34:1 The word of the Lord came to me:
Jehovah spoke to Ezekiel once again. Ezekiel was not giving his human opinion.
34:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not shepherds feed the flock?
Ezekiel was once again addressed as a “son of man,” meaning that he was born into the human race from the genealogy of Adam. Ezekiel addressed his prophecies against the “shepherds of Israel.” The shepherds of Israel were the political and religious leaders of Israel. Jehovah is sovereign over all things, including the appointment of political and religious leaders. The Hebrew word for “woe” is ה֤וֹי (hoa), meaning dissatisfaction and pain. Judgments of dissatisfaction and pain would come upon the political and religious leaders of Israel, because they were feeding themselves instead of the flock. They were passing laws which took away the wealth of their people.
34:3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the choice animals, but you do not feed the sheep!
The shepherds were devouring the flock instead of feeding the flock. They were stealing cloth from the flock instead of clothing the flock. They were slaughtering the flock instead of protecting the flock.
Israel’s leaders served themselves rather than their flock. They placed their own interests above that of the people. The kings added to their wealth by exploiting their own people. The Jewish kings saw the flock as a source of wealth to be exploited rather than to be protected. The kings did not gently nurture the people. They ruled harshly and brutally.
34:4 You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled over them.
The shepherds had not strengthened the flock, healed the sick of the flock, bandaged the injuries of the flock, brought back the strays of the flock, or sought for the lost of the flock. Instead, the shepherds had ruled the flock with force and harshness. The motive of the shepherds was not feeding the flock, but fleecing the flock for personal gain.
34:5 They were scattered because they had no shepherd, and they became food for every wild beast.
The rulers were to protect the flock from being scattered. The flock had been scattered into Assyria and Babylon. The wild beats were the Gentile nations who desired to devour Israel.
34:6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over the entire face of the earth with no one looking or searching for them.
Since the shepherds refused to take care of the sheep, Jehovah’s flock had been scattered into Assyria and Babylon. No one cared that they were lost. No one was searching or looking to bring them back into the green pastures of Israel.
34:7 “ ‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
In verses 1-6, Ezekiel listed the sins of the shepherds. In 7-10, he pronounced judgment upon the shepherds.
34:8 As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, my sheep have become prey and have become food for all the wild beasts. There was no shepherd, and my shepherds did not search for my flock, but fed themselves and did not feed my sheep,
Jehovah is a living God, not a lifeless idol which these false shepherds worshiped. Jehovah was sovereign over all things, including the appointment of the shepherds. The political and religious leaders of Israel allowed the Jewish people to become prey to the Gentile kings and food to the foreign nations. When Israel was taken into the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, then they had no king. The Jewish kings abandoned their flock, left them to the Gentile beasts (nations), and looked after their own interests.
34:9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
Jehovah had a strong message for these evil political and religious rulers of Israel.
34:10 This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand my sheep from their hand. I will no longer let them be shepherds; the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore. I will rescue my sheep from their mouth, so that they will no longer be food for them.
Jehovah is sovereign over all things, including the political and religious leaders. Jehovah was against these selfish political leaders. Jehovah would demand that these political leaders give up their rule over Jehovah’s people. Jehovah would rescue his people from these political and religious leaders so that his people would no longer be devoured.
34:11 “ ‘For this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I myself will search for my sheep and seek them out.
Jehovah is sovereign over all things, including the political and religious leaders. Jehovah himself would search for the flock and seek them out.
34:12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his scattered sheep, so I will seek out my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a cloudy, dark day.
Jehovah is the Great Shepherd. He will search out his flock and bring everyone of them back into the Promised Land.
34:13 I will bring them out from among the peoples and gather them from foreign countries; I will bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams and all the inhabited places of the land.
At the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom, Jehovah the Great Shepherd will bring all of the Jewish sheep back into the Promised Land.
34:14 In a good pasture I will feed them; the mountain heights of Israel will be their pasture. There they will lie down in a lush pasture, and they will feed on rich grass on the mountains of Israel.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Jehovah the Great Shepherd will personally feed his flock.
34:15 I myself will feed my sheep and I myself will make them lie down, declares the sovereign Lord.
Since the false shepherds would not feed Israel, then the Great Shepherd Himself will feed them. Again, this feeding will take place during the Millennial Kingdom.
34:16 I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them—with judgment!
The Great Shepherd will seek the lost sheep of Israel and bring them back into the Millennial Israel. Those sheep who were injured during the Great Tribulation will be healed and bandaged by the Great Shepherd Himself. Those who side with the Antichrist in an attempt to exterminate the Jews will be destroyed by the Great Shepherd Himself.
34:17 “ ‘As for you, my sheep, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.
The sheep will be the believing Jewish remnant who will enter into the Millennial Kingdom. Jehovah is sovereign over all people, including all of the Jewish believers. Like a shepherd who decides which sheep come into the fold and which do not, Jehovah will decide who goes into the Millennial Kingdom and who does not.
34:18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must trample the rest of your pastures with your feet? When you drink clean water, must you muddy the rest of the water by trampling it with your feet?
The unclean sheep were muddying up the water of the clean sheep.
34:19 As for my sheep, they must eat what you trampled with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet!
Jehovah’s sheep will be the elect of Israel. Jehovah’s sheep must eat the dirty food and drink the unclean water of the non-elect sheep. The non-elect sheep will be filthy, so they need to be removed from the fold.
34:20 “ ‘Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says to them: Look, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Jehovah is sovereign over all people. including the elect and non-elect Jewish people. As the Great Shepherd, Jehovah will decide who comes into His Millennial Kingdom.
34:21 Because you push with your side and your shoulder, and thrust your horns at all the weak sheep until you scatter them abroad, 22 I will save my sheep; they will no longer be prey. I will judge between one sheep and another.
The wicked sheep (unrighteous Jews) butted the righteous sheep (righteous Jews) out of the good pasture land of Israel. However, the Great Shepherd will no longer allow the wicked sheep to act in this way. The Good Shepherd will judge the goats and not allow them into the Millennial fold.
34:23 I will set one shepherd over them, and he will feed them—namely, my servant David. He will feed them and will be their shepherd.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Jehovah will get rid of the bad shepherds and place a good shepherd over Israel. Jehovah will resurrect King David from the dead and place him as the Prince of Israel.
34:24 I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken!
If taken literally, then Jehovah will be the God and King David will be the prince of Millennial Israel. This prophecy will be fulfilled, because Jehovah has spoken it. The Amillennialists and Postmillennialists may disagree, but the spoken word of Jehovah has authority over false human theologies. It is bad hermeneutics for theologians to spiritualize a passage to make it fit their own personal theology.
The first law of hermeneutics is that “if the plain sense of Scripture makes perfect sense, then seek no other sense.” When God says that David will be a prince of Israel, or that the land of Israel will be given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants, then no one has the right to spiritualize these words of God away.
34:25 “ ‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and will rid the land of wild beasts, so that they can live securely in the wilderness and even sleep in the woods.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will experience the blessings of the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31. The entire nation of Israel will become a nation of messianic believers. They will live in the land of Israel in peace. The wild beasts were the Gentile nations who were attempting to devour Israel. Jehovah will eliminate all of the hostile Gentile beasts who were attempting to devour Israel. Israel will become so secure during the Millennial Kingdom, that they will be able to live in the wilderness and sleep in the woods.
34:26 I will turn them and the regions around my hill into a blessing. I will make showers come down in their season; they will be showers that bring blessing.
During the Millennial Kingdom, Israel will be blessed with abundant rainfall. She will regain both the former and latter rains.
34:27 The trees of the field will yield their fruit and the earth will yield its crops. They will live securely on their land; they will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
During the Millennial Kingdom, the agriculture of Israel will return to its Garden-of-Eden conditions. Israel will experience no more war. The entire nation of Israel will become a nation of Messianic believers. Jehovah will rescue Israel from the extermination efforts of the Antichrist.
34:28 They will no longer be prey for the nations and the wild beasts will not devour them. They will live securely and no one will make them afraid.
During the Millennial Kingdom, the Gentle nations will no longer attempt to exterminate the Jews and annex their land. The Jews will no longer fear foreign powers. There will be no more Muslim or anti-Semitic nations who will attempt to exterminate the Jews. There will be no more United Nations who attempt to take away Israeli land. Anti-Semitism comes from Satan, but Satan will be bound in the Abyss for 1,000 years.
34:29 I will prepare for them a healthy planting. They will no longer be victims of famine in the land and will no longer bear the insults of the nations.
During the Millennial Kingdom, there will be no famine in the land. There will be no more insulting Jewish jokes spread among the Gentile nations.
34:30 Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they are my people, the house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord.
All of Israel will become messianic believers. All of these prophecies will be fulfilled, because Jehovah is sovereign over all nations.
34:31 And you, my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are my people, and I am your God, declares the sovereign Lord.’ ”
Jehovah is the Great Shepherd. Israel is His prized flock. Jehovah is sovereign over all people, so these prophecies will be fulfilled.