Ezekiel 34:11
For this is what the Lord GOD says: 'Behold, I Myself will search for My flock and seek them out.
For this is what the Lord GOD says
This phrase introduces a divine declaration, emphasizing the authority and sovereignty of God. The Hebrew term for "Lord GOD" is "Adonai Yahweh," which underscores God's supreme authority and covenantal relationship with Israel. Historically, this reflects God's direct communication with His people, often through prophets, to guide, correct, and comfort them.

Behold
The word "behold" is a call to attention, urging the listener or reader to pay close attention to the significant message that follows. In Hebrew, "hinneh" is used, which often introduces a divine revelation or important announcement. It serves to highlight the importance and immediacy of God's promise to His people.

I Myself
This phrase emphasizes God's personal involvement and initiative. It is not delegated to another; God Himself will take action. This reflects the intimate and personal nature of God's care for His people, contrasting with the neglect of the human shepherds (leaders) of Israel. It underscores God's commitment to His covenant and His direct intervention in the lives of His people.

will search for My flock
The imagery of God as a shepherd is deeply rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Hebrew word for "search" is "darash," which implies a diligent and thorough seeking. This reflects God's relentless pursuit of His people, akin to a shepherd who seeks out each lost sheep. Historically, this would resonate with the Israelites, who were familiar with the pastoral lifestyle and the dedication required of a shepherd.

and seek them out
The phrase "seek them out" further emphasizes God's active role in restoring His people. The Hebrew word "baqash" is used, which means to search or seek diligently. This conveys God's determination to find and restore His scattered people, offering hope and assurance of His unfailing love and commitment. In the broader scriptural context, this reflects the theme of redemption and restoration that runs throughout the Bible, culminating in the New Testament with Jesus as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Lord GOD (Yahweh)
The sovereign and covenant-keeping God of Israel, who speaks directly through the prophet Ezekiel.

2. Ezekiel
A prophet during the Babylonian exile, tasked with delivering God's messages to the Israelites.

3. The Flock (Israel)
Represents the people of Israel, often depicted as sheep in need of guidance and care.

4. Shepherds of Israel
The leaders and rulers of Israel who failed in their duty to care for the people, prompting God to intervene.

5. Babylonian Exile
The historical context in which Ezekiel prophesied, a time of judgment and hope for restoration for Israel.
Teaching Points
God's Personal Involvement
God Himself takes the initiative to seek and care for His people, demonstrating His deep love and commitment.

Divine Shepherding
Unlike human leaders who may fail, God is the perfect Shepherd who knows and meets the needs of His flock.

Hope for Restoration
In times of spiritual exile or wandering, God promises to restore and gather His people back to Himself.

Responsibility of Leaders
Spiritual leaders are called to reflect God's shepherding heart, caring for and guiding those entrusted to them.

God's Faithfulness
Even when human leaders fail, God's faithfulness remains, and He will fulfill His promises to His people.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God as a shepherd in Ezekiel 34:11 provide comfort and assurance in your personal life?

2. In what ways can you reflect God's shepherding heart in your interactions with others?

3. How does the promise of God seeking out His flock in Ezekiel 34:11 connect with Jesus' role as the Good Shepherd in the New Testament?

4. What lessons can spiritual leaders today learn from the failures of the shepherds of Israel mentioned in Ezekiel 34?

5. How can you apply the message of hope and restoration in Ezekiel 34:11 to a current situation in your life or community?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 23
This psalm portrays God as the Good Shepherd, providing a comforting image of God's care and guidance, similar to His promise in Ezekiel 34:11.

John 10
Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, fulfilling the promise of God seeking out His flock, as mentioned in Ezekiel.

Isaiah 40:11
Describes God as a shepherd who gathers and gently leads His flock, reinforcing the theme of divine care and restoration.

Jeremiah 23:1-4
Warns against false shepherds and promises that God will raise up faithful leaders, paralleling the critique and promise in Ezekiel 34.

Luke 15:4-7
The parable of the lost sheep illustrates God's active pursuit of His people, echoing the promise in Ezekiel 34:11.
God's Verdict Upon Self-Serving RulersJ.D. Davies Ezekiel 34:1-16
God's Interest in MenW. Clarkson Ezekiel 34:11, 12
The Divine Shepherd of the FlockJ.R. Thomson Ezekiel 34:11-16
Shadows of Religious LifeL. B. Brown.Ezekiel 34:11-19
The Divine ShepherdT. B. Baker.Ezekiel 34:11-19
The Flock Sought and FoundJ. R. Macduff, D. D.Ezekiel 34:11-19
The Shepherd Seeking the Flock in the Cloudy and Dark DayJ. R. Macduff, D. D.Ezekiel 34:11-19
People
David, Ezekiel
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Behold, Flock, Myself, Required, Says, Search, Searching, Seek, Sheep, Sought, Sovereign, Tend, Thus, Truly
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ezekiel 34:11

     5940   searching

Ezekiel 34:7-24

     7130   flock, God's

Ezekiel 34:11-12

     5802   care
     8491   watchfulness, divine

Ezekiel 34:11-13

     4207   land, divine gift
     4209   land, spiritual aspects

Ezekiel 34:11-16

     5409   metaphor
     7141   people of God, OT
     8125   guidance, promise

Ezekiel 34:11-17

     4684   sheep

Ezekiel 34:11-24

     1220   God, as shepherd

Library
The Church of Christ
This, then, is the meaning of the text; that God would make Jerusalem and the places round about his hill a blessing. I shall not, however, use it so this morning, but I shall use it in a more confined sense--or, perhaps, in a more enlarged sense--as it applies to the church of Jesus Christ, and to this particular church with which you and I stand connected. "I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

That None Should Enter on a Place of Government who Practise not in Life what they have Learnt by Study.
There are some also who investigate spiritual precepts with cunning care, but what they penetrate with their understanding they trample on in their lives: all at once they teach the things which not by practice but by study they have learnt; and what in words they preach by their manners they impugn. Whence it comes to pass that when the shepherd walks through steep places, the flock follows to the precipice. Hence it is that the Lord through the prophet complains of the contemptible knowledge
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Discourse on the Good Shepherd.
(Jerusalem, December, a.d. 29.) ^D John X. 1-21. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [In this section Jesus proceeds to contrast his own care for humanity with that manifested by the Pharisees, who had just cast out the beggar. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Good Shepherd' and his one Flock' - Last Discourse at the Feast of Tabernacles.
The closing words which Jesus had spoken to those Pharisees who followed HIm breathe the sadness of expected near judgment, rather than the hopefulness of expostulation. And the Discourse which followed, ere He once more left Jerusalem, is of the same character. It seems, as if Jesus could not part from the City in holy anger, but ever, and only, with tears. All the topics of the former Discourses are now resumed and applied. They are not in any way softened or modified, but uttered in accents of
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Everlasting Covenant of the Spirit
"They shall be My people, and l will be their God. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me."--JER. xxxii. 38, 40. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

How to Make Use of Christ as the Life when the Soul is Dead as to Duty.
Sometimes the believer will be under such a distemper, as that he will be as unfit and unable for discharging of any commanded duty, as dead men, or one in a swoon, is to work or go a journey. And it were good to know how Christ should be made use of as the Life, to the end the diseased soul may be delivered from this. For this cause we shall consider those four things: 1. See what are the several steps and degrees of this distemper. 2. Consider whence it cometh, or what are the causes or occasions
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

Covenanting Predicted in Prophecy.
The fact of Covenanting, under the Old Testament dispensations, being approved of God, gives a proof that it was proper then, which is accompanied by the voice of prophecy, affording evidence that even in periods then future it should no less be proper. The argument for the service that is afforded by prophecy is peculiar, and, though corresponding with evidence from other sources, is independent. Because that God willed to make known truth through his servants the prophets, we should receive it
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Extent of Messiah's Spiritual Kingdom
The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever! T he Kingdom of our Lord in the heart, and in the world, is frequently compared to a building or house, of which He Himself is both the Foundation and the Architect (Isaiah 28:16 and 54:11, 12) . A building advances by degrees (I Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:20-22) , and while it is in an unfinished state, a stranger cannot, by viewing its present appearance, form an accurate judgment
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

The Eighth Commandment
Thou shalt not steal.' Exod 20: 15. AS the holiness of God sets him against uncleanness, in the command Thou shalt not commit adultery;' so the justice of God sets him against rapine and robbery, in the command, Thou shalt not steal.' The thing forbidden in this commandment, is meddling with another man's property. The civil lawyers define furtum, stealth or theft to be the laying hands unjustly on that which is another's;' the invading another's right. I. The causes of theft. [1] The internal causes
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

That the Ruler Should Be, through Humility, a Companion of Good Livers, But, through the Zeal of Righteousness, Rigid against the vices of Evildoers.
The ruler should be, through humility, a companion of good livers, and, through the zeal of righteousness, rigid against the vices of evil-doers; so that in nothing he prefer himself to the good, and yet, when the fault of the bad requires it, he be at once conscious of the power of his priority; to the end that, while among his subordinates who live well he waives his rank and accounts them as his equals, he may not fear to execute the laws of rectitude towards the perverse. For, as I remember to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Jesus Makes his First Disciples.
(Bethany Beyond Jordan, Spring a.d. 27.) ^D John I. 35-51. ^d 35 Again on the morrow [John's direct testimony bore fruit on the second day] John was standing, and two of his disciples [An audience of two. A small field; but a large harvest]; 36 and he looked [Gazed intently. The word is used at Mark xiv. 67; Luke xxii. 61 Mark x. 21, 27. John looked searchingly at that face, which, so far as any record shows, he was never to see on earth again. The more intently we look upon Jesus, the more powerfully
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Second Great Group of Parables.
(Probably in Peræa.) Subdivision B. Parable of the Lost Sheep. ^C Luke XV. 3-7. ^c 3 And he spake unto them this parable [Jesus had spoken this parable before. See pp. 434, 435.] saying, 4 What man of you [man is emphatic; it is made so to convey the meaning that if man would so act, how much more would God so act], having an hundred sheep [a large flock], and having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness [the place of pasture, and hence the proper place to leave
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Ezekiel
To a modern taste, Ezekiel does not appeal anything like so powerfully as Isaiah or Jeremiah. He has neither the majesty of the one nor the tenderness and passion of the other. There is much in him that is fantastic, and much that is ritualistic. His imaginations border sometimes on the grotesque and sometimes on the mechanical. Yet he is a historical figure of the first importance; it was very largely from him that Judaism received the ecclesiastical impulse by which for centuries it was powerfully
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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