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The image of a shepherd caring for his sheep is supremely comforting—if the shepherd is good. But sometimes divinely appointed authorities dishonor the fifth commandment, which requires leaders to “love . . . and bless their inferiors; . . . protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body” (Westminster Larger Catechism 129).
The Lord kindly raised up kings to protect Israel from enemies, priests to help it rest in His grace, and prophets to warn of sin’s danger and to model faith and repentance. But Israel’s officers failed. In the days of Ezekiel, God rebuked the false shepherds who fed themselves by consuming the sheep, ruling them “with force and harshness” (Ezek. 34:2–4). Shepherds should protect the flock from wolves, but sometimes they are the wolves. Leaders violate believers’ precious consciences by enforcing unbiblical requirements and ruling for “shameful gain,” feeding their greed for reputation and control (1 Peter 5:2). And the tragic results are predictable: “My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them” (Ezek. 34:6). Israelites were literally scattered, exiled in Assyria and Babylon. Worse, many exiles became spiritually lost. Abused sheep can become embittered to the biblical faith and morally confused. Some forsake God’s covenant and stop trusting Him as their Shepherd.
We must know that God never relinquishes His shepherd’s staff, which both guides sheep and repels enemies. God will “banish wild beasts from the land, so that [the sheep] may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods” (v. 25). Leaders who “lord it over” God’s sheep will face His just wrath (Matt. 20:25). “Behold,” says the Lord, “I am against the shepherds” (Ezek. 34:10). Abuse of authority will not be the end of the story for God’s mistreated children who are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36). In Christ, God fulfills His promise to Ezekiel: “I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak” (Ezek. 34:16). Jesus, the Shepherd like David (v. 23), calls to us: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Victims of unfaithful shepherding can look beyond their pain and see “our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep” (Heb. 13:20). Our chief Prophet, only High Priest, and eternal King will “never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5–6). God’s shepherding promise includes physical blessings such as fruitful trees, freedom from enslavement, protection from danger, alleviation of fear, and full satisfaction—God’s peace (Ezek. 34:25–29). The Good Shepherd will guide us to living waters and wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 7:17). He will bring us through the valley of the shadow of death to the banquet table of the living God.