11 “‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. 12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. 14 I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down. This is the declaration of the Lord God. 16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.”

1) Why is God searching for His flock?
God’s people have been taken into captivity in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.  They are scattered and no longer living as His nation.  This particular chapter of Ezekiel is both a rebuke of God’s people (leaders and followers), and a promise of restoration.  But despite their failures, God states that HE will seek them out in the places where they have been scattered.  God doesn’t promise to send others on His behalf to find them, but keeps Himself personally involved in their being found again.  God loves His people enough to look for them Himself, to find them in their dark places, no matter how far they have been taken away, and to bring them back.  And He will bring them back so that He can be their perfect, loving shepherd.

2) How does God plan to tend His flock?
What else would a good God promise to give to His people but good things?  Matthew 7:11 says,  “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him.”  God exemplifies this part of His character with His scattered, lost nation.  He promises to bring them home, back to their land, their soil.  He lets them know that they will once again be on their mountains.  They will have a home.  And even more, God says He will feed them in those places.  They will no longer be in need.

3) What is the significance of the promise God makes in verse 16?
God closes out this part of His declaration with a beautiful promise.  He lets His people know that He understands their needs go far beyond the physical.  He knows the depth of their emotional and spiritual pain as well.  And he will send them a Messiah who will heal, restore, strengthen and defend.  Many of the phrases are reminiscent of Isaiah 61:1-4 about the promised Messiah.  For the people of Israel, the Messiah represented hope and glory for their future.  He would be their salvation.  God also promised to bring His justice to bear on those (kings, teachers of the law, priests, etc.) by whose sin helped pave the way for Judah to be in exile in the first place.

1) Why is God searching for His flock?
God’s description of His pursuit of His scattered nation in Ezekiel is an exact representation of what He does for each of us.  We find ourselves lost in darkness, scattered and taken away.  In God’s complete love for us, He seeks each of us out and looks for us, no matter how far we may have allowed ourselves to stray.  He loves us enough to come after us.  And once we are found, He becomes our personal, loving, caring, and perfect Savior.  This is the gospel.  God loves us.  We find ourselves separated from Him.  He comes after us.  If we are willing, He brings us back.  He takes care of us as our Shepherd King.  Forever.  Where are you in that story?  Still straying in the darkness, feeling lost?  Or have you begun to realize God is in pursuit of you?  Maybe He’s asking you if you’re willing to follow?  Or have you already allowed Him to become your shepherd and king?  No matter where you are, ask God to show you what He wants from you next as one of His sheep.

2) How does God plan to tend His flock?
The Shepherd who made those promises to Israel is also our Shepherd, who does the exact same for us.  Our needs are great.  We all have physical needs in this life.  And He promises to provide for all that we need.  In fact, Jesus taught that we are taken care of so well that we have no cause to worry about our physical needs (Matthew 6:25-34).  Do you trust God to provide for your physical needs?  Or do you continually deal with the anxiety that comes with feeling like you’re on your own?  Or are you guilty of expecting God to not only provide for your needs, but demandingly asking for all of your wants to be fulfilled as well?

3) What is the significance of the promise God makes in verse 16?
Sadly, many of the Jewish community missed the fulfillment of this promise that God made to them.  Our Shepherd, sent to take care of our every spiritual need, was fulfilled in the very person of Jesus Christ.  One of the most powerful moments in the gospels comes as Jesus is in the temple and He is given the responsibility to read from one of the scrolls (Luke 4:16-21).  He reads the words from Isaiah 61, declaring in that moment His personal fulfillment of God’s promise to His people.  Friend, DON’T MISS the promise of Jesus’ healing on your life.  Invite him in to heal, to restore, to strengthen, to defend, to offer hope, and to save.

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Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

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Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

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