Ezekiel 34:6
My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.
God's sheep were scattered across mountains, hills, and the whole earth with none to search for them because the shepherds entrusted with them failed to care for the flock. The diseased were not strengthened, the sick were not healed, the broken were not bound up, the driven away were not brought back, and the lost were not sought, but the flock was ruled with force and left without protection until they became prey. Instead of feeding the flock they fed themselves, rejecting God's law and truth, teaching that obedience is optional, and leaving believers wounded, divided, and spiritually starving. In contrast Jesus as the Good Shepherd knows every feeble, sickly, and wandering sheep by name, feels the distress of each one, hears the cry for aid, and cares for each as though there were not another on earth. His scattered sheep are still to be sought in every place, not by preaching alone but by personal labor in homes, visiting every family, caring for the sick and absent, strengthening the weak with timely words, and restoring wanderers to the fold.
Flock Scattered Through Neglect
My sheep wandered through all the mountains and upon every high hill, scattered upon all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek after them, because Israel's shepherds failed to care for the flock. Their failure was that the diseased were not strengthened, the sick were not healed, the broken were not bound up, the driven away were not brought again, and the lost were not sought, but the flock was ruled with force and cruelty and left without a shepherd until the scattered sheep became meat to all the beasts of the field. Instead of feeding the flock, men professing to be shepherds fed themselves. They are idle consumers and not producers who do not themselves receive grace to impart to others, bear no fruit for the church, do not do the work they should do, and do not reach the high standard their knowledge of the truth requires.
The neglect left the sheep exposed to harm, with churches backslidden and believers wounded, divided, and spiritually starving like sheep exposed to predators without food. This includes people who cling to the truth yet arrive from many directions having received no teaching or guidance. A shepherd who lets the flock be torn, scattered, or led from the right path is unfaithful and cannot excuse himself by blaming the sheep. Poor sheep suffer from unwise shepherds as well as from false shepherds, as when ministering brethren stand back and leave one man crushed beneath censure until God vindicates him.
The failure is explained as disregard for God's law, rejection of truth that calls for self-denial, confusing the people with human interpretations, teaching that the law is not binding, rejecting God's Word and commandments, and letting the standard of truth of the first, second, and third angels' messages trail in the dust. Though they knew testing truth, the unfaithful shepherds made no earnest personal effort to warn that keeping God's commandments just as written is a life-or-death question deciding eternal destiny while forgiveness can still be reached, but treated obedience as optional and linked in confederacy with the disobedient. So in the great day when each is judged and receives according to obedience or transgression, the lost will charge them with deception for not laying hold of them in intense earnestness. Those who follow such teaching are not excused for rejecting God's Word, and God holds souls responsible for discerning what food is given to the flock. Those who ignore the evidences, change blessing into a curse, and mislead the people insult the Lord and will have their candlestick removed unless they repent.
Christ the True Shepherd
Against shepherds who failed their work and left the flock without care, with the diseased not strengthened, the sick not healed, the broken not bound up, the driven away not brought back, and the lost not sought, but ruled with force and cruelty until the scattered sheep became meat to all the beasts of the field, Jesus stands as the Good Shepherd who knows all His feeble, sickly, and wandering sheep by name. The distress of every sheep and lamb touches His heart of sympathizing love, the cry for aid reaches His ear, He sees when one of the little ones for whom He died is injured and calls the offender to account, and He cares for each one as though there were not another individual on the face of the earth. Even when men professing to be shepherds feed themselves and not the flock, shutting away the higher classes by denominational exclusiveness and refusing their churches to any other doctrine so that halls gather numbers yet the very ones who need warning remain in amazing ignorance, the Lord of heaven still has care for His own as the purchase of His blood. When ministers enter the work without deep love to God and to fellow men, selfishness and self-indulgence appear in their lives and they become unconsecrated, unfaithful watchmen who serve themselves instead of feeding the flock and attending to pastoral duties, so the people perish for want of proper instruction.
Faithful shepherding requires sitting in meekness at the feet of Jesus to obtain right views of God's character, for Christ and His Father were one and Christ is the perfect pattern in whom God was manifested. Following His example means plain, close, searching, practical preaching that gives a living Saviour instead of a formal religion in which there is no Saviour. The way back from failure as explained by Isaiah 58 is to cease disregarding God's law and rejecting truth that calls for self-denial, and instead to care for the needy, uphold truth and righteousness, and honor the Sabbath. When shepherds fail to strengthen the flock with God's truth, the people are left spiritually scattered and churches become backslidden under leaders who reject God's Word and commandments.
Many leading men dishonor the Lord by being false shepherds who lead God's flock astray. Teachers and rulers in this condition must be disciplined by disappointment, hardship, and affliction, and unless they learn Christ's meekness and lowliness they are not fitted to teach, while their example of self-righteousness does nothing to advance God's work. One who accepts the office of shepherd acknowledges he is a mouthpiece of God and must care for the poor sheep more than for himself, being careful in words and deportment and feeling a burden for souls. When he is careless and reckless and feels no burden, the order is reversed so the sheep must carry the burden to care for the shepherd by warning, reproving, exhorting, and weeping over him. The sheep should not suffer for the shepherd's sin, but need visiting, help, and spiritual care, with true shepherd work going forth weeping and praying that souls might be converted, sowing seed that will spring up after many days and bear fruit to the glory of God.
Seeking the Scattered Today
The scattering described in the verse is a warning not to be deceived into becoming an unfaithful shepherd who leaves the flock unwatched and unsought. The whole chapter is to be studied by anyone tempted to remain under the influence of one who has apostatized, for it bears on watching and praying, on knowing for oneself what the Lord requires, on daily conversion, and on forming character after the divine likeness. It bears also on preparing with joy to meet the Lord when He comes in the clouds of heaven with power and glory, showing why no one should place himself where apostasy must constantly be heard and why a changed choice must be known by actions.
God's lost sheep are now scattered in every place and the work for them is neglected. This includes the higher classes shut away by denominational exclusiveness, where ministers refuse their churches to any who would preach another doctrine than their own, so that halls may draw numbers to hear while the very ones who need the warning are not reached and remain in amazing ignorance. It includes people in cities and valleys who remain in ignorance because those who need the warning are not reached, yet the Lord of heaven cares for His own as the purchase of His blood, and laborers must be raised up to go forth to seek them.
Seeking them calls for reaching them with books that teach the truth essential for this time. The books to be brought before the world are those containing truth essential for this time, not story-books. Where there is now one canvasser in the field there should be a hundred, to seek the scattered sheep whose need is being neglected.
Preaching alone is not enough, for sheep are scattered and lost when ministers preach the Word without personal labor in the homes of the people. The minister must get acquainted with people where they are, visiting every family he can gain access to, and he cannot supply this work by proxy or shift it upon his wife or another person. He must minister to the needs of sinners, visit believers when they are sick, inquire when they are absent from meetings, and make personal effort to help those whose spiritual danger is known, rather than letting temporal matters absorb the time and attention that belongs to souls.
This pastoral visiting, even if less preaching is done, is the most profitable and most essential part of ministry, binding off the work and binding the messenger to the sheep and lambs of the Lord's pasture. Neglect of it makes him an unfaithful shepherd under the rebuke of God, his work is not half done, and no excuse will be accepted. Neglect leaves church members tempted so that some wander from the fold of Christ and give up the truth, as happened when Sister Holland gave up the truth for want of personal care.
Faithful shepherding means identifying with the people, becoming a channel of light through personal effort, and 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. True shepherd work means going forth weeping and praying that souls might be converted, sowing seed that will spring up after many days and bear fruit to the glory of God. Those who have wandered can still be restored to the fold, for the shepherd's duty is to help bring the wandering back to Christ's fold.
Those associated with a leader in God's work must act as faithful shepherds by telling him his mistake when he does things they know are not right and correcting his course when he is out of the way. Silence because he will not acknowledge that his course is wrong and will not receive anything that does not harmonize with his ideas is unfaithful shepherding. Withholding from associates the reproof and instruction given to correct him, leaving them in darkness about his wrongs while he himself has been warned, leaves them to be led astray.