Shepherd Ministry — Learning from the Perfect Shepherd (Ez. 34)

Ernst-August Bremicker

Brief Thoughts on Ezekiel 34

Ezekiel 34 is one of the better-known chapters of this Old Testament book. It begins with a description of the false shepherds of Israel (vs. 1–10) who do not care for God’s sheep, His people. But then verse 11 introduces the ‘great shepherd of the sheep’ (Heb. 13:20), who cares for His flock as a shepherd should.

To understand what God wants to teach us in this part of His Word, it is important to distinguish three viewpoints:

The historical viewpoint. When Ezekiel was writing, there were leaders among the people of Israel (in Judah) who were bad shepherds and were only interested in themselves and what was to their own advantage. They did not care for the sheep but neglected and even exploited them. God encourages the small minority of His people who trusted in Him, telling them that they were not forgotten and that He cared for them.
The prophetic viewpoint. The description of the bad shepherds points prophetically to the future when the worst shepherd, the ‘worthless shepherd’ (the Antichrist), will appear and become the leader of the Jews (Zech. 11:17). He too will only be concerned with his own advantage. Because of this he will abandon the sheep in their time of greatest need during the coming tribulation. Again, God’s words about the true shepherd will be a great encouragement for the believing remnant in that time. It is explicitly said that God will set up a shepherd — His servant ‘David’, that is our Lord Jesus — who will take care of the flock (Ezek. 34:23).
The practical viewpoint. When we as Christian believers read Ezekiel 34 with the New Testament before us, we find rich instruction and encouragement in it for the time in which we live. On the one hand, there are also false shepherds in Christendom who do not care for the flock but only think of themselves — 2 Timothy makes this very clear. On the other hand, what is said about the true shepherd applies just as much to the one who presents Himself in the New Testament as ‘the good shepherd’ (John 10:11), ‘the great shepherd’ (Heb. 13:20) and ‘the chief shepherd’ (1 Pet. 5:4) — our beloved Lord Jesus.

As we get to know our shepherd (the Lord Jesus) better, our appreciation of the way He acts towards His sheep will increase. He does everything a shepherd typically does for his sheep: He is with them; He helps them; He feeds them; He protects them; He gathers them; and He guides them. In addition, those with shepherd responsibilities learn from His example how to execute them. In the New Testament, He is the only one called ‘the shepherd’ (1 Pet. 2:25). He is unique and incomparable, but some believers are ‘shepherds’ in their local gatherings or among the people of God in general. The Ephesian elders were specifically told to take heed to themselves, and to all the flock wherein the Holy Spirit had set them as overseers, ‘to shepherd the assembly of God’ (Acts 20:28). Peter writes to elders that they should ‘shepherd the flock of God’ which is among them (1 Pet. 5:2).[1]

The example of our perfect shepherd helps believers to carry out such service as He desires. Let us now consider two illustrations.

The shepherd acts in favour of His sheep

‘For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold I, even I, will both search for my sheep, and tend them’ (Ezek. 34:11).

As stated above, the true shepherd is unique: He is the Lord Jehovah. He presents Himself as the one who does not change. He is and remains the same: ‘I AM THAT I AM’ (Ex. 3:14); ‘For I Jehovah change not’ (Mal. 3:6); ‘Jesus Christis the same yesterday, and to-day, and to the ages to come’ (Heb. 13:8). This shepherd can always be relied upon fully. What He was yesterday, He is today; what He is today, He will be tomorrow. There is not a shadow of a change. This of course cannot be said of any mere human being. Nevertheless, it should challenge shepherds today, and indeed all of us, not to be fickle, but to be as consistent as possible in our shepherding efforts.

The shepherd’s words in this verse touch our hearts. They speak of His presence, of His interest and of His help. The demonstrative word ‘Behold’ draws special attention to these three points, which are three great blessings:

Behold I, even I. This is nothing less than the promise of His personal presence. There is no situation in our lives, no place on earth we may be, where our Lord does not come to us and say, ‘Behold, I’. He is with us to encourage and to comfort us by His presence. When we feel abandoned by others, we can be sure that He is always with us. ‘Behold, I am with you all the days, until the completion of the age’ (Matt. 28:20). This is what Paul experienced when alone in that awful prison in Rome at the end of his life: ‘the Lord stood with me’ (2 Tim. 4:17).
I will search for my sheep. This shows the Lord’s special interest in us. He is not indifferent to us. On the contrary, we are precious and important to Him. He does not let us out of His sight for one moment. What exercises us concerns Him too. He enters our lives, so to speak, and involves Himself in the situations we face. It may be that some people — even our brethren — are not concerned about us, but our Lord is not like this. Whether it be circumstances of joy or need, He is lovingly interested in us.
I will tend them. This reminds us that He cares for us and helps us when we are in need and cannot help ourselves. Such situations will occur again and again, be it in our personal lives, professional lives or family lives or when we serve our Lord. We sometimes feel our limitations and see no way out. But the shepherd is always there to show Himself mighty on our behalf. How good it is to have such a powerful shepherd.

In all three points, the Lord is an example to us. We are not like Him naturally speaking, but we should become more like Him and learn from Him. There are three questions for everyone who shepherds others (be it our brethren or our families):

Are we available when others need us? Our Lord is always available. That is impossible for us, but we should at least have the desire to be there for others and to have time for them when they need us.
Are we interested in one another? Do we know how our brothers and sisters are doing? Do we have an idea of what is on their minds, what they are worried about? It is important that we show genuine interest in one another rather than simply ask in an offhand way how they are getting on.
Are we ready to help when this is needed? This applies to material and practical needs, but it can — and should — also apply to spiritual matters and questions. We can only be like this if we are prepared to put the interests of others before our own.

The shepherd takes care of our needs

‘I will seek the lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up the broken, and will strengthen that which was sick’ (Ezek. 34:16).

This verse refers to four anomalies the shepherd corrects: lost sheep He will seek, sheep driven away He will bring back, maimed and injured sheep He will bind up and heal, and sick sheep He will strengthen.

I will seek the lost. Generally speaking, statements like this apply to unbelievers whom the good shepherd seeks (e.g. Luke 15:4). Here, however, it has to do with those among His sheep who are no longer on a right course in their lives (Matt. 18:11–13). How often we lose our way and take a wrong path! Then the shepherd seeks for us until He finds us. But the question also arises as to whether we are ready to go after those who have lost their way because they have lost sight of the Lord. He wants us to follow them up with a shepherd’s heart.
I will bring again that which was driven away. Usually, sheep are in a flock. And yet it is possible for a sheep to go off by itself. This can happen because of self-will or because of the behaviour of others (even other believers in the case of the Christian flock). The Lord will not contemplate the lost sheep remaining on his or her own but works tirelessly to bring them back. He wants us to have happy fellowship with Him and with one another. An example of this can be found in Luke 24. The two disciples left the company of the others in Jerusalem and went to Emmaus. The Lord dealt with them in His great love and saw to it that they returned to the fellowship of the disciples in Jerusalem. Once again the question arises as to whether our shepherding efforts extend to those who have drifted away from the flock.
I will bind up the broken. Sheep can get hurt. This may be their own fault, or it may be that their injuries are inflicted by others. How many ‘injuries’ there are among God’s people today! Our Lord does not ignore them. He wants to bind them up and to heal them. Believers who have been hurt are often unable to help themselves. They are dependent on others to help them. How good it is to know a shepherd who heals: ‘I am Jehovah who healeth thee’ (Ex. 15:26). The Lord also wants to use us in this service. If we see brothers and sisters who have been hurt, may we befriend them and seek to encourage them in the Lord.
I will strengthen that which was sick. While injuries are generally visible, sickness is often internal. In this verse we may associate it with inner spiritual weakness and failure. There are those among God’s people who are not spiritually healthy and who are therefore not spiritually strong. Our shepherd takes care of them also and gives them power (Phil. 4:13). If we see that a fellow believer is spiritually weak, let us reach out to him or her with the same shepherd heart. If we gain their confidence and listen to their difficulties, the Lord will give us words that will help and encourage them in a right course. Ultimately, only He can heal them but we can be the instruments for this in His hand.

The Lord has a special place in His heart for His sheep. He loves them, and has laid down His life for them. That is why He continues to care for them. This causes us to rejoice and to be grateful. It also spurs us on to care for His sheep with the same spirit, ‘watching lest there be any one who lacks the grace of God’ (Heb. 12:15).

[1] It is worth quoting the footnote in the J N Darby translation about the force of the Greek verb ‘shepherd’ in this verse: ‘The aorist and characteristic: the whole conduct in this character being looked at together as constituting it. They are to act in this character, or have it by acting. It is not simply an exhortation to do it, but to acquire that character by doing it; to be so characterized; ‘Be shepherders’.’

From: Truth and Testimony, 2023