Shepherd Of Israel

November 14

Ezekiel 34-36

Psalm 120

Proverbs 27:13-14

James 4:1-12

Shepherd Of Israel

“For thus says Lord Yahweh, ‘Behold, I Myself will seek My sheep and care for them.  As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his sheep which are spread out, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day.  I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land….I will shepherd My flock, and I will make them lie down,’ declares Lord Yahweh.  ‘I will search for the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy.  I will shepherd them with judgment… Then they will know that I, Yahweh their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people,’ declares Lord Yahweh.”  Ezekiel 34:11-16, 30 LSB 

Ezekiel opened chapter 34 with a strong condemnation of Israel’s shepherds or leaders.  They were supposed to be teaching the people God’s laws and leading them in worshipping and serving the one true God.  Instead, he accused them of neglecting the flock and selfishly exploiting them for their own benefit.  God promised to remove them from their positions of leadership and He promised that He would be their shepherd personally caring for them and providing for their needs.  He then promised to bring back those who had been scattered, to heal them, and to vindicate them for the mistreatment and humiliation they had endured. 

In studying prophecy, it is important to note that many prophecies have double meaning.  They may be partially fulfilled but still awaiting final fulfillment.  I believe that Ezekiel 34 is one such prophecy.  While it foretold the spiritual restoration of Israel following the exile that lasted 70 years during Ezekiel’s ministry, it also pointed to a time almost two thousand years later when Israel was reestablished as a nation in 1948.  Ezekiel 34:13 prophesied that God would gather His people from the nations and bring them back to their land.  He talked about rebuilding cities and increasing the population.  There has never been a time in history when a nation ceased to be a nation and then became a nation again.  There have been many kingdoms, nations, and tribes, that have come and gone throughout history, some more powerful than others.  But no nation that was conquered and overthrown to the point of not existing, had ever become a nation again, until 1948 when Israel was recognized by the UN and became a nation again in one day as prophesied in Isaiah 66:8.  At that time 650,000 Jews from around the world moved to Israel, formed a government and reestablished their national identity.    Since that time, over 6 million Jews have followed.  Many describe a deep longing to live there that they don’t even understand.  God is setting the stage to fulfill the prophecies outlined in Daniel and Revelation regarding His chosen people in the end times.  Just as He has been their shepherd throughout their history, He continues to shepherd and care for His sheep today.