The Good Shepherd to Lead God’s People Ezekiel 34

Today, there is growing scepticism about leadership and suspicion about traditional forms of authority. We see this in the protests on the streets, unrest in neighbourhoods and in social media campaigns.
Unfortunately, this attitude has also crept into many churches. One Old Testament scholar and pastor has commented:
‘One sometimes gets the impression that elders are not always honoured in the measure that their office would warrant. Indeed, experience teaches that it is not unusual for this office to be undervalued, even by those who stand to gain the most from it, namely the members of a local congregation.’
The eldership is something that God Himself has given to the Church to be a great blessing for God’s People- unfortunately people do not always see it that way.

So, this morning, as we begin the process of electing elders, we are going to explore the Old Testament basis for the eldership. Firstly, we will look at the origins of the eldership in the Old Testament to see how it was always God’s plan that His People would be cared for and guided by godly and loving elders.
Then we’re going spend most of our time focusing on Ezekiel 34 and what it can tell us about what God expects of His elders. We can consider Ezekiel 34 with three words:
Condemnation
Correction
Covenant
As God condemns the failing leaders, we see what He expects of the leaders of His People. Then we see the caring leadership that God offers His People- He will be their proper shepherd. Finally, God makes wonderful promises to His People that would ultimately be fulfilled in Christ. In all of this we see that God’s chief intent for His People is their good- a Good Shepherd to bless His People.
But first, a brief consideration of… The Elder in the Old Testament
When looking at the role and function of the elder, it can be tempting to jump straight into the New Testament. However, the eldership was not just an invention of the New Testament Church. In fact, we can trace its creation all the way back to the time of Moses.
The first reference to elders among God’s People appears in Exodus 3 verse 16. There Moses is instructed at the burning bush to gather all the ‘…elders of Israel…’ living in Egypt to tell them about God’s plan to deliver them. While we have limited information about their specific responsibilities, it is clear they held a leadership position.
So, before God ever appointed judges or kings to lead His People, He appointed elders to that role. In that sense, the New Testament Church was simply returning to the earliest pattern of leadership God established for His People.
Now, we must be careful to note some significant differences between elders in the Old Testament and elders in the New. Unlike Old Testament Israel, which was a theocratic nation (combining religious and political leadership), the New Testament Church is a spiritual community of different nationalities. However, the Old Testament still provides important lessons and eldership principles for God’s People even up to today.
For example, elders served their communities and were selected by the people. In Numbers 11, they were empowered by the Holy Spirit with ruling authority to guide, protect, and discipline when needed. In Deuteronomy we see they were also responsible for ensuring community life was guided by God’s Word by upholding the commands and sharing the truth.
The most notable role was their responsibility as shepherds of God’s People. In the Old Testament, Israel’s leaders are often depicted using the image of a shepherd. And this is a theme that is later referenced by Jesus and the apostles. In the New Testament Jesus describes Himself as the Chief Shepherd. Likewise, Paul and Peter refer to church elders as God’s under-shepherds charged with caring for the flock assigned to them.
Yet we must be absolutely clear that the true shepherd of God’s People has always been God Himself- all who rule as elders in His Church are simply under-shepherds following the great shepherd’s lead. From Genesis to Revelation God is identified as the shepherd of His People and this metaphor expresses His supreme care and love for them. God’s primary concern is for His sheep, and His under-shepherds must view them as He does.
That’s why we see God proclaiming judgment against the failing shepherds of Israel in Ezekiel 34. So, let us turn to this passage now and see the…
Condemnation
I wonder when I say the word ‘leader’ what comes to mind- perhaps you picture some of the great leaders of history, or maybe you think of someone you know personally. We all have expectations of what a leader should be- what kind of qualities a ‘good’ leader should have.
In Ezekiel 34 God reveals what He expects of the leaders of His People. He does this by examining the leaders of the day and condemning them for their failure to lead as they should. As God condemns these leaders for their failings, we learn what He really expects of the leaders of His People.
Ezekiel prophesied at a time of extreme difficultly and national crisis. He addressed God’s People in exile- removed from the promised land because of their sinfulness. And the primary reason the people fell into sin was because their leaders had failed to discharge the duties and the responsibilities expected of them.
These unfaithful shepherds of the nation were largely responsible for the circumstances in which the people found themselves. They had ultimately failed to carry out the most basic functions of a shepherd – to feed, lead, and heed the sheep under their care.
And so, God brings a series of condemnations against them in verses 2 to 6. Then, in verses 7 to 9, we see that their failure resulted in the people being scattered and vulnerable to attack. In other words, they have been cast from the land into exile and were now suffering at the hands of their enemies.
This kind of neglect couldn’t go unpunished. Therefore, God pronounces His judgment in verse 10:
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them
These words ought to cause those of us to pause and reflect.
Ultimately, when a shepherd does not fulfil their responsibilities, it can lead to negative consequences both for themselves and for those in their care. It should be every elder’s prayer that they never hear the words: ‘Behold, I am against the shepherds.’.
Today we don’t want to spend our time focusing on the failure of Israel’s shepherds. Instead, we want to see the positive principles of biblical eldership in the passage.
Firstly, we see that elders are to ‘feed’ the sheep.
In the Old Testament ‘feeding’ was often used as a metaphor for teaching. Earlier in Ezekiel, the prophet is told to eat a scroll on which is written God’s word to the People. This symbolised the teaching ministry he was to exercise.
In the New Testament, Jesus refers to Himself as the ‘bread of life’ and He calls Peter to ‘…feed my sheep…’. Paul makes clear in 1 Timothy 3 that one of the qualifications for the eldership is the ability to teach. In other words, the primary work of the elder-shepherd is directed by, shaped by, and based on God’s Word- the elder is tasked with communicating God’s Word to the congregation.
This can take place in various setting. Whether it’s through occasional preaching, teaching in one of the children’s or youth organisations, or through pastoral visitation- the elder is called to feed the sheep.
Secondly, the elder is to ‘lead’ the sheep.
In Ezekiel 34 the shepherds are condemned for their failure to lead the sheep with concern. The sheep, in verses 5 and 6, are scattered and vulnerable because their shepherds have not led them with care and concern. Instead, Israel’s shepherds ruled harshly- acting like masters over the people instead of serving them.
When the apostle Peter writes to the elders of his own day he tells them:
Be shepherds of God’s flock under your care…eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.’
Those who are given the privilege of serving God’s People as elders are called to be gentle, humble, kind, and loving; setting an example to the flock as they follow the example of the Good Shepherd.
Thirdly, the elder is to ‘heed’ the sheep.
In verse 4 the shepherds had failed to ‘…strengthen the weak…’. In other words, they had not looked out for (‘heeded’) the most vulnerable in the community. In verses 20 to 22 the weak were being exploited and the shepherds did nothing about it.
Interestingly, the New Testament most often associates ‘weakness’ with weakness of faith. This means that one of the responsibilities of elders today is to strengthen the doubting and to protect Believers from false teachers who seek to exploit them; in Titus 1 verse 9 we read that an elder:
‘…must hold firmly to the trustworthy word as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.’.
Before you nominate anyone for the eldership you must ask yourself if they know and delight in God’s Word.
The elder ‘heeds’ the sheep also in their care for the sick. In a world where illness is inevitable, leaders must care for the sick.

In Ezekiel’s day the leaders were too interested in looking after themselves to care for the people. They did nothing to seek the health and healing of the sick and once again failed to care for those who needed it the most.
God still expects elders today to be involved in caring for the sick. Although different congregations will understand the practical implications of this verse differently, at the very least it’s a call for the elders to visit the sick and to pray with them.
The sheep may be weak and need strengthened. The sheep may get sick and need cared for. But if there’s one certainty about sheep, it’s that they’re prone to wander.
In Ezekiel’s day there were those among God’s People who had drifted away from the covenant community. The shepherds were supposed to go after the straying to bring them back. But they neglected their duty and simply let them wander away.
What they had forgotten was these were God’s sheep- His special covenant People. In fact, God refers to the people as ‘my sheep’ multiple times in the chapter.
One of the main reasons for the disapproval directed at the shepherds in Ezekiel’s time was their lack of concern for those who were lost or had strayed. In electing elders- those serving as under-shepherds under the leadership of Jesus- we must seek those who share the same commitment as the One who stated to His disciples, ‘For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’
Ultimately, each of these principles are given to us by a God who exercises each of them perfectly. In Christ we have a Good Shepherd who feeds, leads and heeds His People perfectly. It is this Good Shepherd who we remember and celebrate today.
We move on to more briefly consider the correction and covenant in the passage; firstly the…
Correction
I am sure many of us here have, at some time or another, felt utterly helpless. Maybe some of us here today feel like a lost sheep- wandering in the wilderness, fearful or what may come next, hoping someone will bring us to a place of safety.
This is how the people of God felt in Ezekiel’s day. They were in exile- snatched from everything familiar and robbed of any sense of security. And they had no leaders stepping up to lead them or look after them in their time of need. Image how they would have felt as they heard God speak through Ezekiel.
In verses 11 to 16 God Himself promises to intervene- to bring correction that will lead to restoration. Here we see the care that God offers His People. Here we see that God is the true and proper shepherd of His People.
When we read these verses carefully, we see that God is at work to reverse, step by step, the damage caused by the failed shepherds- He seeks the scattered, He gathers and feeds them, and ensures they live in security. And so, in verses 15 and 16 we have this wonderful declaration by God to His People:
15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
God takes matters into His own hands, caring for His People in all the ways their leaders have not. Out of love for His sheep, God would do the work that the unfaithful shepherds would not do.
God’s People had found themselves, once more, in a helpless and hopeless situation. And once more, God would intervene for their good and His Glory.
Here we see that God will work powerfully and personally. Notice how many times God uses the word ‘I’- this is a personal work by God Himself. God Himself will do all of this- He will intervene personally because He cares deeply.
Here we see God will overturn the fortunes of His People- all that has gone wrong will be put right. Notice the care that God offers His People- He is the One who protects His People, who provides for His People, who rescues His People and brings them to a place of peace and prosperity
God is the proper and true Shepherd of the flock. The Lord is the Shepherd of His People- He leads and guides, protects and blesses, He brings rescue and restoration.
Time and time again we see that the God of the Bible is a God of glorious restoration and gracious rescue. He comes to the aid of His People and cares for them as they truly need. Our God is not distant or disinterested. Our God longs to bless His People and see us enjoy His many blessings.
And this is what we remember and celebrate today as we come to the Lord’s Table. In Christ, God has sent the Good Shepherd to bring rescue and restoration to His People.
We see this more clearly as we turn, finally, to the…
Covenant
The final section of Ezekiel sees God make wonderful promises to God’s People.
Firstly, in verses 23 and 24 we read:
23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.
God promises to send His Messiah who will establish a Kingdom of justice and mercy. God will act to give His People a Good Shepherd.
And then in verses 25 to 31 God promises His People ‘…showers of blessing…’. He will provide for them, protect them and dwell with them. In other words, God promises to meet the truest needs- a Good Shepherd to lead them, a great reversal of the evils they had endured, and a glorious future where all is as it is supposed to be for His People.
In Jesus, these promises are fulfilled, and this glorious future is secured. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep- in Him God provided for our deepest, truest needs. At the Cross the great enemies- Sata, sin and death- are decisively defeated and God’s People are delivered to a place of ultimate security. In Christ we are made the People of God and look forward to the Day when we will dwell with Him in His Perfection.
And this is what we remember and celebrate today at the Table of the Lord.