Ezekiel had already exposed the sins of the nation’s leaders (chap. 22), but he returned to this theme because it had a bearing on Israel’s future. While this message applied to Israel’s current situation in Ezekiel’s day, it also hass application in that future day when the Lord gathers His scattered people back to their land. This message certainly must have brought hope to the exiles as they realized the Lord had not forsaken them but would care for them as a shepherd for his sheep.
When the Lord spoke about “the flock,” He was referring to the nation of Israel (34:31). “We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture” (Ps. 100:3; see 77:20; 78:52; 80:1). Moses saw Israel as a flock (Num. 27:17; see 1 Kings 22:17) and so did Jeremiah (Jer. 13:17) and Zechariah (Zech. 10:3). Jesus spoke of “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6; 15:24). Because Jesus called Himself “the Good Shepherd” and “the door of the sheep” (John 10:7, 11), the image of the flock carried over into the church (Acts 20:28–29; 1 Peter 5:2–3). Our English word pastor comes from the Latin and means “shepherd.”
Exploiting and abusing the sheep (vv. 1–10). Kings and officers in government were referred to as “shepherds” (2 Sam. 7:7–8; Ps. 78:70–71; Isa. 56:10–11; 63:11; Jer. 23:9–11; 25:18–19). It was their responsibility to care for the people, protect them, and see to it that their needs were met. But the selfish leaders of the kingdom of Judah had abused and exploited the people because they thought only of themselves. They milked the sheep and ate the curds, fleeced the sheep and made garments of the wool, and butchered the sheep and enjoyed the meat, but they failed to care for the sheep and meet their needs. Whenever leaders take from their people but don’t give them something in return, they are exploiting them. But true leaders don’t exploit their people—they sacrifice for them. Jesus the Shepherd set the example by laying down His life for His flock (John 10:10).
The leaders not only exploited the sheep but they also abused them by neglecting to meet their needs. Sheep require constant care, but the leaders didn’t manage the nation’s affairs for the sake of the sheep but for their own profit. They didn’t care for them at all. If the leaders’ sins of commission were bad, their sins of omission were worse. They didn’t minister to the sick and injured, nor did they seek for the lost and scattered sheep. They ruled only with force and cruelty. Three times Ezekiel accused them of allowing the sheep to be scattered, and a scattered flock without a shepherd is vulnerable and easily attacked by beasts of prey (Jer. 50:6). Because the leaders made selfish and unwise decisions, the nation fell apart and the flock was scattered.
Rescuing the flock (vv. 11–22). Was there any hope for God’s scattered people? Yes, because the Lord would come to deliver His flock from their oppressors and gather them to Himself. In Ezekiel’s time, the Lord brought His people back from Babylon; but the picture here is certainly much broader than that, for the Lord spoke about “countries” (v. 13). Ezekiel promises that in the end times, the Lord will gather His flock “from all places where they have been scattered” (v. 12) and bring them back to their own land where He will be their Shepherd (Matt. 24:31).
It’s difficult to apply this prophecy to the return of the remnant after their exile in Babylon, and even more difficult to “spiritualize” it and apply it to the church today. The prophet was speaking about a literal future regathering of Israel, a topic that is mentioned frequently in Ezekiel’s book (Ezek. 11:17; 20:34, 41–42; 28:25; 36:24; 37:21–25; 38:8). This promise of regathering is a part of God’s covenant with the Jews (Deut. 30:1–10), and the Lord always keeps His promises. (See also Isa. 11:11–12; Jer. 23:3–8; and Mic. 2:12; 4:6–8.) After He gathers His people, He will see to it that none of the “fat cattle” who preyed on the weaker ones will push them around, muddy their drinking water, or tramp down their pastures. The “fat [sleek] and strong” in Ezekiel 34: refers to the leaders who took advantage of the people. Don’t read into “rams and he-goats” (v. 17) the New Testament image of “sheep and goats” as found in Matthew 25:31–46, because in Bible times, it was customary for shepherds to have both sheep and goats in the flocks.
Protecting the flock (vv. 23–31). This is definitely a prophecy of future events, because the returned remnant didn’t have an august ruler caring for them, nor did “showers of blessing” come to the land. The economic situation at the beginning was difficult, the harvests were poor, and the peoples of the land were opposed to any Jewish presence there. But when Israel is regathered to her land in the end times, the Messiah will rule over them and be their Shepherd-King. The “prince” (v. 24) will not be King David, resurrected and enthroned, but the Lord Jesus Christ whom Israel will receive and trust when they see Him (Zech. 12:9–13:1; see Jer. 23:5; 30:8–10; Hos. 3:5). Ezekiel mentions “David the prince” in 37:24–25; 45:22; 46:4, and these references point to the Messiah.
Agriculture in the land of Israel depended on the early and latter rains from the Lord, and He promised to send the rain faithfully if the people honored His covenant (Lev. 26:1–5; Deut. 28:9–14). But if they disobeyed Him, the heavens would turn to brass and the ground to iron (Deut. 11:13–17; 28:23–24). If the people repented and sought His forgiveness, He would send the rain and heal the land (Deut. 30; 2 Chron. 7:12–14).
The Lord also promised that the people would be safe in the land and not be oppressed by the peoples around them. Except during the reigns of David and Solomon, the nation of Israel has been attacked, conquered, and ravaged by one nation after another, but this will cease when Messiah is on the throne. A “covenant of peace” would govern the land (Ezek. 34:25; see 37:26), which probably refers to the new covenant that Jeremiah promised in Jeremiah 31:31–34. The law of God would be written on the hearts of the people and they all would know the Lord and obey His will.
Neither the pain of scarcity nor the shame of defeat will rob the Jewish people of the blessings the Lord has planned for them. In the past, their sins forced the Lord to turn His face against them; but in the future kingdom, He will smile upon them and dwell with them. Ezekiel had watched the glory of God leave the temple (Ezek. 11:22–23), but he would also see God’s glory return (43:1–5). The name of the Holy City would become “Jehovah Shammah—the Lord is there” (48:35).