Ezekiel 34:10, commentary and pictures

God declares himself opposed to unfaithful shepherds and will hold them accountable by requiring his flock at their hand. He will make them stop feeding the flock and stop feeding themselves from it, ending their control and authority over it. He will rescue his own purchased people from their mouths and power so they are no longer exploited as food for them and are not left to perish. Unfaithful shepherds are those who put themselves first and feed themselves in selfishness without deep love to God and others, who withhold saving truth and teach that obedience to the law is optional, and who wound the flock with suspicion, criticism and dissension instead of healthful teaching. Christ as chief shepherd requires his under-shepherds to share his self-sacrificing interest, to feed the flock, strengthen the weak, shield them from devouring wolves, and to teach the binding claims of the law and warn of peril with intense earnestness while forgiveness can still be found.

God's Judgment Declared

God is set against the shepherds and will call them to account by requiring his flock at their hand. As chief shepherd he holds ministers as under-shepherds answerable for the flock entrusted to them, bidding them share his interest, feel the sacred charge, be faithful, feed the flock, strengthen the weak, revive the fainting, and shield them from devouring wolves after his example of laying down his life. The poor sheep suffer from unwise shepherds as well as false ones when ministering brethren stand back and excuse themselves while one man is weighed down and crushed beneath too many burdens and censure, and God vindicates the cause of the one so crushed when others failed to ease him.

He will cause them to cease from feeding the flock and from feeding themselves from it, ending their control, authority, and feeding of it for their own benefit. Shepherds who exploit the flock, claim promises meant for his commandment-keeping people, and withhold saving truth are held accountable and stripped of authority to feed the flock or themselves from it. Those who feed themselves instead of the flock, who fail to teach the binding claims of his law clearly or confuse people with their own interpretations, who lack the truth that works by love and purifies the soul and turn their abilities to their own interests, who teach that his law is not binding and interpret his word through transgression to persuade people to reject light, neglect the flock in breach of trust so souls perish and their blood is upon them, and God will call them to account and remove their charge and power to exploit it.

He will deliver his flock from their mouths and power and take them out of their hands, so the people are no longer spoiled or exploited as food for them, but are kept by himself. Even when professed shepherds and denominational ministers shut people, especially the higher classes, away from truth by refusing their churches to any other doctrine so those most needing warning do not hear it, the Lord of heaven still has care for his own, the purchase of his blood, and will not leave them to perish. A self-exalting shepherd chosen as his physician for his beautiful flock, who became ambitious to be as God, followed Satan and repeated his suggestions, and would not heed increased light and evidence or acknowledge God and reform, will be made to cease from feeding the flock, will have the flock taken and delivered from his mouth, will see true teachers and faithful physicians appointed over them, and unless he breaks away from the father of lies will be greatly humbled, for his crooked course and presentations made work exceedingly hard for ministers, discouraged them for many years, brought confusion where there were no difficulties, created dissension and strife, neglected the vineyard, and changed methods while pursuing the same object.

This reckoning looks to the great day when every person is judged and receives according to works of obedience to the law of his kingdom or continued transgression. The shepherds then held accountable are ministers who knew keeping his commandments just as written is a life-or-death question deciding eternal destiny while forgiveness is still within reach, yet made no personal earnest effort to save souls, treated testing truth tamely, presented obedience as optional with no firm boundary, failed to lay hold of people with intense earnestness exalting righteousness and truth, and acted falsely to link in confederacy with the disobedient. Because of that neglect and deception the lost will turn on them in judgment and charge them with not warning of peril and not using persuasive influence to show the danger, saying their lives would have changed had the shepherds been in earnest.

The chapter containing this declaration is truth to be studied and applied by people living in the last days, to be read carefully as a warning to guard against the great deceiver and against being deceived into acting as an unfaithful shepherd. The same declaration shows God is against false shepherds who rejected the former messages, that the work of rescue is not to those shepherds but to the honest deceived who were led astray by them, and that the false shepherds will soon be fed with judgment.

Unfaithful Shepherds Exposed

Unfaithful shepherds put themselves first and feed themselves instead of the flock, serving in selfishness and self-indulgence without deep love to God and to others. They become unconsecrated, unfaithful watchmen and idle consumers rather than producers, bringing no fruit to the church because they do not themselves receive grace from God to impart to others. They fail to do the work they should do and do not reach the high standard their knowledge of the truth requires, and by neglecting proper instruction they leave the people to perish for want of it. In rejecting truth that calls for self-denial and disregarding God's law they destroy the flock's plain paths.

They claim promises belonging to the commandment-keeping people while withholding saving truth, refusing God's word and His commandments. They teach that God's law is not binding, interpret His word through transgression, persuade people to reject the light of truth, and present obedience as optional, as a subject every person is at liberty to regard as pleased with no firm boundary. They confuse people with their own interpretations, fail to teach the binding claims of the law clearly with intense earnestness as a life-or-death principle, treat testing truth tamely to link in confederacy with the disobedient, and ignore the evidences God has given. By this breach of trust blessing is turned into a curse, churches led by such shepherds become backslidden, the standard of truth is left in the dust, and souls perish through their unfaithfulness.

In rebellion they wound and tear the flock and leave the poor sheep bleeding, as was done by two false ministers in Iowa, so that the wounded must be rescued by intense labor to save them. They feed church members with suspicion, criticism, and faultfinding instead of spiritually healthful teaching, creating dissension and damaging the church. They also shut hearers away from truth by refusing their meeting places to any other doctrine, so that the higher classes and the very ones who most need the warning do not hear it.

A shepherd chosen as physician for the beautiful flock became self-exalting and ambitious to be as God, followed Satan and repeated his suggestions, and would not heed increased light and evidence or acknowledge God and reform. His crooked course and presentations made the work exceedingly hard for ministers and worked to discourage them for many years, bringing confusion where there were no difficulties and creating dissension and strife while neglecting the vineyard. When his way did not succeed he changed methods but worked to the same object in a different way, and unless he breaks away from the father of lies he will be greatly humbled, made to cease, and replaced by true teachers and faithful physicians.

Shepherds are also unfaithful when ministering brethren stand back and excuse themselves while one man is weighed down and crushed beneath too many burdens and censure, creating more burdens than all the people, so that the poor sheep suffer from unwise shepherds as well as from false shepherds. They are unfaithful when they remain silent about known wrong because the offender will not acknowledge his course or receive anything that does not harmonize with his ideas, thereby keeping associates in darkness about reproof and warning already given and leaving them to be led astray. Leading men who dishonor the Lord and lead astray in self-righteousness show by that example that they do nothing to advance God's work and are not fitted to teach unless disciplined by disappointment, hardship, and affliction until they learn meekness and lowliness.

Ministers are rebuked as unfaithful when they neglect house-to-house visiting and personal labor among every accessible family, leaving their work not half done with no excuse accepted. That personal effort to identify with the people, bind off the work properly, and strengthen the weak at the right time with words that comfort, strengthen, and establish them rooted and grounded in the faith is the most essential and most profitable part of ministry, to be done even at the cost of less public preaching. It cannot be supplied by proxy nor shifted upon wives or any other person, and failure in this unpleasant work leaves places lost that would have yielded a large work and many souls gathered.

Faithful Care Required

Christ as chief shepherd holds ministers accountable as under-shepherds for the flock entrusted to them, bidding them share the same interest He manifested and feel the sacred responsibility of the charge. He solemnly commands them to be faithful, to feed the flock, to strengthen the weak, to revive the fainting, and to shield them from devouring wolves. His laying down His own life to save His sheep is their example. The hireling, whose own the sheep are not, has no real interest in the flock but labors merely for gain, cares only for himself, studies his own profit instead of the interest of his charge, and in time of peril or danger will flee and leave the flock.

Faithful shepherds must teach the binding claims of God's law clearly, for souls perish through unfaithfulness when that instruction is withheld or confused by human interpretations, and their blood is upon the negligent. Keeping His commandments just as written is a life-or-death question deciding eternal destiny while forgiveness is still within reach, so testing truth must not be treated tamely as a subject every person is at liberty to regard as pleased with no firm boundary, but must be urged with intense earnestness exalting righteousness and truth as a life-and-death principle. They must warn of peril and lay hold of people with persuasive influence to show the danger, making personal, earnest effort to save souls rather than acting falsely to link in confederacy with the disobedient. They must also directly tell a man his mistake when he does things they know are not right, for remaining silent because he will not acknowledge his course is wrong and will not receive anything that does not harmonize with his ideas keeps associates in darkness about reproof and warning already given and leaves them to be led astray.

Ministers are charged to feed the flock and attend to pastoral duties by giving proper instruction, which requires deep love to God and to fellow men, lest in selfishness and self-indulgence they serve themselves and the people perish for want of proper instruction. God makes the human minister a channel of light by personal effort identifying himself with the people for whom he labors, properly binding off the work and binding the messenger to the sheep and lambs of the pasture. That work includes house-to-house visiting and personal labor among every accessible family, which is the most essential and most profitable part of ministry, to be done even at the cost of less public preaching, and it cannot be supplied by proxy nor shifted upon wives or any other person. It means strengthening the weak of the flock at the right time with words that comfort, strengthen, and establish them so they become rooted, grounded, and established in the faith, for failure to do this unpleasant work leaves places lost to the cause that would have yielded a large work and many souls gathered.

Those responsible for appointing shepherds are accountable for entrusting the flock to faithful caretakers, and shepherds who feed members with suspicion, criticism, and faultfinding instead of spiritually healthful teaching, creating dissension and damaging the church, should be removed from its care. God's people must exercise keen discernment to discover what kind of provender is being given to the flock, for those who ignore the evidences God has given and change blessing into a curse insult the Lord and leave the standard of truth in the dust. No one should place himself under the influence of a leader who has apostatized, not even for a sister's sake. Wounded and bleeding sheep torn by rebellion must be rescued by intense labor to save them. Yet the failure of shepherds does not excuse those who reject God's Word to follow human sophistry. When those who put themselves first and destroyed plain paths by rejecting self-denying truth and disregarding God's law return to loyalty, they can serve as repairers and restorers under God's deliverance of His people from harmful care.