Audio Download

Ezekiel 34:1–16 The Shepherds of Israel

[Study Aired October 14, 2024]

INTRODUCTION

Today, our study concerns the shepherds of the people of Israel and their works of evil. These shepherds were the leaders of the people of Israel. The people of Israel represent the physical churches of this world or Babylon and the shepherds are the leaders in Babylon and therefore are the apostles, prophets, pastors, evangelists and teachers parading in the corridors of the church system of this world. Today’s study therefore shows us the deplorable condition in the churches of this world, of which we were part of, until the Lord came with the spirit of His mouth and with His brightness to deliver us. In studying His words today, we shall also be more equipped to be able to test the spirit of many men and women of God who parade as the Lord’s messengers but are not.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
1Jn 4:2  Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
1Jn 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

As the Lord’s elect, we are being trained by the Lord to grow in spiritual stature such that we can lead the Lord’s people in this age and also to become rulers or leaders of the nations of this world in an age to come when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. All of us are therefore required by the Lord to mature spiritually as we grow in His grace. What we are studying today is therefore applicable to each one of us.

Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

To kick start our study for today, we need to know who a good shepherd is. This will make it easier to know what is wrong with these shepherds of Israel. We know that Jesus Christ is the good shepherd or leader of the Lord’s people and He has shown us what He does for us. Let’s take a look at Psalm 23:

Psa 23:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Psa 23:2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
Psa 23:3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psa 23:4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

A shepherd takes care of the needs of the flock such that they do not lack. That is to say that we do not want. The reason we do not lack or want is because He makes us to lie down in green pastures and also leads us beside the still waters. The green pastures and the still waters all refer to the truth of the word of the Lord, which, when we are privileged to know, we have access to everything we need in this life. The green pastures and the still waters also signify our physical needs. That means that the Lord provides both our spiritual and physical needs.

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

2Co 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Lying down in green pastures and being led besides the still waters all imply that we rest in Him, that is, become content with our situation as we look up to Him who does the work. Unfortunately, the shepherds we had in Babylon taught us that everything depends on us as the Lord has given us our free will, thus, causing us to be pierced with many sorrows in our attempt to become self-sufficient.

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

As stated in Psalm 23:3, it is the Lord who restores our soul and leads us in the path of righteousness for His name’s sake. Our righteousness is not of ourselves. It is the work of the Lord. Our souls being restored means that we were initially marred in the hand of the Potter and therefore He makes us into another vessel fit for His purpose. This restoration process is through the Lord’s judgement. A good shepherd therefore points us to Christ to do the work and not to ourselves.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

The valley of the shadow of death refers to our judgement in Psalm 23:4, which we are destined to encounter if we are called and chosen by the Lord. Here the Lord is assuring us that He will take care of us and that we should not fear even when everything seem to be against us. This is because He is always with us and will not leave us alone. In the final analysis, the Lord’s rod and staff will comfort us and not destroy us. Our shepherds in Babylon did not warn us of the Lord’s judgement as they made us aware that we are not to suffer.

Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

‘Preparing a table before us in the presence of our enemies’ means that our leaders must feed us with the Lord’s words, while the flesh or old man who is powered by the devil, our enemy, is still active in our lives. It is through His words that we overcome the flesh. ‘Our heads being anointed with oil’ means being given the privilege of understanding the spiritual significance of His words. In other words, being given to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. ‘Our cups running over’ means that when we are filled with His words, our lives shall overflow with His words. That is to say that our walk shall be dictated by the word of the Lord. All of this is to show us what a good shepherd does. That is, to help us walk according to the dictates of the word of the Lord.

Finally, the Lord is telling us in Psalm 23:6 that ‘His goodness and mercies shall always follow us’. Unfortunately, our leaders in Babylon taught us that the Lord’s mercies end when we die. It is as if they have not read the following:

Psa 118:1  O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth forever.
Psa 118:2  Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth forever.
Psa 118:3  Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth forever.
Psa 118:4 Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth forever.

Our Lord Jesus, in His life here on earth, told us that a good shepherd lays down His life for us and as we are aware, the Lord laid down His life for us. We are all to lay down our lives for one another. That means to sacrifice our lives in serving one another.

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12  But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Joh 10:13  The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
Joh 10:14  I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15  As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at the shepherds of the people of Israel and what they do.

The Shepherds of Israel Feed Themselves

Eze 34:1  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Eze 34:2  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? 
Eze 34:3 Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. 

As indicated in the previous studies, the word of the Lord coming to Ezekiel signifies the Lord coming to His elect with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness. What this means is that the Lord coming to His elect is to judge them for the destruction of their flesh. The coming of the Lord is also to illuminate His words so that we can understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

It is when Christ comes to us with His brightness that we are able to see who the shepherds of Israel really are. These shepherds are the leaders of the physical churches of this world or Babylon. The first thing the Lord wants us to note about these shepherds is that they feed themselves instead of the Lord’s flock. The opulence displayed by these shepherds is obvious for everyone to see, even the people of the world, that these people feed themselves instead of the Lord’s flock. The word of the Lord says that since we have received freely from the Lord, we must also give freely His words. Tell me, is this what we see in the churches of this world? There is nothing wrong when we share freely what we have with those who minister to us. However, that is not what we see in Babylon. The leaders have put a yoke of tithing and offering on the shoulders of the flock and at the end of the day, they are the beneficiaries of these tithes and offerings.

Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5  But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Mat 23:6  And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,
Mat 23:7 And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

In the Old Testament, the fat of a sacrificial animal belongs to the Lord, as shown in the following:

Lev 3:16  And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD’S.
Lev 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

In verse 3, therefore, the shepherds eating the fat means that they appropriate for themselves that which belongs to the Lord. To understand what this means, let’s take a look of what happened to David, a symbol of the Lord’s elect, who was a good leader of the Lord’s people.

2Sa 23:12  But he (David) stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the LORD won an impressive victory.
2Sa 23:13  At harvest time three of the thirty leading men came to David at the cave of Adullam when a troop from the Philistine army was camping in the valley of Rephaim.
2Sa 23:14  While David was in the fortified camp, Philistine troops were at Bethlehem.
2Sa 23:15  When David became thirsty, he said, “I wish I could have a drink of water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem.”
2Sa 23:16  So the three fighting men burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the well. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as an offering to the LORD and said,
2Sa 23:17 “It’s unthinkable that I would do this, LORD. This is the blood of men who risked their lives!” So, he refused to drink it. These are the things which the three fighting men did. (GWV)

David felt that it was not right to appropriate that which belongs to the Lord. In other words, David regarded the risk that these three men could have lost their lives for him in deciding to fetch water for him, as something that should be done only for our Lord Jesus Christ. That was why He did not take the water, but offered it to the Lord. On the other hand, the shepherds of Babylon appropriate that which belongs to the Lord (eat the fat) as they are worshipped by the flock and they make people sacrifice their lives for them instead of pointing them to Christ as David did.

Verse 3 shows us that these shepherds clothe themselves with wool. The Lord’s righteousness is represented by fine linen, not wool.

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

These shepherds being clothed in wool, therefore, means that they create their own righteousness.

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Verse 3 also indicates that these shepherds kill the flock that are fed. Who are the flock that are fed? They are those who come with joy into the assembly of the churches after hearing the word of the Lord, thinking that their relationship with the Lord shall be deepened. However, these shepherd put them to spiritual death by teaching them the false doctrines of man’s wisdom and tradition. In preaching the wisdom of man, we throw away the truth of the word of the Lord which is able to save us and deny the Lord’s people of the word of the Lord which is required to help them to grow spiritually.

Eze 34:4  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. 

The “diseased” are those who are weak in faith and need to be taken care of. This is the admonition of one of the good shepherds (Paul) of the Lord’s house concerning what we should do with the weak in our midst:

Rom 14:1  As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
Rom 14:2  One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.
Rom 14:3  Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.
Rom 14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.  (ESV)

As the body of Christ, we must carry everybody along. Unfortunately, that is not what the shepherds of Babylon do. They are interested in what will benefit them. The sick are those who are oppressed by the devil. That is to say that they are dominated by the flesh which is empowered by the devil.

Mar 1:34  And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

Mat 8:16  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:

Verse 4 also indicates that the shepherds do not care about those who are lost. The lost are those who do not seem to know the way of salvation. The Lord showed us who a good shepherd is by telling us the following:

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:11  For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Eze 34:5  And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. 
Eze 34:6 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. 

To be scattered by the Lord implies being cast off by the Lord. Here in verse 5, the Lord is saying that where there is no leadership, the people of the Lord get scattered as they seek their own interest.

Psa 60:1  To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.

Jer 10:21  For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.

Jer 23:2 Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD.

It is the vision of a people that keeps them together and where there is no vision, the people seek their own interests and therefore perish or are scattered.  This vision is what the Lord has revealed of His words to His people.

Pro 29:18  Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

In verse 5, it is stated that where there is no shepherd, the people of the Lord become meat to all the beasts of the field. That is to say that we become dominated by the flesh or our old man who is empowered by the devil.

Being scattered means that we wander through ‘all the mountains and upon every high hill’, as shown in verse 6. This means that we go from one place of worship to another and all that we find is ‘another Jesus’ who becomes the idol of our hearts. Jesus told us that He is the good shepherd who goes after one sheep that strays from the hundred sheep under His leadership. However, the leaders in Babylon do not care about the spiritual well-being of the people the Lord has given to them. All that they are interested in is having a large congregation which means more tithes and offerings.

Mat 18:12  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
Mat 18:13  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Mat 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

The Lord is Against the Shepherds

Eze 34:7  Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 
Eze 34:8  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; 
Eze 34:9  Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; 
Eze 34:10 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 anymore; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. 

We were the flock that became ‘a prey and meat to every beast of the field’. Here in these verses, the Lord assured us of our deliverance from the shepherds of Israel or Babylon. In verse 10, we are also promised by the Lord that He will deliver us from the mouth of these shepherds such that they can no longer feed us false doctrines. We thank the Lord that He came to us to deliver us when we were overcome by the flesh and were carried away by every wind of doctrine during our time in Babylon. Indeed, ‘the Lord has turned again our (Zion) captivity’.

Psa 126:1  A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Psa 126:2  Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. 
Psa 126:3  The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psa 126:4  Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
Psa 126:5  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psa 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Eze 34:11  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. 
Eze 34:12  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. 
Eze 34:13 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. 

These verses confirm the Lord’s promise of leaving the ninety-nine sheep to come and look for us, His elect. We are therefore privileged that the Lord came to us and is gathering us from various countries, to the praise of His glory. Now, we have come into Mount Zion, the city of the living God.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Heb 12:23  To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24  And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

Eze 34:14  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. 
Eze 34:15  I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 
Eze 34:16 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. 

These verses continue the Lord’s promise to us that He will ‘feed us upon the mountains of Israel’, ‘by the rivers’ of verse 13. By the Lord’s grace, the Lord is feeding us with the truth of His words. Verse 14 shows us that the Lord’s elect shall be fed on ‘a good pasture’ and have their fold ‘upon the high mountains of Israel’. The ‘good fold’ refers to the assembly of the Lord’s elect where every joint supplies what is needed by the body.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Eph 4:15  But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Causing us to lie down in verse 15 signifies the rest that we find in Christ. We were those who were first preached to. However, because of our unbelief, we did not find rest. By the mercies of the Lord, we have been brought into the assembly of His elect where we have found rest as we cease from our own strivings.

Heb 4:3  For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:6  Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Verse 16 shows us what the Lord is doing on our behalf. He has found us and brought us out of Babylon to be established in Him such that we shall not be driven away again. He is healing our broken-hearted and delivering us from our diseases or sickness, which relates to the oppression of the evil one. He does this through the destruction of the fat and the strong which signifies our flesh or the old man as we go through His judgement.

Psa 103:1  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psa 103:2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psa 103:3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Psa 103:4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psa 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.  

Rom 11:33  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Rom 11:34  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
Rom 11:35  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.