Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 34:1 - 34:10

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Ezekiel 34:1 - 34:10


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Woe upon the Shepherds of Israel

v. 1. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,

v. 2. Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel,
the spiritual leaders of the people, but especially their civil governors, the men responsible for their welfare, set to guard the interests and provide for the good of their subjects, prophesy and say unto them, in rebuking them for the selfishness with which they sought their own ends in all their dealings, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! looking out for their own interests only. Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? This emphasizes the reprehensible character of the shepherds' behavior, the fact that they do just the opposite of what is rightly expected of good magistrates.

v. 3. Ye eat the fat,
taking the best part for themselves, and ye clothe you with the wool, in the sense in which the term "fleecing the flock" is used even in our days, ye kill them that are fed, the most excellent of the flock; but ye feed not the flock. The action of the rulers was thus to be condemned as in every way opposed to the attitude which might justly be expected of men of their position.

v. 4. The diseased have ye not strengthened,
though they were weak with the effects of illness, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, such as were crippled by the fracture of some member, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, namely, by the harsh treatment accorded them, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them, with acts of oppression like those suffered by their ancestors during the Egyptian bondage. Cf Lev_25:43. The picture is that of a people living under the harsh treatment of severe task-masters and driven away from their country by punishments inflicted upon rulers an people alike.

v. 5. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd,
none who really performed the true ruler's function in keeping his subjects together in peace and safety; and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered, the children of Israel being harassed and robbed by all the surrounding nations, even before they were taken away into exile.

v. 6. My sheep,
as the Lord still desired to regard and treat them, wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill, as their captors scattered them throughout the nations of the world; yea, My flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them, no one being concerned about their welfare nor making any effort to find out about their condition. The rulers were, in short, altogether deficient in the sense of duty which should have characterized them in their relation to their people.

v. 7. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord,
in His rebuke upon the unfaithfulness of these rulers,

v. 8. As I live, saith the Lord God,
the sovereign Ruler of the world, surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became meat to every beast of the field, as a result of the shepherds' neglect, because there was no shepherd, none who really performed the work of a true shepherd, neither did My shepherds, men who purported to hold this position, search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, concerned about their own welfare only, and fed not My flock,

v. 9. therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord,
the sentence pronounced upon them by the supreme Ruler:

v. 10. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds,
sternly opposed to them, and I will require My flock at their hand, demanding an accounting from them, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock, take away their position of rulers by which they had enriched themselves; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more, their source of unjust revenue being taken from them; for I will deliver My flock from their mouth that they may not be meat for them. We have here a picture of the manner in which the Lord often delivers such as are His children from the injustice and robbery of men who exploit them in their own interest.