As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd, and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep,
God speaks here under oath. Before He sentences Israel's leaders, He lists the charges again: sheep torn by wild animals, no one looking for them, shepherds feeding off the flock.
Who the Shepherds Were
The word "shepherd" here is not a picture of a farm worker. It names the men who held power over the nation.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe shepherds of Israel were the kings and princes and all who had authority over them. The prophet Jeremiah had received a similar message (Jer. 23:1-2). These shepherds of Israel were responsible for the terrible condition of the flock. They were completely selfish. They did not care for the sheep of His pasture. They did not fear God, and they had no heart for God's people. The flock was scattered and plundered.
Whose Sheep They Were
Five times in this one verse God says "my" — my sheep, my shepherds, my sheep again. That word is the hinge of the charge: the men in office had reversed it. Kelly sets their rule against the rule of the King who is coming.
William KellySo, without the fear of God or love for His people, they forgot the relations both of themselves and of Israel to Jehovah. So everything went wrong, as it could not fail to do when His rights had no place in their eyes. Like the Gentile monarchs, they regarded the people whom they governed as their own, not as the flock of God. The result was confusion and every evil work. What a contrast with Him who humbles Himself to be Son of David and King of Israel, and who will rule over them justly, reigning in righteousness!
The same mistake is still available to anyone in spiritual charge of others.
William KellyIt was and still is of the greatest importance to regard "the flock" as God's. This matters all the more because even excellent souls usually forget this truth. They assume that the sheep they feed and care for are their own flocks. Such a thought betrays an unwitting denial of God's rights, and falsifies the relation of His sheep.
Feeding Themselves
The charge is not laziness. The flow ran the wrong way: what should have gone to the sheep came out of them instead.
A J PollockThe first complaint is that the shepherds fed themselves and not the sheep. They took from the sheep, instead of giving to the sheep. They ate the fat and clothed themselves with the wool. Further, they did not strengthen the diseased or heal the sick, and they ruled with force and cruelty.
No Shepherd, and a Prey
The verse links three things: no shepherd, scattered sheep, easy prey. Hamilton Smith traces that chain down to God's people now.
Hamilton SmithThe sheep are scattered for lack of a shepherd to lead them. Once scattered, they become a prey to the beasts of the field… Instead of one flock — one beautiful flock — we have scattered, harassed, wandering sheep with no one to look for them… When the leaders fail, God's people are scattered, and once scattered they fall a prey to the enemy. United they could have resisted the enemy's attacks; scattered, they fall an easy prey to every evil.
The Oath and the Verdict
"As I live" turns a complaint into a legal judgment. The sentence that follows has a rescue inside it.
William KellyTheir sin is laid out. The shepherds stand convicted and sentenced. But Jehovah promises to deliver His sheep.
God's judgment on the shepherds and His care for the sheep move together:
Numerical Bible NotesThe doom of the shepherds is therefore now announced. It is the judgment of love which smites for deliverance. There must be an end of this false claim to the shepherd's place without the shepherd's heart. Such a claim is especially offensive to Him whose heart is with the sheep. He is afflicted in all the afflictions of His people, and when He rises to help them, He will do a thorough work.
Why It Still Applies
This chapter speaks to Israel's shepherds first. It does not stop there.
C. H. MackintoshEzekiel 34 applies in a special way to the shepherds of Israel. Yet it certainly carries a solemn and needed lesson for everyone who takes up the work of a pastor among God's people.
Summary
- Mine. God calls them my sheep and my shepherds. The leaders treated the people as their own property, and every other evil followed.
- Taking. The charge is about direction: they took from the sheep instead of giving to them. They ate the fat and wore the wool, and never fed the flock.
- Scattered. No shepherd means scattered sheep, and scattered sheep mean easy prey. United they could have resisted; divided, they fall to every evil.
- Sworn. "As I live" turns the complaint into a verdict. God convicts and sentences the shepherds, and it is the judgment of love that strikes to deliver.
- Ours. The chapter speaks first to Israel's rulers. It still carries a solemn lesson for everyone who pastors God's people.