The first time I read Ezekiel 34, I was sitting in a laundromat on a Saturday night in New Orleans. I had been studying the story of the Good Shepherd in John 10, which referenced Ezekiel 34. At that point in my life, I hadn’t read the entire Bible, so when I turned to Ezekiel 34, I was startled by its words.
They pierced my heart then, and I hope they touch yours as we reflect on them today.
The word of the Lord came to me: Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: To the shepherds—thus says the Lord God:
Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep.
You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured; you have not brought back the strays; you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them.
So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and scattered they became food for all the wild animals.
My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them (Ezekiel 34:1-6).
In Ezekiel’s time, “shepherds” referred to governmental leaders, prophets, and priests. Today, the term encompasses pastors, teachers, parents, governmental leaders, and essentially anyone in a position of leadership.
If someone is following your guidance, then, in a sense, you are a shepherd.
Being a shepherd or a leader of people is a tremendous privilege, but it also carries great responsibility. Tragically, there are times when those entrusted with leadership serve their own interests rather than caring for the people they are meant to lead.
When leadership is absent or self-serving, people are left scattered and vulnerable. We can see this in many parts of the world today, where anarchy and disorder prevail.
The root of the problem in these nations often lies in poor or corrupt leadership.
The principles of leadership apply universally, whether in business, family, church, or other areas. When leaders prioritize their own interests over the well-being of those they are responsible for, negative consequences inevitably follow.
Consider the impact of poor leadership: economic hardships caused by mismanagement at the top of organizations, or dysfunction within churches and families when leaders neglect their duties to serve others and instead focus on themselves.
Such failures in leadership can have far-reaching and damaging effects.
It should not surprise us that God holds those entrusted with the care of others accountable for their actions. When we fail in our responsibilities, He has every right to say, “I am against you.”
Thus says the Lord God: I am against the shepherds, and I will hold them accountable for my sheep and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them (Ezekiel 34:10).
God, the True Shepherd
The connection between this passage in Ezekiel and the Good Shepherd passage in John 10 lies in God’s promise that, when human leadership fails, He Himself will step in as the Shepherd.
He will search for the lost sheep, heal their wounds, care for them, and bring them back—even restoring those who have been exiled to their own land.
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep and will sort them out. . . I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.
I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land (Ezekiel 34:11-13).
It’s worth remembering that God is not bound by any rulebook requiring Him to act in certain ways. Instead, it is His character and nature—defined by love and grace—that compels Him to do what humans so often fail to do.
When we fall short in our responsibilities as leaders, He, the Good Shepherd, comes searching for us.
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God.
I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strays, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice (Ezekiel 34:15-16).
I am deeply grateful that years ago, God came looking for me. I wasn’t seeking Him, but He sought me out. Praise God, He became my Shepherd, and I now have the privilege of being one of His sheep.
I’m sure you join me in praising God for His grace, which leads Him to seek us out.
I also trust that you join me in praying for the shepherds of our world, asking God to help them fulfill the vital roles they have been entrusted with.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this patch on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 