20221203

rescue and rest

Ezekiel 34:11-16 (JDV)

Ezekiel 34:11 ” ‘You see, this is what the Lord Yahveh says: Notice, I myself will search for my flock and look for them.
Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and total darkness.
Ezekiel 34:13 I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land.
Ezekiel 34:14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 34:15 I will tend my flock and let them lie down. This is the declaration of the Lord Yahveh.
Ezekiel 34:16 I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will exterminate the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.

rescue and rest

Could Jesus have been referring to this promise when he called himself the Good Shepherd in John 10? Preston Taylor cites this passage and then goes on to say “Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-31 that he gives rest to all who come to Him. He heals the hurting, binding up their wounds, and gives them rest and health.” 1

God promised through Ezekiel that he would search for his people in exile, rescue them, and give them rest. He is doing that through Jesus Christ for everyone who believes in him.

1 Taylor, Preston A. Ezekiel: God’s Prophet and His Puzzling Book ; (Dry Bones Will Live Again). Longwood, Fla: Xulon Press, 2006. p. 201.