The eternal God deeply deplored the lack of care of His children by the spiritual shepherds, saying, ‘ Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel.’  Our sensitive God had much to complain about, ‘ Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who feed themselves. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?’ (v1)

God complained further, ‘ You eat the fat, and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.’ The shepherds profited by growing prosperous, while they neglected the suffering sheep.  No wonder the compassionate Father grieved.  ‘The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who are sick; nor bound up the broken; nor brought back what was driven away; nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. ‘( v4)

The Father desired that leaders would strengthen the weak, heal the sick, take the broken, fragmented life and reconstruct it, welcome home those driven away; search the mountains for the bleating sheep, and rule gently and tenderly.  Our Lord Jesus Christ 600 years later fulfilled all these demands as the Good Shepherd, who gives His life for the sheep ( John 10 ) Only the perfect Son of God could meet the highest requirements of a great God.  And He did.  Now these requirements apply to the pastor and elders of the christian church, who follow God’s eternal principles.  This charter directs us in an age when human character is crumbling, and lives are disintegrating.

Israel could not stand these pressures and was ‘scattered because there was no shepherd, and they became food for the beasts of the fields when they were scattered.’  Ezekiel told of the grievous dispersion of Israel for her unfaithful shepherding. ‘ My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, my flock was scattered over the face of the whole earth, and no-one was seeking or searching for them.’

This prophecy was partially fulfilled when the Lord allowed Israel to be scattered in Persia for 70 distressing years, after neglecting the Sabbath for hundreds of years. It was totally realized when Titus overran Jerusalem in70 AD, leaving not a stone on another, slaughtering many, while those who escaped sought refuge in every country on the face of the earth.  God’s word was solemnly brought about.  Scripture was vindicated.  We must digest the total biblical truth: not partially, lest we lose its force.   

God was angry, ‘ ‘As I live, says the Lord God, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the fields, because there were no shepherds, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed the flock.’  Then God solemnly pronounced, ‘ Therefore, oh shepherds, hear the word of the Lord , ‘Thus said the Lord, Behold, I am against the shepherds and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the flock; and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock  from  their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.’ (v8-10) 

God reviewed the neglect of the shepherds and pronounced His judgment on their wilful disregard of the precious people of Israel.   The great God opposed the rulers of Israel and made them accountable to Him, one of the most neglected truths applying to shepherds of the christian church who are not directly answerable to another.  A dear  scholarly friend, of international note, is accountable to a noble elder in the local parish; praying and discussing regularly with mutual blessing- but responsible. To shepherds,  

God is righteous, named Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our righteousness.( Jeremiah 23)

The Father assumed the role of shepherd during Old Testament events, which was fulfilled perfectly when His Son was born of Mary and became the Good Shepherd.’  ‘The Lord God says, ‘ I Myself will search out for My sheep and seek them out.'’( v17)  While Egyptians despised the role of shepherd, the eternal One assumed that title for Himself and His beloved Son. Truly, ‘He made Himself of no reputation’, yet ‘the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want’, as that blessed Psalm 23 reads.

Ezekiel gave a job description of God as shepherd,’ He is among His scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep, and deliver them from all the places, where they were scattered on a cloudy, dark day.’  His heart ached for His lost sheep.    So our God identifies Himself with His lost ones, and seeks them, that He may free them ‘  Our place is as ‘undershepherds’.  Only the christian faith has a Founder and Redeemer with a longing sensitivity for His own. Yes, He did create Israel; and then when they fell in sin, He sent His only beloved Son to ransom them from sin.  He did the same for us.

Our God launched a transmigration plan to ‘ bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries , and bring them to their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel.  There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ( v14)  In the day when our Australian nation is wrestling with enquirers for asylum, even though we are second in the world in providing home for refugees, ( and every nation faces this acute migration policy,) we understand the great wisdom of God and His power to do this for His beloved people.

 He sent Ezra the scribe back to rebuild the temple, and Nehemiah, the Governor, to raise a protective wall, and break the Babylonian chains that enslaved them.  He kept His word to prosper His chosen , so that Israel flourished again. Later , they failed to recognise their Messiah, and they rejected the Son of  God who had come as the Son of Man, fulfilling every prophecy in the Old Testament.  The Roman governor assented to His crucifixion, which the high priest and his infamous senate demanded.  

That whole prophetic sequence was repeated in our life time after the Holocaust, when 6 million of the Jewish people were wiped out.  In WW11, My General Hospital was based in Nazareth for six months, where I watched the land beginning to blossom like the rose; with desert on one side of the highway, while citrus trees and fruit orchards flourished on the other. 

Then in 1948, the Balfour declaration of UK released Palestine as the national home of the Jewish people.  How they rejoiced, as God’s word was fulfilled. God blessed United Kingdom while she preserved this favourable stand, and He withdrew His benediction when UK changed her attitude to God’s anointed.    According to the word, ‘I will bless  those that bless you, and I will curse them that curse you.’  ( Genesis 12 )

The dispersed Jewish nation returned from every country to their homeland.  They had preserved their language, despite separation from the land for hundreds of years. 

They had solemnly safeguarded their Old Testament worship, even though thousands of miles from the Jerusalem.  They had woven every facet of their rich heritage into the lives of their children, and these were admitted into their newly-recognised land.

The Holy Spirit brought streams of Ezekiel’s prophecy flowing together even though some hundreds or even thousands of years have separated some of the fulfilments.  The eternal God rightly did this with His own beloved people.  He was Sovereign and Omniscient ( all-knowing) and the future was clearer to him than the present is to us.   

The spirit of Christ is the spirit of prophecy.  Do not fear this prediction,  but cherish it.