Ezekiel 34:23-31

C. The Future Shepherd 34:23-31

TRANSLATION

(23) And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (24) And I the LORD mill be their God, and My servant David prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. (25) And I will make a covenant of peace for them, and I will cause the evil beasts to cease from the land; and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. (26) And I will make them and the areas surrounding My hill a blessing; and I will cause the rain to come in its season; there shall be showers of blessing. (27) And the tree of the field shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its increase, and they shall be safe upon their land, and they shall know that I am the LORD when I have broken the bars of their yoke, and I have delivered them from the hand of those who made them bondmen. (28) And they shall not again be a prey to the nations, nor shall the wild beasts of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. (29) And I will raise up unto them a famous plantation, and they shall not again be consumed by hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more. (30) And they shall know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are My people (oracle of the Lord GOD. (31) And you My sheep, the sheep of My pasture, are Adam, and I am your God (oracle of the Lord GOD.

COMMENTS

After the return from exile and the period of direct divine supervision of the flock, God would set up a shepherd over His people. This Shepherd must be the long-awaited Messiah, a ruler of the house of David. The Davidic dynasty would be restored. The responsibility of feeding and tending the flock of God would be committed to Him (Ezekiel 34:23). Yahweh would still be their God; but His servant David would be prince among them (Ezekiel 34:24). What a marvelous foregleam of the New Testament doctrine of the Father and the Son (Ezekiel 34:24).

A new covenant is a prominent feature of the Messianic age (cf. Jeremiah 31:31), Here it is called a covenant of peace. Under the supervision of the Messianic David the flock would be safe. Evil beasts, i.e., bad rulers, would not be part of His domain. Even those most dangerous areas the wilderness and woods would be free from the ravenous beasts (Ezekiel 34:25).

The entire region around God's hill (Zion) would be blessed of God as well as those who inhabit those regions. Showers of blessing would descend upon them thus assuring abundant harvest (Ezekiel 34:26). The inhabitants of that blessed and secure land would all know by personal experience that the Lord had delivered them from captivity the bars of their yoke. No longer would they be slaves to the enemies of God (Ezekiel 34:27). The Messianic flock would never fall victim to the beast of the earth, nor would adversary nations be able to carry them off as prey. In their divinely provided security they would manifest a boldness uncharacteristic of sheep (Ezekiel 34:28).

Because of the amazing fertility of the land, Israel would be known far and wide. Famine so common in Bible days would be a thing of the past. The inhabitants of God's land would never have to suffer the humiliation of having to look to other nations for material assistance (Ezekiel 34:29). Israel would realize that God was with them and that they were in fact God's special people (Ezekiel 34:30). God's flock is more than mere sheep; they are Adam, i.e., a special creation of God (Ezekiel 34:31). The entire passage relates to the new Israel of God God's present-day chosen people (Galatians 6:16). The spiritual blessings which God in this Messianic age showers down upon His people are here portrayed in terms of agricultural prosperity,