Today's Scripture Reading (August 17, 2023): Ezekiel 34
One of the earliest pieces of scripture that most of
us memorized was the "Shepherd's Psalm," a Psalm that begins with the
words, "The Lord is my Shepherd." The Psalm was written by David,
possibly at a relatively young age. It is not hard to imagine a young David
protecting the sheep on the pasture, caring for the flock, and recognizing that
the same care he gives to the sheep that has been entrusted to him, God is
giving to him. Being a shepherd, in the mind of David, is an active pursuit,
and God is actively protecting him on the hillside just as he protects his
sheep.
When David became King of Israel, he seemed to adopt
the idea of being a shepherd as the job description of the King. King David
would be the shepherd of Israel. He would protect his people just as he had
protected the sheep on the hillside during his youth.
Ezekiel seems to pick up this theme of the shepherds
as he looks at the Israel of his day. But Ezekiel argues that Israel's shepherds
have failed the sheep. They have become distracted, allowing some sheep to
become fat while others are starving. They were following their own goals and
ignoring the needs of the sheep. But Ezekiel saw a day coming when God would
come to fix the situation with the return of David.
Most scholars seem to interpret passages like this
one as a prophecy of the coming Messiah. Jesus became the presence of God, who
walked among us. He was the good shepherd, the one that we needed. But not
everyone is sure about that interpretation. And part of the argument is that if
Ezekiel or other prophets meant the Messiah, why invoke the name of David? Why
did Ezekiel not say "the Messiah" or even "the one like David."
But Ezekiel seems to be clear. It is David who will return to shepherd Israel.
And he adds another descriptor in this passage; it is not King David who will
return but Prince David. Maybe it is important to note that David was never the
Prince of Israel. He was a General in King Saul's army, an outlaw chased and
persecuted by King Saul, and then became King. But there was never a time when
he was Prince.
But if we are talking about the actual David who
ruled over Israel after the death of Saul, he could not come back as King. That
title would belong to Jesus, the Messiah. At best, David would be a prince in
the kingdom of the Messiah. He would be a shepherd under the command of "The
Good Shepherd." And it is with this recognition that Ezekiel speaks of Prince
David, a David who would serve in the administration led by King Jesus, that
have some questioning if Ezekiel is really speaking of the return of David in
this passage.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 35
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