Ezekiel

Ezekiel 34: God Himself shepherds His people

Begin in prayer

Before reading how God seeks His scattered sheep, let us bring Him our need for faithful care. Seek His help to listen with calm hearts, His nearness to our family and a clear sight of Christ in Ezekiel 34.

Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Micah 7:14

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Please help us understand Your care and justice, and see Jesus as the good Shepherd who gave His life for His sheep. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

God condemns Israel's shepherds for feeding themselves, ruling harshly and leaving the weak scattered and exposed to animals. He will remove those leaders and rescue His sheep. God Himself will seek, gather, feed and tend the flock, while destroying the fat and strong. He also judges the sheep who trample pasture, foul water and push the weak away. God will appoint one shepherd, His servant David, and make a covenant of peace. Safety, fruitful land, freedom and the end of famine will show His people that He is their God and is with them.

As you read Ezekiel 34, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God Himself rescues His scattered sheep, and He gives them one faithful Shepherd.

The shepherd picture exposes leaders who take the flock's benefits while refusing the care their position requires. They eat fat, wear wool and kill fatlings, leaving sick and scattered sheep without help. God's repeated promise to act Himself answers their failure, placing the flock's rescue in His own hands. His justice reaches beyond leaders to sheep that spoil others' food and water or drive the weak away. Destroying the fat and strong therefore belongs to His care for a flock harmed by those who overpower it. God's promised servant David will be the flock's one shepherd, feeding them under God as their appointed prince. The covenant of peace answers their dangers with safety, their hunger with fruitfulness and their enslavement with freedom. Calling the sheep people makes the picture plain, and knowing God is with them is the goal of His care.

How does Ezekiel 34 show us that God Himself rescues His scattered sheep, and gives them one faithful Shepherd?

God rescues the flock from selfish leaders.

Israel's shepherds feed themselves while neglecting and harshly ruling the sheep (verses 1 to 10). The scattered flock becomes food for animals. God removes those shepherds and rescues His sheep from their mouths.

God cares for the weak and judges their oppressors.

God seeks the lost, brings back the driven away and strengthens the sick (verses 11 to 22). He will destroy the fat and strong. He judges those who foul the water and push the weak aside.

God gives His flock one shepherd and peace.

God appoints His servant David as one shepherd over them (verses 23 to 31). His covenant of peace brings safety, fruitfulness and freedom from slavery. His people will know that He is with them and that they are His flock.

Memorize

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord Yahweh.

Ezekiel 34:15

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, whom do I push aside, and have I come to Jesus, the good Shepherd?

God promises, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep”. He will gather the scattered, tend the weak and judge those who harm His flock. He also promises one shepherd, His servant David. The rescue rests in the Lord's own care and the shepherd He appoints.

Jesus is the one Shepherd God promised, the good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10 verse 11). He died for His people, bearing their sins and suffering their condemnation on the cross. His death accomplished their salvation once for all, with nothing missing from the work that brings them peace with God. He rose to live, and He keeps those who belong to Him.

Turn from the sins that scatter and harm, and entrust yourself to Jesus. The Shepherd gives forgiveness to everyone who comes to Him in faith. Please bring Him both your need and the ways you have harmed others. Ask Him for a heart that follows His voice and cares for those who are weak.

Parent's note

Tell your children that Jesus is the Shepherd who died and rose to save His sheep. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for His faithful care and the Shepherd He has given, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

Jesus came out, saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

Mark 6:34

Lord, thank You for seeking the lost and caring for the weak through Jesus, the good Shepherd. Forgive our selfishness toward others, and help each one turn from sin and trust Him. Please teach us to follow His voice and show patient care to those we have pushed aside. Amen.