Lesson 34
background notes
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doctrinal / teaching points
1. The false shepherds were
unfaithful and uncaring of Israel.
2. The true Shepherd will restore
and care for Israel.
practical application
Sing for showers of blessing!
questions
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In chapters 33-39, there are 6
messages that begin with the phrase, “The Word
of the Lord came to me saying.” Here in chapter
34 is the second message, and in the first part
of the message (vs 1-10), God denounces the
shepherds of Israel. Who were these shepherds?
How had they failed in their role of shepherds?
Who were the victims of their failure?
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What form did God’s judgment take
against these false shepherds?
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In the second part of this message,
Ezekiel speaks of the true Shepherd. Who is the
true Shepherd? List several ways the true shepherd
will serve the people.
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In this message, who are the good
sheep (“My sheep” or “My flock”)? What and where is
the land to which they would be returned?
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Has the prophecy of the return of the
people to the land been fulfilled yet? If so, when
was the return? If not, when will the return be?
answers
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The shepherds that God denounced
(vs 1-10) were the kings, elders and leaders of
the nation of Israel. They had failed the people
by caring only for themselves (v 2), not feeding
the people (v 2), not caring for the sick and
helpless (v 4), not bringing back those who had
wandered (v 4, 6), and not doing anything to
keep the people from being scattered and
attacked (v 5). The victims of their failure as
shepherds were the people of Israel who in the
Lord proclaimed as “My flock” (vs 6, 8, 10).
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God denounced the false shepherds
and judged them by declaring that He was against
them and by taking away their role and
responsibilities as shepherds (vs 8-10).
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The true Shepherd is the Lord
Himself, Israel’s Messiah (vs 11, 30, 31). As the
true Shepherd, the Lord will search for His sheep
and bring them back into the land (vs 11-14); He
will feed them and give them rest (vs 14, 15); He
will heal and strengthen the injured and sick among
them (v 16); and He will discipline the sheep, as
well as judge and remove any who are not really part
of His flock (vs 16-22).
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In the context of this chapter, the
good sheep are clearly the Jewish people, and the
land of return is the land of Israel.
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This prophecy of great blessing, the
return of the people to the land of Israel, has not
yet been fulfilled. It was not fulfilled when the
Jewish people returned from their captivity in
Babylon, for they did not experience the prophesied
rest and security and blessing at that time (vs
25-27). This prophecy will be literally fulfilled in
the future when many of the Jewish people will turn
to the Lord and be saved, and restored to the
literal land of Israel.
discuss / consider
Discuss the importance of
interpreting the prophetic blessings of this chapter
as a promise to the Jewish people that God will
restore their spiritual relationship with Him, and
will return them to the land of Israel. What
problems of interpretation are encountered if the
blessings of this chapter are being spiritualized to
the Church today? Consider God’s covenant with
Israel in Jeremiah 31:31 in this regard.
challenge
What a great blessing the Lord has
promised to the people and to the land of Israel!
Are you praying and looking forward to the
fulfillment of this great blessing with
anticipation? Pray earnestly for the spiritual
restoration of the Jewish people to their Lord,
their literal return to the land of Israel, and for
the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
memorize
- “And I will bring [My sheep] out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places in the country.” Ezekiel 34:13
