Exposition of Ezekiel 30-48, Commentary on Ezechiel · Chapter 34 · Verses 11-16
Verſes 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
For thus ſaith the Lord God, behold, I, even I will both ſearch my ſheep, and ſeek them out.
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.
And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the Countreys, 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 Countrey.
I will feed them in a good Paſture, and upon the high mountains of Iſrael ſhall their fold be: there ſhall they lye in a good fold, and in a fat Paſture ſhall they feed upon the mountains of Iſrael.
I will feed my flock, and I will cauſe them to lye down, ſaith the Lord God.
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 judgement.
THeſe verſes ſet before us Gods care and comfortable proviſion for his Flock, which is the ſecond generall part of this Chapter; and they have in them,
Firſt, Gracious promiſes.
1. A promiſe of ſeeking out the ſheep, verſ. 11, 12, 16.
2. A promiſe of reducing them, verſ. 13, 16.
3. A promiſe of feeding them being reduced, verſ. 13, 14, 15.
4. A promiſe of healing the broken and the ſick, ver. 16.
Secondly, A Declaration how God will deal with the fat and ſtrong ones, verſ: 16.
Verſ. 11. Behold, I, even I will both ſearch my ſheep, and ſeek them out.
You think much to look after my ſheep, but Behold, I, even I that am the great ſhepherd, the great God, infinitely diſtanced from you, will both ſearch and ſeek them out. The word for ſearch is Bikker, which the Septuagint renders foreign I will require, it notes ſearching out what they had done with them, and requiring them at their hand. Junius hath it, Repoſcam, and the French ie redemanderay mes brebis, I will earneſtly ask again my ſheep, and ſeek them out with underſtanding and judgement, ſo Daraſh ſignifies.
Verſ. 12. As a ſhepherd ſeeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his ſheep that are ſcattered; ſo will I ſeek, &c.
When ſome great ſtorms by wind, rain, thunder, lightning, or wilde Beaſts, have been in the field among the flock, and they are ſcattered here and there, then the ſhepherd haſtens to them, ſees whether any be wanting, and if ſo, ſeeks up and down till he finds them, and ſo brings them together again, which is a great mercy to the ſcattered ſheep, and as great a comfort to the ſhepherd; ſo would God ſeek out his ſheep that were ſcattered into ſeverall places, and would deliver them: They had met with ſtorms and wilde Beaſts, which had devided and ſcattered them, and God like a choice ſhepherd would ſeek them out, and have a ſpecial care of them.
In the cloudy and dark day.
The Hebrew is Beiom gnanan vagnaraphel, In the day of a cloud and of darkneſs, thick darkneſſe, ſo the word ſignifies. It was a day of a cloud, or a cloudy day when the Chaldaean army beſieged Jeruſalem; then many were ſcattered and driven into neighbour Nations: and it was a day of thick darkneſſe when the City was broken up, the Temple burnt, Zedekiah's eyes put out, the Princes and Nobles put to death, many carried captive into Babylon, and the reſt diſperſed into woods, caves, mountains and other places.
Verſ. 13. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the Countreys.
God finding his ſheep ſcattered into ſeveral Nations, where they met with hardſhips, he graciouſly promiſes to bring them out of thoſe Nations, they ſhould not alwayes be amongſt their enemies, who were no better then wilde Beaſts unto them. This hath an aſpect to Gods gathering his Elect out of the ſeveral quarters of the world.
And will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Iſrael by the rivers.
Being gathered out of forraign Lands, God would bring them into their own Land, viz: into Canaan, a Type of the Church; they ſhould both poſſeſs their Land, and be put into a Church condition again, and he would feed them with his Word, Ordinances; and put them into a better State then ever. This refers to the times of Chriſt and the Goſpel; then eſpecially did God gather his ſheep out of Babylon and bring them to Zion then did he feed them upon the mountains of Iſrael by the Rivers. So that in this verſe are three grand mercies; 1. Eduction out of a miſerable condition: 2. Introduction into a good condition; 3. Preſervation in that good condition.
Verſ. 14. I will feed them in a good Paſtu… and upon the high mountains of … rael ſhall their fold be.
In this verſe are two mercies more promiſed; 1. Good fat Paſtures; 2. Reſt, both which are very needful for Flock. After their Reduction into Canaan, they ſhall not … ply have Paſture, but good Paſture, fat paſture, viz: the go… word of God, the Goſpel, which is Milk, Wine, Bread, M row and Fatneſs; this feeds hungry ſouls, and makes lean ſheep fat: and as their paſtures ſhould be fat, ſo their folds ſhould be good; Sheep have their folds to reſt in, and ſo are ſafe from heat, cold, and other dangers. The Church is the fold for Gods ſheep, there they have reſt and ſafety; the ſeveral Churches are the ſeveral folds, where the ſheep find reſt and refreſhing.
The Jews from this verſe; as Sanctius reports, conclude that the Meſſiah is not come, becauſe that when Chriſt was on earth there was no gathering of the Jews, nor feeding of them with ſuch good paſtures as were promiſed to be in the time of the Meſſiah; Our Meſſiah, they ſay, was rather for the diſſipating of the Jews, then the congregating of them; he drave them into lean paſtures, and gave them no fat paſtures, for after his coming they were ſcattered into all parts of the world.
The gathering here ſpoken of, was not meant only of the Jews, but of the Gentiles alſo; our Meſſiah made way for them, and gathered in them, and he would have gathered the Jews to him, Matth: 23.37. O Jeruſalem, Jeruſalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings, and ye would not? The Jews would not be gathered unto Meſſiah, he would have gathered them, but they would not: they looked for a Meſſiah in pomp and glory, that ſhould have reſtored the Kingdome to the Jews, and made them great in the world above other Nations; great places, riches and honours were the fat paſtures they minded: Chriſt did not feed his ſheep with ſuch paſtures, but with ſpiritual dainties, heavenly manna, divine truths, promiſes and ordinances he did; their refuſall of the Meſſiah, putting him to death, and wiſhing his bloud to be upon their heads, was the cauſe of thoſe heavy judgements that came upon them, and their diſperſion thereupon; 1 Theſſ: 2.15, 16.
Verſ. 15. I will feed my flock, and I will cauſe them to lye down.
Other ſhepherds have neither fed them, nor let them have reſt, they have wearied them and preyed upon them; but God would both feed them, and ſee that they ſhould have reſt, he would cauſe them to lye down as ſheep in their folds lye down, and have reſt; ſo God would order it, that his ſheep ſhould have reſt and refreſhing in their folds, in the Congregations they are of.
Verſ. 16. I will ſeek that which was loſt, and bring again that which was driven away, &c.
In the 4. verſe, the neglect of the ſhepherds of Iſrael was ſet out, and here God promiſes to ſupply their neglect, and do what they did not.
Firſt, He will ſeek that which was loſt, they did not ſo, thoſe that were loſt they left them to periſh; God is more mindful of his, he ſeeks them up, and will not looſe them; Hoſ. 2.23. I will ſay to them which were not my people, Thou art my people. Saul was a blaſphemer, a perſecutor, an injurious Perſon, in a loſt condition, and the Lord ſought him out, Acts 9.
Secondly, He will bring again that which was driven away. The Iſraelitiſh ſhepherds did it not, but the God of Iſrael would do it. David was driven away by Saul and Abſolom, but the Lord brought him back again, 1 Sam: 19. 2 Sam: 15. & 19. Cha:
Thirdly, He will bind up that which was broken. They minded not thoſe that were in ſuch a condition, and needed binding up; the Lord did who is the good ſhepherd, Iſa: 61.1. He hath ſent me to bind up the broken hearted. When Peter had broken himſelf by denying the Lord Chriſt ſo fearfully as he did, the Lord bound up his wounds, and relieved him.
Fourthly, He will ſtrengthen that which was ſick and weake; they omitted it, but the Lord regarded ſuch and ſtrengthned them, Ezek: 9. There were ſome ſick at heart, lamenting for the abominations done in the midſt of Jeruſalem, but the Lord ſent one to confirm them, and ſet a mark upon their foreheads.
Firſt, Obſerve;
Gods flock being committed to the vigilancy and care of Magiſtrates and Miniſters, he will enquire how they have diſcharged their truſt, and require his flock at their hands.
Behold, I will both require my ſheep, and ſeek them out. I committed them to your charge, I expected you ſhould have had a ſpecial care of them, kept them ſo that none ſhould have been wanting or prejudiced any way, like good ſhepherds, but you have not minded the ſafety and welfare of my Flock; ſome are wanting, where are they? ſome are in a languiſhing and periſhing condition, how is it that they are ſo? give me an account of theſe things, I will bear it no longer at your hands.
Secondly, Obſerve;
That Gods Flock doth ſometimes meet with ſtorms, and ſuch foul weather as ſcatters them here and there.
They have been ſcattered in the cloudy and dark day: They had not all ſerene and good dayes, but many cloudy dayes and dayes of darkneſſe. In Manaſſeh's time they had black and bloudy dayes, which made a great ſcattering of the ſheep, 2 Chron: 33. So in Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiahs reign, there were clouds, tempeſts, whirlewinds, from the South, North, and other parts, from Egypt, Babylon, from Moab, Syria and Ammon, 2 Kings 23, 24, & 25. Chap: which made at laſt a totall diſſipation of the Flock. Had not we dark and cloudy dayes, which ſcattered the Flock of God into ſeverall Countryes, in the time of the late Princes and Prelates? had not Ireland a black day when the maſſacre was there? and as it is with the Flock in general, ſo with particular ſheep and Lambs, they have cloudy and dark dayes wherein they find themſelves ſcattered.
Thirdly, Obſerve;
However others neglect the Flock, yet God is a vigilant, faithfull, and tender hearted ſhepherd over them.
God will ſeek out the ſheep, deliver them from enemies, and bring them to Sion; he will give them fat paſtures, cauſe them to enjoy reſt in good fields; if any be broken, he will bind them up; if any be weak or ſick, he will heal and ſtrengthen them; if any go aſtray, he will reduce them. David found the Lord to be ſuch a ſhepherd unto him, Pſal: 23.1, 2, 3. The Lord is my ſhepherd, I ſhall not want. If I be hungry, he hath green paſtures for me; if I be thirſty, he hath ſtill waters; if my ſoul droop, he reſtores it; if I know not the way, he leads me in the paths of righteouſneſs: O happy man, and happy people, who have the Lord for their ſhepherd; and happy are thoſe Magiſtrates and Miniſters, who are vigilant, faithful, and tender hearted ſhepherds over the flock, doing to the ſame, as God himſelf doth.
But I will deſtroy the fat and the ſtrong.
Here God declares how he will deal with thoſe that were injurious to others; ſome amongſt them were fat and ſtrong, they were rich and potent. Men in place and abounding in wealth are in Scripture language ſaid to be fat, Pſal. 22.29. Jerem: 46.21. and when they are fat they grow wanton, Deut. 32.15. Jeſurun waxed fat, and kicked; then they kick at God and his Ordinances, and at their fellows which are lean; Amos. 4.1. The Kine of Baſhan oppreſſed the poor, and cruſhed the needy. In Gen: 41. The lean Kine did eat up the fat, but here the fat did eat up the lean, and becauſe they did ſo, the Lord would deſtroy them. The Hebrew for deſtroy, is Shamad, which ſignifies ſo to deſtroy a thing Ʋt ejus nihil reliquum maceat, as that there ſhall be no remainders thereof; God would make a total abolition of them. The Septuagint miſtaking the word Shamad for Shamar, do render it foreign, and ſo the Vulgar Cuſtodiam, I will keep the fat and the ſtrong; that is, keep them in, and reſtrain them.
I will feed them with judgement.
Montanus ſaith, I will feed them in judgement; Bemiſhphat, which the Septuagint renders foreign with judgement. The words may import either Gods judgements and plagues which he would bring upon the fat and ſtrong, as Jer: 23.15. Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: or, Gods wiſdom and judiciouſneſs in feeding of his flock. Fooliſh ſhepherds diſtinguiſh not between the weak and ſtrong, the ſick and ſound, they drive, they meat, they govern all alike; but a wiſe ſhepherd conſiders the nature of his flock, what condition every ſheep is in, what its capable of, whether Milk or Strong meat, Oyle or Wine, and ſo applyes himſelf accordingly to each: Thus would God do with them, Iſa: 40.11. and ſo (1 Theſſa: 2.7, 8, 11.) did Paul with them.