
The basic message is one of redemption. There were those in captivity that were taking advantage of those that were less. Those that were of a lower “class” went without. It was no different for these while in captivity than it was for them back home in Israel. Those that had, did not take care of those that did not have. God IS going to judge them.
|
Ezekiel Chapter 34 verses 23-31 |
|
And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.
And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
|
He will set “…one shepherd over them…”. The Messiah would come and be that Shepherd. He will be given the throne of David. As of yet the Messiah has not come. However, this Shepherd is David.
END TIMES SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
From This Chapter
Now we need to also look at this chapter in regards to future prophecy. This entire chapter has things that while they can and should be seen as applying to the time period it was written in, needs to be considered also in relation to the future history of Israel.
Verses 11-16 talked about bringing them out “of all places where they had been scattered”. It is true that within a few decades (see Book of Daniel) King Cyrus would sign a decree allowing the Jews to return and you can read the accounts of Ezra and Nehemiah as well.
However, when were the Jews ever “gathered from all the countries they were scattered to”? In 1948 Israel became a nation and had to fight again in 1967 before there was a MASS attempt by Jews to migrate home again. Even to this day, has God “gathered from where they have been scattered”? It is discussed when studying End Times related scripture.
From verses 11-16:
“…I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down,…..I will feed them with judgment…”
Has the above been true in any time yet? It implies PEACE and TRANQUILITY. Implies the lack of NEED. Then it states God will JUDGE. THERE WILL NEVER BE TRUE PEACE in the land of Israel UNTIL AFTER the Millennial Kingdom is established.
From verse 23:
“…And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd….”
They had not yet seen the birth of Jesus occur. This is not a reference to the birth of Christ. It will be repeated again in chapter 37. Combining the entirety of scripture, add the following in context with this chapter.
David will be chief shepherd of Israel
Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11
UNDER the CHIEF SHEPHERD Jesus Christ
Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:4
The 12 Apostles will be under David and Jesus
Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30
From verse 25:
“And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods”
Total peace in the land. After His second coming God will make a peace covenant with them. There will also be No threat from any man or any wild animal.
From verses 26-27:
The rain will be controlled to water and nourish where needed. Crops will not hesitate to grow in abundance. Perfect climate control.