The following article first appeared 03/2023 at bellatorchristi.com.
By Deanna Huff, PhD
Often when people think of God as the good shepherd, their first recollection is Psalm 23. Although that is an excellent referral, there are other facets of the shepherd that spotlights God as the good shepherd. Ezekiel, a prophet and priest, spoke of hope through the shepherd metaphor amid the exile of Israel. Metaphors like the shepherd speak to the heart and depict tangible images, making the abstract tangible. Ezekiel exposes the bad leaders through the shepherd metaphor, reminding the people that God is the good shepherd and he is raising a shepherd after his heart. Ezekiel points to God as the good shepherd who will send a Davidic shepherd-king, expressed in Christ, who will bring back, gather, strengthen, feed, and tend his flock.
The Shepherd Metaphor in the ANE
Shepherding was a common trade in the ancient Near East (ANE). Sheep were of high economic importance and a source of food and clothing. The portrayal of the ideal king as a shepherd is typical in ANE literature. “The shepherds were “responsible for leading, feeding, protecting, and procuring rest for their flock.”[1] They were recognized typically by a heavy cloak, staff, rod, and sling. These were things to protect the shepherd from harsh weather with the ability to guard the sheep.
In Mesopotamia, rulers, and gods were associated with the shepherd metaphor since a king’s role was to protect and defend the people. There are deities of the ANE in connection with shepherd titles, such as “Enlil he is addressed as Father Enlil, shepherd of the blackheads. The Enuma Elish regarding Marduk states, “Let him shepherd all the gods like sheep. The Akkadian Shamash is praised for being shepherd of all that is below and guardian of all that is above.”[2]
In the Old Testament, Yahweh is the shepherd. Jacob blesses Joseph and refers to Yahweh as the shepherd. “He blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day” (Gen 48:15). Another picture of Yahweh as a shepherd is in the popular Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Moreover, in Psalm 77, Yahweh is noted as leading his people like a flock. In Isaiah 40:11, “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs. In the book of Micah, the shepherd metaphor is of the king that will be ruler, “And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord” (Mic 5:4).
The Bad Shepherds of Ezekiel
Throughout the Old Testament, there are examples of God choosing undershepherds to lead his people; however, Israel eventually rejects the ways of God. The leaders (undershepherds) follow their own appetites (Jer 23). The poetic indictment of Ezekiel 34 charges the undershepherds with three crimes that are layered with offenses against Yahweh. First, the shepherds are only concerned with feeding themselves, “consuming the milk of the sheep is not an exploitative act, but here it is made to look like robbery.”[3] Second, the shepherds cut the wool and only clothe themselves, not caring for the sickly or strengthening them. “This, too, is natural in a pastoral economy, but Ezekiel’s figure assumes the forceful removal of wool, making it look like the sheep are left naked before the elements.[4] Third, “shepherds do raise sheep for their meat, but in this metaphorical context, such slaughter represents the most blatant violation of the shepherd’s role, presumably judicial murder.”[5]
Therefore, Yahweh intervenes “in a welcome contrast to a succession of unworthy shepherds who enriched themselves at the expense of the flock.”[6] Ezekiel states that Yahweh will deliver his people from the corrupt shepherds. Ezekiel writes, “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will demand My sheep from them and make them cease from feeding sheep. So the shepherds will not feed themselves anymore, but I will deliver My flock from their mouth so that they will not be food for them” (Ezek 34:10). Yahweh intervenes to bring deliverance and salvation to his flock.
The Arrival of the Good Shepherd
Jesus arrives on the scene and claims, “I am the good shepherd.” He indicates he is a good and faithful shepherd compared to the corrupt shepherds that deserve judgment. Jesus identifies the Pharisees as “blind guides” (Matt 15:14), indicating that these undershepherds also lead the people astray. In John 10, he attests that he is not the “thief” or “robber,” but instead, he is the good shepherd. He contrasts the good shepherd willing to lay down his life with the hired hand. The self-serving shepherds only have their desires in mind.
Unlike the bad shepherds, Jesus is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. David, first a shepherd, then a king, could be a prior type to Jesus. He demonstrates risking his life for his sheep. 1 Samuel 17:34-35 states, “But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.” In Scripture, David, “the shepherd-boy, is called by God to take on the role of shepherding God’s people as king.”[7] Just as King David was willing to lay down his life, too Jesus was willing to lay down his life. Although King David is a type of Shepherd, he is unable to fulfill the role of delivering the people as Jesus the Good Shepherd will be able.
Further, Jesus’ statement, “There will be one flock, one shepherd,” represents an allusion to Ezekiel 34:23. The notion of one flock being led by one shepherd as a metaphor for God’s providential care for his united people is firmly rooted in Old Testament prophetic language:”[8] Ezekiel 34:23-24 states, “Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the Lord have spoken.” Due to the covenantal language of this passage, the Jews hear Ezekiel 34:23-24 in the backdrop of the “good shepherd” discourse and a division occurs. “The “good shepherd” is not simply a consoler who promises to care for the souls of those who believe –as in sentimental Christian piety. Rather, Jesus is staking a symbolic claim to be the new David, the restorer, and ruler of Israel. But he has said all this in figurative language.”[9] The promised Davidic shepherd is here in Jesus; he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:17).
Conclusion
The comparison of shepherds in Ezekiel 34 spotlights Jesus as the good shepherd. He lays down his life for his sheep. He guides them to the water of life and wipes away every tear. Remember, Ezekiel and Revelation were both written during times of suffering when people needed hope. Christ, the good shepherd, is our hope who will bind the brokenhearted, seek the lost, and bring his sheep to green pastures.
[1] J. D. Barry and L. Wentz, editors. In the Lexham Bible Dictionary, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.
[2] Ibid.
[3] D.L. Block, The Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 25–48: (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997) 283.
[4] Ibid 283
[5] Ibid 283
[6] F.F. Bruce, The New Testament Development of Old Testament Theme, (Eugene, OR: Wipf, 1968) 102.
[7] Andrew T. Abernethy, The Book of Isaiah and God’s Kingdom, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press,2016) 60.
[8] G.K. Beale and D. A Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament; (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academy, 2007) 463.
[9] Richard Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels, (Waco, TX: Baylor University, 2006) 319.
