Ezekiel 34:11-27

Ezekiel 34:11. For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

Here is a divine One come to seek and to save. The shepherds had neglected and scattered the flock. Now God takes it out of their hands, and he says, «I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.»

Ezekiel 34:12. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

He has a chosen people redeemed unto himself by blood, and though they have wandered in the cloudy and dark day of their depravity and ruin, yet will he seek for them with ceaseless care, and bring them back with mighty power, until he has put them into his fold again.

Ezekiel 34:13. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

This shall yet be done to Israel after the flesh; it is being done to Israel after the spirit, to whom these promises in their fullness belong. By the mountains of his immutable promise, by the rivers of his Spirit's influences, shall his people be fed.

Ezekiel 34:14. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.

When God works, he does nothing by halves, nothing scantily. There shall be a pasture, and it shall be fat; his people shall feed; they shall feed until they lie down in the pasture through very satiety; through the plenitude of his feeding they shall rest.

Ezekiel 34:15. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God.

Happy sheep that have such a guardian! Happy believer if you are realizing today the full meaning of this, «I will feed my flock.» Only God can do it, but he can do it very effectually until the heart is satisfied with favor, and full of the blessing of the Lord.

Ezekiel 34:16. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Men that are proud and lifted up shall meet with no blessing, but such as feel their poverty, their weakness, their nothingness, shall be the favored ones of God. Cannot some of you poor lost ones, driven-away ones, broken ones, and sick ones, lay hold upon this promise? You may see daylight through it, however dark your condition may be. God saith, «I will,» and you may depend upon it. He will make it good. There is never an «I will» of Jehovah that shall fall to the ground.

Ezekiel 34:17. And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feel the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet?

Sometimes when God's people get very strong in themselves, they grow proud, and they find great fault; precious truth is not good enough for them unless it is very daintily spoken; they have eaten, and now they tread down the pasture and spoil it for others. This may seem a very small offense, but the great Shepherd does not think so; he looks with indignation upon these fat and strong, who foul the waters with their feet.

Ezekiel 34:19. And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them: Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad.

There is a way of doing that. Some are so big, so harsh, so wrapt up in themselves, that if they meet with a fellow-Christian in trouble, who has less confidence than themselves, who seems to be less useful than themselves, they are all for pushing, and poking, and driving, and doing I do not know what. Mind what you are at, when you meddle with the poor people of God. There are some doctrinal views, some pretensions to perfection, which just amount to this.

Ezekiel 34:22. Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them.

You know his name. «My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto my sheep eternal life.» You know that voice; it makes you glad to think he is so near you. «I will set up one shepherd.» That is glorious. He is of God's setting up; Who can put him down again?

Ezekiel 34:23. And he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

The house of David shall still shepherd the people of God in the person of great David's greater Son, whom we adore.

Ezekiel 34:24. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace,

With you that were lost, that were driven away, that were sick, that were broken.

Ezekiel 34:25. And will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land:

So he will. There were once more wolves than sheep; now there are more sheep than wolves; and the day shall come when the saints shall possess the land. «The meek shall inherit the earth.» Meanwhile, in the ways of God, «no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon.» «And they shall dwell safely in the wilderness,» where they seemed to be quite defenseless; there they shall be safe, and they shall «sleep in the woods,» in the very lairs of the wild beasts. There shall they be so safe that they shall feel safe, and shall even go to sleep. So «he giveth his beloved sleep.» «And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing,» for God does not bless men that they may keep the blessing to themselves. If he blesses them he makes them a blessing, and their surroundings become a blessing.

Ezekiel 34:25. And they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.

Oh! what a blessed day when all our yokes are broken by God's own hand. We have worn them long enough the sinful yoke, the legal yoke, the yoke of fear of man, a yoke heavy to bear when they are all gone, and we can sing, «Thou hast loosed my bonds.»