EZEKIEL
CHAPTER 34
The Lord reproves those shepherds who do not feed the flock—In the last days, the Lord will gather the lost sheep of Israel—The Messiah shall be their Shepherd—The Lord will make his gospel covenant with them.
[ The leaders of Israel, or more specifically Judah at this point in history, are condemned for leading the Lord's people astray. The leaders of the Lord's flock have been feeding themselves rather than overseeing the sick and lost of His people. Even worse, the leaders have been feeding themselves upon this figurative flock, cp. Micah 3:1-3. For this, the Lord will deliver His people from these false leaders. ( Psalms 95:7; Matthew 9:36; *John 10; John 21:17; D&C 112:4; 3 Ne. 15:24; 18:31 )]
2 son of man, prophesy against the shepherds [ The leaders. ] of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, [ Meaning they stand condemned. While he is talking to those of his time, his words are for us today as well. ] Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! [ Take for themselves, are selfish. ] should not the shepherds feed the flocks?
[ Here we have a question and we need to take the time to answer it. This is then suggesting that the shepherds take but they do not give. ]
3 Ye eat the fat, [ In old testament times "the fat" means the best. ] and ye clothe you with the wool, [ The wool is what covers the sheep, and to take the wool it means that you take everything from the sheep. ] ye kill them that are fed: [ Those who are fed with the doctrine - so it is those who are members of the church of Jesus Christ. So how do they kill them? They teach them, those who come to the manger to be fed are taught false doctrine corrupting what they do know. (Spiritual murder, taking people out of the church) ] but ye feed not the flock.
4 The diseased [ Those who are sick with sin. ] have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, [ Those who have left the church. ] neither have ye sought that which was lost; [ You have not even bothered to go look for them. ] but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. [ They have and are misusing their priesthood authority. ]
5 And they were scattered, [ At this point it was by Assyria and by Babylon who scattered them. ] because there is no shepherd: [ This is the reason why they were scattered. Suggesting that the priesthood leaders were not teaching the truth, the gospel doctrine that the sheep needed. So the sheep wandered away as they felt no compelling reason to stay, as they wandered they were scattered even more. ] and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, [ They were destroyed by the beasts(the wicked) of the field(the world). ] when they were scattered.
[ So when the sheep are scattered they become easy prey without a true shepherd. ]
6 My sheep wandered [ They have no direction, or purpose, they just walk around in a daze, they do not know who they are, or what they are supposed to be doing. ] through all the mountains, [ Lonely or forbidden places, places where they should not be. ] and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, [ The result of the shepherds not doing their duty. ] and none did search or seek after them. [ Or the shepherds did not care. ]
8 As I live, [ God again will refer to his eternal covenant. ] saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock [ Note who owns the flock, they are his, they belong to the son of God. ] became a prey, [ Someone or some thing that you can take advantage of. ] and my flock became meat [ They were devoured up. ] to every beast [ All who are wicked. ] of the field, [ On the earth. ] because [ We are given the reason why this all happened. ] there was no shepherd, [ Those who were called to lead were not doing their job. ] neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, [ They spent their time caring only about themselves. ] and fed [ Taught the doctrine that they should have taught as priesthood leaders. ] not my flock;
[ The priesthood leaders did NOT feed who's flock here? Again it is the flock that belongs to the Savior, the Son of God. (Luke 15:3-7; 2 Ne. 28:9-16)]
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, [ (D&C 72:3 we will have to account for our stewardship.) ] and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; [ Never again will they rule or reign or preside or have leadership positions, or priesthood leaders in his kingdom again. ] neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, [ From their destruction. ] that they may not be meat for them. [ As even his own shepherds have destroyed his sheep, he will now remove tham that they wil never be able to do so again. ]
11 ¶ For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, [ The Lord will be an ideal shepard because he will do the following. ] will both search my sheep, [ He really knows were they are, he knows where he has put them. ] and seek them out. [1) find out who they are, know them and there afflictions. ]
12 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. [ "cloudy and dark day" or the day in which there is no vision, there is no revelation on the earth. 2) gather them and rescue them from the troubles that they have gotten themselves into during the storm, give them a place of safety and protection. They are waiting for the restoration and the day when there are prophets again in the earth to teach the gospel. When the priesthood power and revelation is returned. ]
13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, [ Nations. ] and will bring them to their own land, and feed [ Feed them with the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. ] them upon the mountains of Israel [ Or the temples. This is the reason why they will need to be gathered in order to go to the house of the Lord for additional learning. God secures his flock in the temples. ] by the rivers, [ Denotes peace. ] and in all the inhabited places of the country.
[ (D&C 59:23)]
14 I will feed them in a good pasture, [3) care for the sick and tenderly feed all of his flock in the best pastures - the places where they can grow the most. There he will teach them true doctrine which is taught by prophets and apostles who understand the plan of salvation and then teach it to the rest of us. ] and upon the high mountains of Israel [ Or the temples. This is the reason why they will need to be gathered in order to go to the house of the Lord for additional learning. God secures his flock in the temples. (Alma 26:5-7 where the wheat is put in a secure place) ] shall their fold be: there shall they lie [ They are safe in a place where they can rest. ] in a good fold, and in a fat pasture [ The doctrine. ] shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
15 I will feed my flock, [ The Great millennial reign, when he will personally feed the flock. (D&C 101:32-34 This is provide a brief summary of what he will teach us then).] and I will cause them to lie down, [ Why will they lie down? Because it is a time of peace on the earth. We don't have to worry, we are protected so we can finally lie down. 4) we all sleep much better when we know we are protected and safe - he will deliver them from false shepards and they will know they are with the true shepard as he will give peace unto them. (Matt 25:31-46; Ps. 23; 1 Peter 5:4) ] saith the Lord GOD.
16 I will seek that which was lost, [ This is currently underway, it is where we are at now. ] and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, [ Through the atonement which he has already worked out. ] and will strengthen that which was sick: [ By teaching them the fulness of the gospel, and then encouraging them to repent to take advantage of the atonement and be healed. ] but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment. [ Those who have made themselves fat and strong at the expense of others will be fed with Judgement to their condemnation. ]
17 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, [ (Gen. 30:32 footnote a. Which suggests that in old english here it would read flock hence it would say "I judge between sheep and sheep". ) ] between the rams and the he goats. [ Lord will separate out the sheep from the goats. One is productive and the other is not productive. The RAM is productive, he can sire, while the he goat cannot sire. So God is just saying that he will judge between the productive and the non productive in his kingdom. ]
18 Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? [ They walked where they should not have. ] and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul [ You have polluted. Suggesting that the wicked have polluted the doctrine. They went where they should not go, they read what they were not supposed to read, they watched what they were not supposed to watch. This does not always have to be bad stuff, if you are reading books by authors who do not teach the truth, while you think that you are doing good you may really be causing harm to yourself. Stick with the scriptures. ] the residue with your feet?
19 And as for my flock, they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet; [ The fat and strong goats, or the corrupt leaders, asking them how they can be so callous and selfish that they take the best for themselves and corrupt the rest for everyone else. The sheep have to feed on what the goats have trampled underfoot, cp. Isa. 28:7-8. ] and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet. [ Or they have been corrupted by false doctrine. ]
20 ¶ Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between [ How difficult is that to do? To pick out the fat cattle and the lean ones? ] the fat [ The ones who know the doctrine. ] cattle and between the lean [ Those who come up light in their understanding of the doctrine. ] cattle.
21 Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, [ With your power. They have misused their position and priesthood power. ] till ye have scattered them abroad;
22 Therefore will I save my flock, [ He will do what needs to be done to save his flock. ] and they [ His flock. ] shall no more be a prey; [ They will now have a new shepherd, one who will protect them. ] and I will judge between cattle and cattle. [ Goats and sheep. Or there will come a weeding out in his kingdom. (D&C 112:24-26) ]
23 And I will set up one shepherd [ Jesus Christ. ] over them, and he [ Jesus Christ. ] shall feed them, [ Will personally teach them. ] even my servant David; [ Ezekiel lived some 400 years after the first King David. So since this is a prophecy here he cannot be talking about him, so who then would he be prophesing about? It is the latter day Davidic servant who will eventually restore the temple to Jerusalem. (Zech 6:12-13). Or David could be Christ who will be the king over all of Israel. (The Promised Messiah page 194-195 Bruce R McConkie suggests this is Jesus Christ.) ] he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.
24 And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David [ This David will be Christs servant. (Ezekiel 34:22-24). He will also have a role to play in the preservation of the Jews. ( Zacharaih 12:8) (The Promised Messiah page 194-195 Bruce R McConkie suggests this is Jesus Christ.) ] a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.
25 And I will make with them [ The good sheep, gathered Israel, or the righteous people the Lord separates out for Himself, will enjoy peace, security, and blessings of bounty. Then Israel will know the Lord is their God and He will make His sheep lay down in green pastures. ] a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts [ The wicked will be removed from the earth. ] to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. [ Why can they sleep in the woods and in the wilderness? Because there are now no beasts to harm them. ]
26 And I will make them [ Gathered Israel. ] 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 of blessing.
[ Blessings beyond the ability to measure them. ]
27 And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their [ Gathered Israel. ] yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them.
28 And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, [ The gentiles who have taken advantage of God's covenant people. ] neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, [ Jesus Christ. (D&C 124:61; John 15:1-6) ] and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, [ Why? Because the son of God will teach them personally. ] neither bear the shame of the heathen [ The gentiles. ] any more.
30 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.
[ Mal. 3:14-18 ]
31 And ye my flock, [ Gathered Israel, the saints of his kingdom. ] the flock of my pasture, [ Which is his teachings and his doctrine. ] are men, [ In our earthly state we have become all that a man(woman) can become. We have become like the man of Holiness, son of Man(who is Jesus Christ). We have become celestial beings in other words. ] and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.