Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice

Ezekiel 34 describes God’s prophecy against the leaders of Israel who were feeding themselves instead of caring for the sheep.

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? (Ezekiel 34:2).

In John chapter 10, Jesus told a parable about the good shepherd as opposed to the greedy shepherds of Israel.

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.

The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:1-5).

The “thief and bandit” of Jesus’ parable is described in detail in Ezekiel’s prophecy.

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 (Ezekiel 34:3-4).

The Old Testament prescribes certain behaviors for shepherds, the people God called to lead the nation. First, their rule was to reflect God’s character and concern for the vulnerable.

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.

May he judge your people with righteousness
and your poor with justice.

May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor. (Psalm 72:1-2, 4)

When leaders fail to fulfill the role God has given them, He pronounces His judgment against them.

“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’s promise was not merely to judge faulty leaders, but also to personally provide for the sheep who had been so poorly cared for by their shepherds.

“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).

The Fulfillment

When Jesus shared this parable, He suggested that the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy was at hand.

Let’s examine what Jesus says the good shepherd will do and contrast it with the failures of the faulty shepherds described by Ezekiel.

(1) The sheep hear His voice: The Good Shepherd doesn’t drive the sheep like a ruthless overlord. He walks before them and calls for them to follow Him.

(2) He calls his own sheep by name: This is incredible news. God not only knows your name, but He also knows your hopes, dreams, plans, fears, and everything about you. He knows you intimately and loves you deeply.

He desires to lead you toward the best life possible.

(3) They do not know the voice of strangers: God desires a conversational relationship with humans.

Here’s a guiding principle for discerning God’s voice. God typically does not speak in lengthy sentences or complex arguments. If our thoughts are overly complicated or argumentative, they are likely coming from ourselves, the world around us, or even the enemy.

Instead, God’s guidance is straightforward and clear. When He speaks, we recognize it, understand it, and can act on it.

While His message may not always align with what we want to hear, we can trust it is from Him and is the best path to follow.

Explanation Needed

Readers of the Gospel of John have the advantage of the next ten verses to provide clarity. However, when Jesus originally spoke these words, they were left unexplained and required further interpretation.

Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them (John 10:6).

Thankfully, we have those next ten verses, which we will explore in tomorrow’s study.

YouTube Discussion:

Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this parable on YouTube today. It’s on the Bob Spradling channel.