Hirelings and Butchers: The Great Shepherd's Rebuke Text: Ezekiel 34:1-10
Introduction: The Leadership Crisis
There is a perennial temptation that faces every generation of God's people, and it is the temptation to turn shepherds into wolves. The office of elder, pastor, or shepherd is a glorious calling, instituted by God for the feeding, protection, and care of His flock. But because it is a position of authority, it is a position that is constantly targeted by men who love authority more than they love the sheep. And when such men get in, they do not feed the flock; they feed on the flock.
Ezekiel's prophecy comes at a time of catastrophic leadership failure in Israel. The kings, priests, and prophets, the designated shepherds of God's people, had utterly abandoned their posts. They were not just negligent; they were predatory. They were hirelings and butchers, using the flock for their own enrichment and leaving them scattered and vulnerable to every passing beast. This is not some dusty, irrelevant history. This is a perpetual danger. The modern evangelical world is littered with the wreckage caused by celebrity pastors who built their own kingdoms, fleeced the flock, and left a trail of wounded, scattered sheep.
This passage in Ezekiel 34 is a divine declaration of war against all such corrupt leadership. It is a blistering, holy rebuke from the Owner of the flock. But it is more than that. It is a glorious promise. God does not simply fire the bad shepherds; He declares that He Himself will come and shepherd His people. This is a foundational Messianic prophecy, one that Jesus of Nazareth steps into and fulfills perfectly when He declares, "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11). This passage, then, serves as a terrifying warning to all who would dare to lead God's people, a profound comfort to all who have been wounded by failed leaders, and a glorious pointer to the one, true Shepherd of our souls.
We must understand that God takes the health of His flock with the utmost seriousness. He does not tolerate spiritual abuse. He does not wink at pastoral negligence. He is against the shepherds who serve themselves, and He promises to personally intervene. This is a word of judgment, but for the true sheep, it is a word of profound hope.
The Text
Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says Lord Yahweh, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been shepherding themselves! Should not the shepherds shepherd the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you sacrifice the fat sheep without shepherding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, and the diseased you have not healed, and the broken you have not bound up, and the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you searched for the lost; but with strength and with severity you have dominated them. They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to seek or search for them."' "
Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: "As I live," declares Lord Yahweh, "surely because My flock has become plunder, My flock has even become food for all the beasts of the field for lack of a shepherd, and My shepherds did not seek for My flock, but rather the shepherds shepherded themselves and did not shepherd My flock; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 'Thus says Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will seek My flock from their hand and make them cease from shepherding the flock. So the shepherds will not shepherd themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth so that they will not be food for them."' "
(Ezekiel 34:1-10 LSB)
The Indictment of the Self-Serving Shepherds (vv. 1-4)
The prophecy begins with a direct and devastating charge from God Himself.
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, 'Thus says Lord Yahweh, "Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been shepherding themselves! Should not the shepherds shepherd the flock?"'" (Ezekiel 34:2)
The command is to prophesy "against" them. This is not a gentle course correction. This is a declaration of hostilities. The central crime is identified immediately: they have been "shepherding themselves." The entire purpose of their office has been inverted. A shepherd lives for the good of the flock, but these men were using the flock for their own good. God asks a rhetorical question that ought to haunt every man who stands in a pulpit: "Should not the shepherds shepherd the flock?" The question answers itself. The duty is plain. To neglect it is a gross dereliction, a fundamental betrayal of the office itself.
Verse 3 details how this self-shepherding manifested itself. It was a ministry of consumption, not provision.
"You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you sacrifice the fat sheep without shepherding the flock." (Ezekiel 34:3)
They treated the flock like a personal pantry and wardrobe. They were consumers, not cultivators. They took the best for themselves, the fat and the wool, while providing nothing in return. The charge "without shepherding the flock" is the damning refrain. It is entirely possible for a man to have all the external trappings of ministry, to enjoy the perks of the office, while doing none of the actual work. He can be a professional cleric, a religious CEO, a conference speaker, but not a shepherd. He is a hireling, and worse, a butcher.
Verse 4 gives us the flip side of their sin. It was not just what they did, but what they failed to do. This is a catalogue of pastoral neglect.
"Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, and the diseased you have not healed, and the broken you have not bound up, and the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you searched for the lost; but with strength and with severity you have dominated them." (Ezekiel 34:4)
This is a five-fold failure in pastoral care. They ignored the weak, the sick, the injured, the straying, and the lost. True shepherding is hard, messy, personal work. It means seeking out the struggling, binding up the wounds of those broken by sin or suffering, and pursuing those who wander. It is not glamorous. It is the work of a spiritual physician and a rescue worker. But these shepherds had no time for that. Instead of tender care, they offered tyranny: "with strength and with severity you have dominated them." They replaced the shepherd's crook with an iron fist. This is the sin of lording it over the flock, something the Apostle Peter explicitly warns elders against (1 Peter 5:3). Leadership in Christ's church is servant leadership, not authoritarian domination.
The Consequence: A Scattered and Devoured Flock (vv. 5-6)
Verses 5 and 6 describe the inevitable result of this kind of leadership failure. When the shepherds abandon their post, the flock is left defenseless.
"They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to seek or search for them." (Ezekiel 34:5-6)
The key phrase is "for lack of a shepherd." The sheep, by nature, are not self-sufficient. They need a guide and a protector. Without one, they scatter. And a scattered sheep is a dead sheep. It becomes "food for every beast of the field." This refers not only to the literal political and military enemies that devoured Israel, like Babylon, but also to the spiritual predators, the false doctrines and idolatrous practices that led the people astray. The wandering on "every high hill" is a direct reference to the idolatry that took place in the high places.
Notice the possessive pronoun God uses: "My flock." This is personal. These are not just any sheep; they are God's sheep. The failure of the undershepherds is an offense against the Chief Shepherd. Their negligence has resulted in the devastation of God's personal property. And the final, tragic indictment is that "there was no one to seek or search for them." The very men charged with the search and rescue mission were the ones sitting at home, feasting on the spoils. This is a picture of total, systemic collapse.
The Verdict: God Against the Shepherds (vv. 7-10)
Because of this gross malpractice, God now summons the shepherds to hear their sentence. The tone is severe, backed by a divine oath.
"Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: 'As I live,' declares Lord Yahweh, 'surely because My flock has become plunder... and My shepherds did not seek for My flock, but rather the shepherds shepherded themselves... therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh...'" (Ezekiel 34:7-9)
God swears by His own existence, "As I live," which is the most solemn oath possible. He recounts the charges: the flock was plundered because there was no true shepherd, and the shepherds were too busy feeding themselves to care. The repetition drives the point home. This is not a misunderstanding. This is a willful, criminal abandonment of duty.
And so, the verdict is delivered in verse 10. It is a three-part judgment.
"'Thus says Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will seek My flock from their hand and make them cease from shepherding the flock. So the shepherds will not shepherd themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth so that they will not be food for them."'" (Ezekiel 34:10)
First, God declares, "Behold, I am against the shepherds." This is one of the most terrifying statements in all of Scripture. To have the sovereign God of the universe set Himself against you is the definition of ruin. He will hold them accountable; He will "seek My flock from their hand." They will be called to account for every lost, wounded, and devoured sheep. Second, they will be fired. He will "make them cease from shepherding the flock." Their authority is revoked, their office stripped from them. Their little kingdom of self-indulgence is over. Third, and most gloriously for the sheep, God will rescue His flock. "I will deliver My flock from their mouth so that they will not be food for them." God Himself will intervene to save His people from their predatory leaders.
The Good Shepherd's Intervention
This entire passage is a divine setup for the gospel. The utter failure of human shepherds creates the necessity for a divine Shepherd. This prophecy hangs in the air for centuries until a man stands up in Jerusalem and says, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it" (John 10:11-12).
Jesus is the answer to Ezekiel 34. He is the one who does everything the failed shepherds did not. He strengthens the sickly, heals the diseased, binds up the broken, brings back the scattered, and searches for the lost (Ezekiel 34:16). How does He do this? He does it by laying down His life. He does not feed on the flock; He feeds the flock with His own body and blood. He does not use the sheep; He dies for the sheep.
When God says, "I will seek My flock," this is precisely what He does in the incarnation. The Son of God comes down to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He is God Himself, shepherding His people. He is the fulfillment of this promise.
And this has massive implications for the Church today. First, it means that any man who stands in a pastoral role does so as an undershepherd, accountable to the Good Shepherd. His task is not to innovate or build his own brand, but to faithfully execute the will of the Owner. He is to feed the sheep with the Word of God, protect them from wolves, and care for their souls. To do anything else is to risk having the Lord of the Church set Himself against you.
Second, for the sheep, this is our ultimate security. Our salvation does not depend on the faithfulness of our human leaders. Pastors and elders will fail. They will disappoint. Some, as we see here, will be outright predators. But our hope is not in them. Our hope is in the Good Shepherd who never fails, who never leaves, who never forsakes His flock. He has purchased us with His own blood. He will deliver us from the mouth of every wolf, and He will bring us safely into His fold. The final judgment on leadership is coming, and on that day, the only thing that will matter is whether we belonged to the flock of the one, true Shepherd.