Lessons From Ezekiel – Lesson 29
The focus now changes from coming Judgment and current judgment to restoration. The focus changes from the past to the future. From past wrongs and sins to in the future getting right and blessings.
We have went thru the revival of Nehemiah’s time and went thru the prep work of Ezra and Esther. God did a lot to get that to come about. But the prep work did not start with Esther or Ezra.
The prep work for the restoration starts in Ezekiel. God has already been working on getting the attention of the younger generation with Ezekiel’s object lessons.
And now God starts to take actions. Jerusalem has only been lost for a short time. Measured in days and not months, and God is already moving and setting things in motion to restore them.
They are a total mess. It will take 70 years. Our God is patient and is always working way ahead. He does not leave things to chance.
So what is the first thing that has to happen? Before anything else. What is the first thing? And I find this very interesting. The first change needed is to rescue the people from the bad preachers.
If you remember from Jeremiah and early in Ezekiel there were many prophets in Israel saying peace peace when there was no peace with God. We learn more about them here.
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.
The first thing we learn about them is they had the wrong motivation. They had the wrong goal. Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
Their motivation was themselves. It was all about them. It was about what they could get. And that includes money to feed their bellies. But it was also about feeding themselves praise and status and power and accolades.
Their goal was themselves. The goal should have been aligned with God’s goal, and that is caring for others. Serving God’s children.
Their concerns were all focused inward upon themselves. God’s way is to have the focus outward on those they were to teach and preach to and lead.
The first thing we see is that their focus and goal was wrong. And that always leads to their actions being wrong. You have the wrong focus and goals on the inside and then your actions on the outside will be wrong because those actions are following the wrong goals and focus of your wicked heart.
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.
They did not have any compassion for those they led. They did not help the sick. They never strengthened anyone. They never fixed anything that was broken.
They never went out and found that which went astray. Instead look how they treated them. But with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.
This gives great insight to how these preachers thought about the people. They looked at the people as property, as just resources for them. They looked at the people as being there for them.
That is 100 percent backwards from the way God wants it. The preachers were supposed to be shepherds. Gently leading the flock and caring for them and protecting them. Looking at them as individuals and providing for what they needed.
This total backwards way of looking at being a preacher is still alive and well today. Even though what God thinks of it is clearly documented for us in the book they preach. They have an amazing way of ignoring these parts of the Bible.
So we first saw that they had the wrong focus and goal. It was all about what they could get out of it. We see they were not concerned with how the people were doing. They did not really care about them at all.
And they were not doing anything to help the people. They had no compassion. The people were just property to be ruled. And ruled with cruelty.
And because of this the people suffered.
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.
The people wondered from God. Wandered the mountains and every high hill. In those days what was on every mountain and every high hill? False god altars. This is a reference to the idol worship of all their false gods.
The reason most of the people ending up wondering away from God and into that was because the wicked preachers were not doing their job. They were not lovingly teaching people about God and not caring for them and not seeking after them.
With their self-centered focus and their uncaring cruelty they were actually driving people away from God.
The wicked preachers have some responsibility for how bad things had gotten.
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 any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.
God is going to hold them responsible. The first thing God is going to do is to remove them. They will no longer be allowed to mess with the people.
God is going to deliver His flock from their mouth. That means they will not speak to the people any more. And the end of verse 10. That they may not be meat for them. The wicked preachers will no longer make money from the people.
God is working already toward the restoration of the people and the great revival that will happen. And he can’t do that and have this wicked influence going on from these wicked preachers.
So the first thing God does. The very first thing to start the path to restoration is to remove these horrible preachers.
And then God starts working with the people. He seeks them out and will work in their lives.
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.
And now some encouraging promises.
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.
They have just lost Jerusalem and God is directly promising that He has not forsaken them and that they will return one day. They will be restored.
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.
They will be fed by God, they will have good pasture once again 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.
Sheep will only lay down if they feel safe. This is a promise of protection. So not only will they get the land back, but one day they can safely lay down and feel safe in the land.
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.
The great promises just keep coming. One after another. Those wicked preachers did not care about you, but God does. They did not care that you were sick or broken. But God says I care.
Those wicked preachers did nothing for you. They did not lift a finger to help you. But God says I will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.
Then comes a warning to the wicked preachers and others like them that abused the people.
EZE 34:17 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.
EZE 34:18 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?
EZE 34:19 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.
Are you getting it. There were those who took what they wanted and left the residue for the people. So they were fat because they took the best. So they are referred to fat cattle. The lean cattle of course are the people who only got the scraps that were left over.
EZE 34:20 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle.
EZE 34:21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad;
EZE 34:22 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.
EZE 34:23 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.
EZE 34:24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
Jesus came thru the line of David. We understand verse 23 as being a reference to Jesus.
EZE 34:25 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.
EZE 34:26 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.
Not just a blessing here and there. But there shall be showers of blessing.
Promise after promise. What a great message to those in captivity. Yes judgment had to come. Yes God tried for centuries to avoid it, but the nation would not listen. They would not turn.
So yes judgment has come and yes you can’t go back today. But listen, I have not forsaken you, I will work on your behalf and in your lives.
And here is promise after promise after promise. You will be restored.
EZE 34:27 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.
Did you catch it? You will get the land back and be safe when I have delivered them (the people) out of the hand of those that served themselves (the wicked preachers and those like them).
They served themselves at the people’s expense. They served themselves of them.
EZE 34:28 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.
EZE 34:29 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.
EZE 34:30 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 God closes this with a clarification so that none can misinterpret what God is saying.
EZE 34:31 And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.
The flock God is talking about in this chapter are not sheep. They are men.
They had preachers who where in it for all the wrong reasons. They actually caused great harm. And God let this go on a long time. But He noticed all of it and kept track of all of it.
The preachers eventually got removed but they did great damage until that happened.
But since they were allowed to abuse the people for a time they thought it was ok and that they got away with it. But they all got judged by God. And punishment always eventually comes.
We need to remember that during the same time God had real faithful preachers also. He had Jeremiah and Ezekiel and before them Isaiah and others.
And it has been this way ever since. For thousands of years there have always been those preachers that Lord over the flock and fleece the flock and they do it for money and status and influence and power and prestige. They pretend to care about the flock but they really do not. They think of the people as beneath them and are property.
And at the same time God has real good honest faithful servants who do care and do teach right. Real men who are walking with God.
So we support and help the good ones.
And we understand that God is watching and He will take care of the bad ones in His timing. So we leave that in His capable hands.