The Divine Shepherd and the Bully Rams Text: Ezekiel 34:11-24
Introduction: A Crisis of Leadership
We live in an age that despises authority, and as a direct consequence, we are drowning in a crisis of leadership. The world tells us to be our own shepherd, to follow our own heart, to be the captain of our own soul. The result is not a flock of enlightened, self-actualized individuals, but rather a valley of scattered, terrified, and starving sheep, prey to every passing wolf. And the church, which ought to be the model of true authority and loving care, has all too often simply mirrored the world's failures. We have had our share, and more than our share, of false shepherds, hirelings who feed themselves and not the flock. They are the corporate CEOs in pastor's clothing, the effeminate managers of decline, the ravenous wolves who abuse and plunder.
Because of this, many have concluded that the problem is leadership itself. They have become allergic to authority. But this is like concluding that because there are counterfeit twenty-dollar bills, we should abolish all currency. The problem is not that there are shepherds; the problem is that there are bad ones. God's solution to bad authority is not no authority; it is good authority. His solution to false shepherds is not to abandon the flock, but to take up the shepherd's crook Himself.
Ezekiel 34 is one of the most blistering indictments of corrupt leadership in all of Scripture. The first part of the chapter lays out the charges against the shepherds of Israel who have failed spectacularly. But our text today is not about the failure of man; it is about the faithfulness of God. It is a glorious promise that when human leaders fail, God Himself will intervene. He will do the job right. He will seek, save, feed, heal, and judge His flock. And He will ultimately provide the final solution to the leadership crisis by installing His perfect shepherd, the new David, the Lord Jesus Christ.
This passage is a profound comfort to the afflicted, and a terrifying warning to the arrogant. It shows us the heart of God for His people and the destiny of those who would dare to abuse them. It is a declaration that God will have a healthy flock, and He will do whatever it takes to secure it.
The Text
For thus says Lord Yahweh, "Behold, I Myself will seek My sheep and care for them. As a shepherd cares for his herd in the day when he is among his sheep which are spread out, so I will care for My sheep and will deliver them from all the places to which they were scattered on a cloudy and gloomy day. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them to their own land; and I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the inhabited places of the land. I will shepherd them in a good pasture, and their grazing ground will be on the mountain heights of Israel. There they will lie down on good grazing ground and be shepherded in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I will shepherd My flock, and I will make them lie down," declares Lord Yahweh. "I will search for the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them with judgment."
"As for you, My flock, thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats. Is it too slight a thing for you that you should be shepherded in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet? As for My flock, they must be shepherded on what you tread down with your feet and drink what you foul with your feet!'"
Therefore, thus says Lord Yahweh to them, "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the sickly with your horns until you have scattered them abroad, therefore, I will save My flock, and they will no longer be plunder; and I will judge between one sheep and another."
"Then I will establish over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them; he will shepherd them himself and be their shepherd. And I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken."
(Ezekiel 34:11-24 LSB)
God's Personal Intervention (vv. 11-16)
The passage begins with one of the most emphatic declarations of divine initiative in the Bible.
"For thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I Myself will seek My sheep and care for them.'" (Ezekiel 34:11)
The human shepherds failed, so God says, "Fine. I'll do it Myself." This is not a delegated task. This is the owner of the flock rolling up His sleeves to personally intervene. The covenant God, Yahweh, commits His own reputation and character to this rescue mission. He will seek, care for, deliver, gather, feed, and give rest to His people. This is a comprehensive salvation. It is not just a spiritual rescue; it is a holistic restoration. He brings them to their own land, to good pasture, to rich grazing ground. He makes them lie down, which is a picture of absolute security and satisfaction. A sheep will not lie down unless it is free from all fear and all hunger.
Notice the tenderness of the care. He will "search for the lost," "bring back the scattered," "bind up the broken," and "strengthen the sick." This is the heart of the gospel. God is not looking for the qualified, the strong, or the self-sufficient. He is seeking the helpless. Our Lord Jesus made this explicit: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17).
But do not mistake this tenderness for sentimental softness. The very same sentence that promises healing for the sick contains a terrifying threat: "but the fat and the strong I will destroy." Who are these "fat and strong"? This is not a condemnation of physical health or material prosperity. In the context of the flock, the fat and strong are the arrogant, self-satisfied sheep who do not need a shepherd. They are the bullies, the ones who get their fill and then some, pushing the weaker sheep out of the way. God's shepherding is not a universal, indiscriminate blessing. It is covenantal, and it involves judgment. He concludes, "I will shepherd them with judgment." This is a profound comfort for the broken, and it should cause the proud and the abusive to tremble in their boots.
Civil War in the Sheep Pen (vv. 17-22)
God then turns His attention from the failed shepherds to a problem within the flock itself. The trouble is not just with the leadership; there is a civil war going on among the sheep.
"As for you, My flock, thus says Lord Yahweh, 'Behold, I will judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and the male goats.'" (Ezekiel 34:17)
God is going to hold court right in the middle of the pasture. He sees the distinctions we try to ignore. He differentiates between the aggressive rams and the vulnerable sheep. He identifies a class of sheep who are not just feeding themselves, but are actively ruining the pasture and the water for everyone else. "Is it too slight a thing for you that you should be shepherded in the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pastures? Or that you should drink of the clear waters, that you must foul the rest with your feet?"
This is a stunningly relevant picture of life in a fallen church. The "fat sheep" are the insiders, the powerful, the spiritually arrogant. They consume the good teaching for themselves, and what they leave behind, they trample into mud. They take the clear water of the gospel and foul it with legalism, with gossip, with partisan bitterness, with theological snobbery. They make it impossible for the weak and the struggling to get a clean drink. They "push with side and with shoulder, and thrust at all the sickly with your horns until you have scattered them abroad." This is the sin of the church bully. It is the sin of the elder who uses his authority to crush dissent. It is the sin of the established family that despises the newcomer. It is the sin of anyone who makes the Christian life harder for a weaker brother.
And God's response is emphatic. "Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep... I will save My flock, and they will no longer be plunder." God takes this abuse personally. To harm one of His little ones is to pick a fight with the Almighty Shepherd Himself. He will not tolerate a situation where His flock is plundered from within.
The One True Shepherd (vv. 23-24)
So what is God's ultimate solution to the problem of bad shepherds and bully sheep? It is not a new program, a better committee, or a five-step plan for church health. God's solution is a person.
"Then I will establish over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them; he will shepherd them himself and be their shepherd." (Ezekiel 34:23)
This is, of course, a messianic prophecy. The historical David was long dead. This points to a new David, a greater David, the Son of David who was to come. This is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the "one shepherd" who will finally and perfectly care for God's flock. The repetition is emphatic: "he will shepherd them; he will shepherd them himself and be their shepherd." There is no ambiguity here.
Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of every promise in this chapter. He is the one who seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10). He is the one who gathers the flock from every nation (John 10:16). He is the one who binds up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1). He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11). He is the one who gives His people rest (Matthew 11:28). And He is the one who will execute judgment, separating the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:32).
The New Covenant Established
The result of this new shepherd's reign is the establishment of the new covenant relationship in its fullness.
"And I, Yahweh, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I, Yahweh, have spoken." (Ezekiel 34:24)
This is the central promise of the covenant: "I will be your God, and you will be my people." This relationship is secured and mediated through the rule of the Shepherd-King, the "prince among them." Jesus Christ is not just our Savior; He is our Lord. He is not just a historical figure; He is the reigning Prince who governs His people right now. The security of the flock is found in their submission to this one shepherd.
The final phrase, "I, Yahweh, have spoken," is the divine seal on the promise. This is not a possibility; it is a certainty. It is as sure as the character of God Himself. The flock will be saved. The bullies will be judged. The true Shepherd will reign. History is headed toward this conclusion, and nothing can stop it.
Conclusion: Under New Management
So what does this mean for us? It means everything. First, for those who feel scattered, broken, and abused, whether by the world or by failures in the church, your hope is not in finding a perfect church or a flawless pastor. Your hope is in the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who is seeking you at this very moment. He is the one who can heal your wounds and give you rest. Your security is not in human institutions but in the finished work and present reign of the Son of David.
Second, this is a severe warning to anyone in a position of strength or influence within the church. If you are a fat sheep, if you are using your position to push others around, to make life difficult for the weak, to muddy the waters of fellowship, then you need to know that you have made yourself an enemy of God. He has promised to save His flock from you, and to destroy those who plunder it. Repent, before the Shepherd comes to you not with a staff of comfort, but with a rod of judgment.
Finally, for the church, our task is to live as a flock that is under new management. We are not our own. We belong to the one Shepherd. Therefore, our life together must reflect His character. We must be a people who seek the lost, welcome the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick. We must be a people where the strong serve the weak, not prey on them. We do this not to earn His favor, but because He has already saved us, and this is what a flock that belongs to Jesus looks like. He is our Shepherd, He is our Prince, and He has spoken.