God's Sheep Find Their Shepherd
Ezekiel Chapter 34
Today we will begin
this quarter in the Old Testament, and we will see that God was the
same in all His "judgments" as He is today and the answer
to every question is still our "Perfect Shepherd" the Lord
Jesus Christ.
We must remember,
all the Old Testament teaches us about the character of our Heavenly
Father.
How He expects us to
live a holy life.
How He will chastise
us when we go against His Word.
How He will judge
those who reject Him.
How He will be a
Shepherd to those who love Him.
In the world of
animals, sheep may be the dumbest of all animals.
This is evident as a
trait of our own human character! I realize main will object to this
statement, but the truth is never well accepted by all!
What is the truth?
If you have a flock of sheep, then there is a great need of a
shepherd!
In our lesson today
we will meet a nameless shepherd who would eat from his flock. He
would kill them for meat and clothing. He would take from them their
milk for nourishment and the products that come from the milk, and he
felt that this was the only reason for having this flock.
What do we find? We
find that this shepherd would not feed his flock. He would not lead
his flock to drinkable water. He would not fight off the predators.
He saw his sheep only as merchandise.
What would these
sheep do? They would go in search for food and drink, they would be
scattered. Their strength would soon fade. The stronger sheep would
push away the weaker sheep until those weaker sheep would become
weaker and diseased and become easy prey for their enemies and
worthless or be of very little value.
This shepherd did
not care for his sheep. He would just continue to take from this
flock for his own personal needs, regardless of the needs of his
flock.
Obviously, this
flock of sheep would one day perish if no one would help them and so
would this shepherd for he would run out of sheep to slaughter to
meet his own needs.
We must learn from
this lesson and carry our learning into the Church of today, and not
forget we now serve the True Shepherd, the Good Shepherd.
Joh_10:11 I am the
good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
The Holy Spirit is
using this word "shepherd" to represent not only
"shepherds" but also "the religious leaders of Israel"
and "the government of Israel" who knew they had been told
by the Word of God to take care of God's people, but they had become
so greedy they could only think of themselves and had forsaken the
people of Judah and the nation of Judah would go into captivity and
their lands destroyed. Even the Temple the House of God was
destroyed.
This is a picture of
things going on today as most governments are forsaking the people of
God, in fact all people, while doing their very best to destroy the
Church.
This makes no sense
because Christians are normally the most productive and law abiding,
people you will ever meet. They just will not go against the Word of
God.
Today we see many
false shepherds of the Church are doing their best to destroy the
Church of the Living God from inside the Church.
*****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.
Eze 34:11 For thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and
seek them out.
Who is the Shepherd
of these sheep? The Lord God says, "my sheep". All those
who belong to the Lord are "His sheep" and He is their
Shepherd!
Bad shepherds are
selfish and do their best to exploit the sheep.
Our Good Shepherd
loves His sheep and diligently cares for His sheep!
The nation of Israel
had been destroyed. The House of God had been destroyed. Yet the True
Shepherd keeps up with each of His sheep.
The True Shepherd of
Israel knows exactly where every true Jew is today and there are no
lost tribes and there are no lost sheep of Israel.
It is the same for
each Christian, God knows exactly where all His children are and what
is going on in their lives!
Notice Jehovah says
"I will" search for and seek out my sheep.
Jehovah likes to get
up close and personal with all His children!
Joh 10:14 I am the
good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Eze 34:11 For thus
saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and
seek them out.
Isa 40:11 He shall
feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his
arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that
are with young.
Isa 40:12 Who hath
measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven
with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure,
and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Isa 40:13 Who hath
directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught
him?
Isa 40:14 With whom
took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path
of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of
understanding?
Isa 40:15 Behold,
the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small
dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little
thing.
You know when the
Lord says, "I will" then you had better believe "He
will"!
He will deliver His
people!
*****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.
What does the "Good
Shepherd" do? He will seek out and find all His flock!
Again this Good
Shepherd is Jehovah, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy
Spirit.
He will return His
people to the promised land!
Rom 8:16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
Rom 8:17 And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if
so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Rom 8:18 For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19 For the
earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of
the sons of God.
He will feed His
flock!
Psa 23:1 The LORD
is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He will lead His
flock to good pastures!
We should understand
that if we "rightly divide" the Scriptures, we will see
that God wrote somethings to the Nation of Israel that will not
involve the Church, and all these things will occur according to
God's timeline.
After the Church is
removed and the Lord focuses on fulfilling His promises to Israel, we
will be with Him wherever He goes, and He will rule Israel from the
city of Jerusalem, and we will be with Him.
Also "rightly
dividing" the Bible there are some things that will happen to
non-believers and these things will be fulfilled also!
Remember all those
who reject the Word of God are already "judged"!
Rom 3:23 For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 6:23 "For
the wages of sin is death"; but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This death being
eternally separated from our loving God, in a place of eternal
torment!
The Lord knows His
sheep and His sheep know Him!
God will deliver His
people.
Psa 23:4 Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear
no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psa 23:5 Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psa 23:6 Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
There are no lost
tribes of Israel in fact God knows each of the Israelites and where
they are located today!
*****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.
Lost sheep that are
scattered, will feed off whatever they can find, and it is not
always good for them.
They haven’t been
cared for and they become ragged.
They end up around
other people who do not care for them and certainly do not love them.
They become lost
sheep in a lost world!
Listen to the
promises of Jehovah God.
God will gather them
away from those lost people of the world who only care for themselves
in most case by robbing the poor.
God will gather them
away from those people who live by false hopes in countries where
there is no hope of the truth.
God will gather them
into their own land and feed them in a land of pleasant pastures.
God will gather them
into a land where they can be loved and cared for.
Over and over again
we see that God will get up close and personal with these lost sheep.
Why?
Because Jehovah is
the true Shepherd of Israel. He is also the true Shepherd of all
those who are lost!
Joh 10:16 And other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd.
We cannot read this
passage of Scripture without seeing the love, the passion, the pity,
the caring, of Jehovah God, Yahweh, for His people.
We cannot read this
passage without thinking about what God has said about His people.
Deu 7:6 For thou
art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath
chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people
that are upon the face of the earth.
Deu 7:7 The LORD
did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more
in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
Deu 7:8 But because
the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had
sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty
hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of
Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Deu 7:9 Know
therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which
keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his
commandments to a thousand generations;
Deu 7:10 And
repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will
not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
God said I will take
you home!
*****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.
Eze 34:15 I will
feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
If we count, we will
see God use the "I" 15 times in this passage. He uses the
word "my and myself" 3 times.
There is nothing on
this earth God will not do for those people who obey His
commandments!
We know that God
never changes because these things are the basis of the love our
Savior has for the Church.
Joh_10:30 I and my
Father are one.
Joh_14:21 He that
hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and
he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him,
and will manifest myself to him.
Our God does not
have two messages but only one!
We will be fed in a
good pasture.
That good pasture is
upon the high mountains of the promised land.
This is where the
fold of God will be and there is no mountain higher than Heaven.
This is the place of
"rest" is only for the believer!
Heb 4:3 For we
which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn
in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works
were finished from the foundation of the world.
Heb 4:4 For he
spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did
rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5 And in this
place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6 Seeing
therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom
it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
There cannot be many
shepherds, there can only be One Shepherd!
*****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.
King David had been
dead 400 years when Ezekiel penned these words by the Holy Spirit.
Ezekiel is a prophet
of God and in this Scripture, he prophesies of the Messiah.
This Shepherd/King
who will feed them and be the true Shepherd that will come from the
line of King David!
David was a shepherd
who minded the sheep of his father Jesse.
Isa 11:1 And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the
spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for
the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 55:3 Incline
your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I
will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David.
Isa 55:4 Behold, I
have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to
the people.
Jer 30:9 But they
shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will
raise up unto them.
Hos 3:5 Afterward
shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and
David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the
latter days.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus
have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the
churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright
and morning star.
Rev 22:17 And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.
Again we see the
object of Jehovah, is to get up close and personal with His sheep and
be the Good Shepherd and even more than this, a Righteous King.
We know that this
has not taken place yet, so this prophesy will come together after
the Church has been called to be with the Lord.
God's promises will
be fulfilled one by one, but we can see that God's timing will come
quickly once the Church has been taken out of this world.
What will King Jesus
do?
*****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.
When King Jesus sits
on the throne from the city of Jerusalem, He will rule this world!
The Scriptures say for 1000 years. This promise He made to the people
of Israel.
There will be peace:
1) The animal world
will finally be at peace as in the first days of Adam and Eve.
Isa 11:6 The wolf
also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with
the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7 And the
cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down
together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the
sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child
shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
Isa 11:9 They shall
not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
2) The human world
will finally see peace when King Jesus sits on His throne.
Col_2:15 And having
spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.
3) The lands of all
the world will finally be at peace.
*****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.
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.
This will be a time
when all foods will be grown without fertilizers and poisons, without
even organic fertilizers and pest controls!
Farmers will not
have to go to Monsanto to buy seed. The plants will produce their own
perfect seed.
What precious
promises the Lord makes and rest assured, our Lord never breaks a
promise!
Amo 9:11 In that
day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close
up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will
build it as in the days of old:
Amo 9:12 That they
may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are
called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.
Amo 9:13 Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the
mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
Amo 9:14 And I will
bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall
build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens,
and eat the fruit of them.
Amo 9:15 And I will
plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out
of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
In America, I can
remember when we did not have to lock our doors and most of the
population still feel that we are safe in our homes.
In reality we are
just not as safe as we use to be!
Weapons are in the
minds of most all Americans. Some in a good way and some in a bad
way. You want to stop the rise of gun purchases, make us feel safe in
our homes again? Quit providing for the needs of the crooks, robbers,
and murderers and provide for the victims!
Today the people of
Israel never know when the sirens will blare telling them that a
rocket is headed their way.
Where that greatest
part of their national budget must be spent on the defense of their
nation.
Where everyone born
must spend some time in the military, so a defense force is always
ready.
These people simply
do not know what peace is all about, but one day in the future, the
City of Jerusalem will become the City of Peace and the enemies of
Israel will all be destroyed!
They will dwell
safely in that land, because they will have chosen to serve the Lord.
Luk 1:73 The oath
which he sware to our father Abraham,
Luk 1:74 That he
would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our
enemies might serve him without fear,
Luk 1:75 In
holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
God will remember
His promise!
Luk 1:68 Blessed be
the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
Luk 1:69 And hath
raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant
David;
Luk 1:70 As he
spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the
world began:
Luk 1:71 That we
should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate
us;
Isa 44:24 Thus
saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb,
I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the
heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
Isa 44:25 That
frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that
turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
Isa 44:26 That
confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his
messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to
the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the
decayed places thereof:
There is coming a
day when the children of Israel will have no fear of any nation!
This day has not
come yet, but is still in the future and I would hope that all of
that nation feel security in the Word of God.
*****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.
Eze 34:31 And ye my
flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the
Lord GOD.
That plant of renown
is none other than, the "stem of Jesse", the Lord Jesus
Christ, the True Messiah.
Isa 11:1 And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the
spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for
the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of
his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the
girdle of his reins.
All these prophesies
meant much in the past of Israel, but their true fulfillment is still
in the future at the return of Christ Jesus.
And the Lord picks
up where He began, because we are all still sheep in need of a
Shepherd!
Our Divine Shepherd
is Adonai, His name is Jehovah the one true God!
Today if you want to
be in the flock of the true God you must realize that you are a sheep
in need of the true Shepherd!
If you have not
found your Shepherd, I will tell you that He is seeking for you
today.
Call out for Him and
He will find you!
Amen
Let's Pray!
