You know, one of the most comforting and meaningful pictures that God gives us of himself is as our shepherd. We love Psalm 23, where God calls himself the shepherd who restores us and cares for us. Welcome to Thru the Bible with our teacher, Dr. J.
Vernon McGee. Our study begins in Ezekiel 34 as we travel to Israel during a turbulent time. In Jerusalem, we will see fallen and false prophets who are described as shepherds who fed themselves, just the opposite of the good shepherd who gives his life for the sheep.
In John 10, jesus tells us that the good shepherd knows his sheep and the sheep respond to his voice. If you are a faithful traveler on our world prayer team, then you know many people around the world who are responding to the sound of the shepherd’s voice as they hear his word taught on Thru the Bible. This week, for instance, we are traveling across the Middle East praying from one country and language group to the next.
One of God’s sheep who listens to Thru the Bible in Arabic writes this, I am a Christian now. I am going to obtain a Bible so that I may follow along. Pray for me that I do not get in trouble because of this Bible and for my beliefs in jesus.
Another listener named Adel wants to keep his location confidential, but wrote this exciting note. This program is more than wonderful. I’ve been listening in Arabic since the year 2000.
I’ve given my life to the Lord and learned so much about him. I now understand his heart because of his teaching. Thank you and please continue this lovely ministry.
Our final note comes from Sabah in Gaza. Walking through the Bible has made me realize that it is the true word from God. I have refused all that has to do with my old religion and decided to follow jesus.
But sadly, after I told my family and friends, I was rejected by all of them. Also, my employer fired me after he got news about my new faith. My family brought religious leaders, sheikhs, to talk to me, but all it did was reinforce my new beliefs.
How could I have been that blind? I’m sad because my family looks at me as if I betrayed them because I am the only one who used to work and provide for their needs. I’m sad, but I will not go back to the old ways.
Pray for me and for my family to know jesus. I believe the Lord is our provider and He will meet our physical needs, just as He met my spiritual needs. Well, isn’t it amazing how God blesses His Word across the world?
You can join our World Prayer Team as we pray for these listeners and millions of others. You can do it by signing up today at ttb.org/pray. Now let’s commit this time to the Lord.
Heavenly Father, thank you for being our good shepherd, and we love the sound of your voice, and we listen for it now as we study your Word. We pray this in jesus’ name.
We’re off to Ezekiel 24 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.
Now, friends, we come here in this 34th chapter to this new section, and I have labeled this the false shepherds and then the true shepherd and the future gathering of the flock. Now, this man, Ezekiel, has been declared a prophet. We saw that in the last verse, last time.
Verse 33 of chapter 33 said, And when this cometh to pass, lo, it will come, then shall they know that a prophet has been among them. They know now, because, after all, Ezekiel is the only man that has said Jerusalem would be destroyed. All the false prophets have said it would not.
Now, the word of confirmation has come. Jerusalem is destroyed. And this man has been declared a true prophet.
Now, you would think that the people would turn to God. Well, they came and listened to Ezekiel. God says, don’t let that deceive you, because the crowds are coming.
They are listening, but they are not heeding what you’re saying. They are not doers of the word at all. They’re just listening.
They like for you to talk now about love and the future and prophecy and all of these things. But it hasn’t affected their life one bit. They’re still living the same way, far from God.
Now, he has a word about these false prophets. He can label them now, because they’ve been declared, all of them liars. Verse one of chapter 34, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, and he didn’t say it.
God said this concerning them, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves, should not the shepherds feed the flock. And that is quite interesting.
Very candidly, I have always been opposed to promotion in Christian work, and that doesn’t mean that there are not very many wonderful, fine works that should be supported and should have your support. But my point is that they should not be just a promotion agency. They should be feeding the people.
They should give out the word. I had an afternoon service in a church that I served, and it descended, and it came down to a pretty low level. Everything came in there, wanted to promote, to get an offering.
And we reversed that. We said, look, you have no right to try to fleece these people, try to get an offering from them until you give them something. And I feel that way about anything today.
And that’s the thing we try to make very careful on this. This program, and we’re trying to keep it that way, we recognize there are many wonderful things that should be supported. We’re not in that business.
All we’re asking is just enough to pay for the program. And we feel like that where you get your blessing, that’s what you should support. And that my business should be not to beg all the time, but should be to give out the Word of God.
When I give out the Word of God, I believe that I’m feeding sheep. And I think that’s my business today. And my business is not to fleece them and share them all the time.
And there’s a lot of that going on today, friends. People should be given the Word of God. Now, that was God’s criticism of these false prophets.
They had not given the people the Word of God. And today, that should be, I think, the measure. Now, he goes on to talk here, verse four, The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken.
You see, all of us are needy people today. And the only thing that can minister to our deep needs is the Word of God. Now, if you don’t give out the Word of God, you’re not ministering to the people.
It must be given out. And I don’t think these little sermonettes or christianettes by preacherettes I don’t think that quite does the job. That’s my feeling, of course.
And as I’ve said before, I could be wrong, but if I thought it was, I’d change. All right, verse 5. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd, and they became food to all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.
You see, when people are not being fed in a church, they’ll scatter. They’ll go around to where they can be fed. And no use criticizing them, finding fault, because sheep want to be fed.
That’s a nature of a sheep, and that’s a nature of a child of God. He wants to hear the Word of God. Now, God holds His shepherds responsible.
Verse 7, Therefore ye shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord. As I live, saith the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became food to every beast of the field because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherd search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and fed not my flock. Therefore, oh ye shepherds, hear the Word of the Lord.
Thus saith the Lord God, behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require my flock at their hand. God says I’m against them, and I’m as much opposed to them as I am any sinner or any sin, and I’m going to hold them responsible. We come now beginning at verse 11, and here you have God’s shepherd and the Lord jesus, you know, he says, I’m the good shepherd, and he’s coming.
Ezekiel said he was coming, and friends, he’s coming again because he hasn’t fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his shepherding of this earth. Now will you listen to this? Now we’re beginning to move into the future.
This is the encouragement for these people in captivity. They should listen to this, verse 11. For thus saith the Lord God, behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep and seek them out.
He’s the shepherd, he’s the good shepherd, he is the great shepherd, he is the sheep shepherd of the sheep. And he says, I’ll search out my sheep. David says, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
And the thing that impresses me now in the rest of this chapter is the most wonderful statement that you can possibly find. I get a little weary of hearing what men do and what they have done and that sort of thing. This is a new note here.
I will, God says. I’ve counted, and it could be more, I did it rather hurriedly, 21 times from verse 11 through 29. God says, I will.
More than one time a verse. God says, I will, I will. That’s grace when God says that.
I will. May I say to you, that shepherd one day said, come unto me, all ye that labor in the heavy laden, I will rest you. I will.
This is the shepherd. You see, I will give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish. That’s what my shepherd said.
Wonderful now. Now listen to him. Verse 12, as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he’s among his sheep that are scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I’ll deliver them out of all places, where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
And he came 1900 years ago, and he says, My sheep hear my voice. You know why they hear his voice? Two reasons, because he’s calling them.
He’s calling them. He’s calling them today. And the second reason is that his sheep know him.
And they hear his voice, and they know him. Oh, how wonderful this shepherd is. So will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they’ve been scattered in the cloud in dark day, and I will bring them out from the peoples.
I’ll gather them from the countries. Now, this shepherd is talking about the nation Israel, the future of the nation Israel. What is going to do in the future?
They’re down there now in captivity, and they’re there because of their sins. And added to that, they listen to the false prophets. Now will you listen?
He says, I am not through with them. I haven’t thrown them overboard. He says, you are a millennialist, you ought to read Ezekiel.
Then you’d find out I’m not through with my sheep, and I intend to bring them back. Listen to him, verse 14. I will feed them in a good pasture.
Verse 15, I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. And when they lie down, they’re safe. They’re not safe today.
That nation over there is not safe at all. Verse 16, I will seek that which was lost. This is the shepherd that, when he got one sheep lost, he goes out after it.
And for the nation, Israel, he’ll do that for the church today. That’s what he says of the church today. And there was a shepherd that had 100 sheep.
One sheep got lost. What’d he do? Forget it.
So man, if a little fellow wants to run off, after all, nine to nine sheep, that’s a pretty good number to come through with. But this shepherd says, I started out with 100. I’m going to come through with 100.
Vernon McGee is going to be there. Not because he’s a smart sheep, because sheep are stupid. He’s going to be there because they’ve got a wonderful shepherd.
And he says, I will, I will, I will. And again and again. Now, I want to drop down verse 20.
You go through this section. I will again and again. And here it is.
Therefore, thus saith the Lord God unto them. Behold, I, even I will judge between the fat cattle, between the lean cattle. God says, I’ll separate the sheep and the goat.
You remember the Lord jesus gave a parable? Says, an enemy came in, sowed tares. Then his servant says, well, let’s go pull up the tares.
He said, you let them alone. Both grow together. I’ll do the separating.
And I’m sure glad that’s his job today. He’s the one. Somebody comes to me, he says, you think so and so’s safe.
I don’t know. That’s not my business. That’s his business, not mine.
He knows those that are his. He says he does. Now, verse 22, therefore will I save my flock.
They shall no more be a prey, and I will judge between cattle and cattle. I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them even my servant David. He shall feed them.
I’m not going into this at this particular point, but it’s my firm conviction that David will rule here on this earth. I think throughout eternity, be the king over this earth, and he’ll be the vicegerent of the Lord jesus. We’re told in the church that where I am, ye may be also.
Now, I think he will be in the New Jerusalem. We’ll be with him there. Now, if he comes to this earth, we’re coming also, but just for a visit.
So, don’t buy real estate, too much of it down here. You won’t be needing it. Be sure you are sending up plenty of material to build your good home over there.
Now, will you notice, verse 24, and I, the Lord, will be their God. And my servant David, a prince among them, I, the Lord, have spoken. Now, my friend, either you believe it or you don’t believe it.
Either this is the word of God, it’s not if it is, he’s not through with the nation Israel. Now, verse 25, and I will make with them a covenant of peace, and I’ll cause the evil beast to cease from among the land. You see, it’s quite interesting here that the land and the people go together.
And when they are in that land being blessed, then the people are in right relationship to God. Verse 28, and they shall no more be a prey to the nations. They are today.
Neither shall the beast of the land devour them, but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. Why? Because God says, I will.
And when He says, I will, He’s going to do it. Now, in chapter 35 is a remarkable chapter in here. And let me say just this word concerning it.
I read now first, verse 1. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Mount Seir. Prophecy against it, and say unto it, Thus saith the Lord, God, behold, O Mount Seir, I am against thee, and I’ll stretch out mine hand against thee, and I’ll make thee most desolate.
I’ll lay thy city’s waste. Now, this was Edom. And in Edom, there was this Rockhune city that was known as Petra.
It’s there today. But there’s no area any more desolate than that area. Now, God says here, verse nine, I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy city shall not return, and ye shall know that I’m the Lord.
Now, he said that back in the 25th chapter, verse 14. He says it again. Now, why is this inserted at this particular point?
God is doing it for a very definite reason. That Edom, actually, Esau was the brother of Jacob, and he became his bitterest enemy. This nation did.
It hurt them probably more than anyone else. And they represent the enemy of God in this world, the enemy that’s going to rise in the last day under Antichrist, against God. And I believe the enemy is brought in for that purpose to show that God is giving a program here.
And the program goes like this. these people are to be restored to the land, a place of blessing. Then the people, as they’ve been restored to the land, they’re put there in peace.
But the enemy is still abound. Then God judges the enemy. And we’re going to see that when we get over here to the 38th and 39th chapters, and then we’re going to see the worship of these people of God living in peace and blessing.
What a glorious future is ahead for them. And that’s given to us here. Now in chapter 36, we have the restoration of Israel to the land.
Also, thou son of man prophesy unto the mountains of Israel. Say ye, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord. Verse 5, therefore, thus saith the Lord God, surely, in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations and against all Edom who have appointed my land unto their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds to cast it out for prey.
God has determined that the wicked will not inherit this earth. He’s made it clear, the meat shall inherit the earth. They’re not doing it today.
The wicked are the ones that have it today, and they are the ones doing pretty well with it. Now, you have here the prophecy concerning the fact that the land is to be restored. All I’ve got to do is just drive through that land and know prophecy is not fulfilled.
A great many people think they see prophecy fulfilled on every hand. Why? Because when he brings them back, the land is to be blessed.
Verse 6, prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, say unto the mountains, to the hills, to the rivers, to the valleys, thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy, in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the nations. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I have lifted up mine hand. Surely the nations that are about you, they shall bear their shame, but ye old mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to my people of Israel, for they are soon to come home, and soon to God, after all, for days a thousand years with him.
Now, in verse 16, here is a great prophecy concerning the future of the people. And as I’ve said before, the people and the land belong together. The Mosaic law was not only given to a people, it was given for a land.
Most of these people worship on Saturday today, they break the Sabbath day’s journey by just going to church. Verse 16, now, Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings. And their way was before me as the uncleanness of a defiled woman.
Wherefore, I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land. Now, God goes on to say, I scattered them. But listen, verse 21, But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, to which they went, therefore, saying to the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord, God, I do not this for your sake, so house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which you have profaned.
I’ll sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations. You see, God has yet to defend his name in this earth today. A great many people ridicule the church today.
They say, well, look at those people. And they blaspheme God because of it. Now God’s gonna justify himself in this earth, and he’s gonna sanctify his name down here.
They take his name in vain today. God says, that’s gonna stop. You’re going to honor me.
This is his world, you see. Now, God says here, what he’s going to do, verse 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.
And I’ll take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I’ll give you a heart of flesh. A change is gonna take place in them. What’s gonna happen?
They’re gonna be born again, verse 27. I’ll put my spirit within you, cause you to walk in my statutes. Now that’s what Joel meant in his prophecy.
There’s a day coming when God would pour out His spirit on all flesh, not some, very few on the day of Pentecost. All Peter said that day was, he says, don’t ridicule this brother and say they’re drunk. This is like what Joel says is gonna come in the last days.
And the spirit has come upon a few. And today God’s calling out a people to His name. The minute that you turn to Christ, you’re regenerated by the Holy Spirit, you’re indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and baptized by the Holy Spirit, put in the body of believers.
And in that day, God says, I’ll put my spirit within you, and they will dwell in the land. Verse 29, I’ll also save you from all your uncleanness. And I will call for the grain and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.
You see, there be prosperity in that land. God promised that to them, physical blessings, as He’s promised to us, spiritual blessings. Now this concludes with a great prophecy.
Verse 35, and they shall say this land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden. I don’t think you could say that today. You might say it, wouldn’t be true.
And the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fortified and are inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that which was desolate. I the Lord have spoken it and I’ll do it.
Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. I will increase them with man like a flock as the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in a solemn feast. So shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of man, and they shall know that I’m the Lord.
They don’t know that over there today, and they don’t know it in this country, and they don’t know it in the world today. But they’re going to know it, my friend. That day is coming.
Now, next time, we’re going to see in chapter 37 that marvelous prophecy of the Valley of Dead bones. And then we see that prophecy concerning Gog and Magog. Actually, I believe Russia, and I’ll show you why I believe that in chapters 38 and 39.
That’s coming up next time. So, until then, may God richly bless you, my beloved.
There will be a day when all of Israel, even all of the world, will know jesus is Lord. And on that day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess this reality. To listen or read more on what’s to come, visit www.ttb.org.
You’ll find many resources that are free to read or download. Or call 1-800-65-BIBLE if you’re looking for something specific. Again, that’s www.ttb.org or call 1-800-65-BIBLE.
Now, in our next study, we’ll be transported to the Valley of Dry bones. The Bible bus will be coming around your corner at the same time. And until then, may you be listening for the sound of your shepherd’s voice.
Well, ride the Bible bus for five years and you’ll be amazed at what God teaches you from His word about what it means to believe on the Lord jesus Christ and you will be saved. It’s a blessing that keeps on going. That’s what we believe at Thru the Bible.
