No one shall make them afraid! Ezekiel 34:1–16,28,30–31

Abstract

Ezekiel 34 gives the preacher a wide and creative platform to proclaim a prophetic word. Set in the horror and desperation of the Babylonian captivity, defined as “a day of cloud and darkness” (34:12) and further exacerbated by the immediate announcement of the fall of Jerusalem (33:21), Ezekiel 34 announces judgment, offers reassurance, proclaims hope, and re-establishes the covenant between God and God’s people. In Ezekiel 34, the delineated picture of the Good Shepherd (34:11–16) who is actively searching for the lost sheep of Israel offers intertextual connections to Jesus as the Good Shepherd (John 10). Furthermore, Ezekiel 34 provides additional insight into the Messiah from the House of David (34:23–24) and to the role played by covenants between God and God’s people (34:30–31). From the judgment upon the undershepherd kings (vv. 1–10) and the separation of the sheep and goats (vv. 17–22), to the restoration of the Good Shepherd to Israel (vv. 11–16) and the new covenant (vv. 30–31), the preacher has a plethora of options that will be limited only by one’s imagination and creativity.