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| 1 And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying, |
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| 2 'Son of man, prophesy concerning shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and thou hast said unto them: To the shepherds, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Wo [to] the shepherds of Israel, Who have been feeding themselves! The flock do not the shepherds feed |
Shepherds of Israel – All who accept the position of elders are, to some extent, representing the Lord, who is the Great Shepherd of the flock. R5389:4
Hireling shepherds of the pulpit. D62; HG715:6
Greedy, ignorant, lazy teachers. F287
Feed themselves – Divide amongst themselves the spoils of filthy lucre, honors, reverence, titles, etc. R1895:6
Many preachers have discerned the Plan but, instead of preaching it, have hidden it, to cause themselves to shine. R3138:4
These are warned by the Lord of his displeasure, and could not be expected to thrive spiritually. R3138:5
Feed the flocks – Not nominal Christians, but the true saints of God. R5693:3
Leading them to the "green pastures" of God's Word and to the "still waters" of divine truth. R5693:2
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| 3 The fat ye do eat, and the wool ye put on, The fed one ye slaughter, the flock ye feed not. |
Ye kill – Slaughter their influence, cast out their names as evil. R633:2
Them that are fed – They that find pastures of truth and feed, despite the neglect of the shepherds. R633:2
Feed not – Their church arrangements are often especially for the goat or tare class. R5693:3
Very few of the flock of the Lord's consecrated people any longer seek spiritual food at their hands. R5693:6
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| 4 The weak ye have not strengthened, And the sick one ye have not healed, And the broken ye have not bound up, And the driven away have not brought back, And the lost ye have not sought, And with might ye have ruled them and with rigour. |
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| 5 And they are scattered from want of a shepherd, And are for food to every beast of the field, Yea, they are scattered. |
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| 6 Go astray do My flock on all the mountains, And on every high hill, And on all the face of the land have My flock been scattered, And there is none inquiring, and none seeking. |
All the mountains – Kingdoms. A318
The Lord's sheep are intermixed with various nations. R633:2
Every high hill – Societies of earth--churches. R633:2
Or seek after them – The shepherds sanction the scattered and divided condition of the Lord's sheep, and claim that it is the Chief Shepherd's will that they should be separated in various sects. R633:2
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| 7 Therefore, shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah: |
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| 8 I live an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, If not, because of My flock being for a prey, Yea, My flock is for food to every beast of the field, Because there is no shepherd, And My shepherds have not sought My flock, And the shepherds do feed themselves, And My flock they have not fed. |
There was no shepherd – Preferring to act a lie, to destroy the faith of the too-confident sheep whom they lead and whose praise and money they enjoy. SM298:1
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| 9 Therefore, O shepherds, hear a word of Jehovah: |
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| 10 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I [am] against the shepherds, And have required My flock from their hand, And caused them to cease from feeding the flock, And no more do the shepherds feed themselves, And I have delivered My flock from their mouth, And they are not to them for food. |
The shepherds – Theological professors and pastors, by not explaining the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words Sheol and hades, have permitted God's character and plan to be traduced. R2598:6
Require my flock at – Take my flock from. R633:1, R2599:1
Cease from feeding – They shall not continue to be God's mouthpieces, nor shepherd his flock. R2599:1
Feed themselves – Upon the husks of science and man-made theology, and in honoring each other with titles. R633:2
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| 11 For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I even I, have required My flock, And I have sought it out. |
Behold, I, even I – Behold I am here and will enquire for my flock. R633:1
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| 12 As a shepherd's searching of his drove, In the day of his being in the midst of his scattered flock, so I do seek My flock, And have delivered them out of all places, Whither they have been scattered, In a day of cloud and thick darkness. |
In the day – The "Day of the Lord." R487:3
He is among – Present among. R487:3
Will I seek out – This is having a fulfillment in the gathering of the sheep of both folds, natural and spiritual Israelites, out of their respective bondages and dispersions. R487:3
Will deliver them – Mark well that this will be when he is present, "here," and "among his flocks that are scattered." R633:2, R5693:6
Cloudy and dark day – The Day of the Lord, the time of trouble. R487:3, R633:2
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| 13 And brought them out from the peoples, And have gathered them from the lands, And brought them unto their own ground, And have fed them on mountains of Israel, By streams, and by all dwellings of the land. |
Gather them – He is about to complete his flock of this Gospel age. R5693:6
Their own land – The homeland of the Lord's sheep of this Gospel age is heaven itself. R5694:1
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| 14 With good pasture I do feed them, And on mountains of the high place of Israel is their habitation, There do they lie down in a good habitation, And fat pastures they enjoy on mountains of Israel. |
A good fold – The whole world will become "the fold." R5694:6
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| 15 I feed My flock, and cause them to lie down, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. |
Will feed my flock – This promised feeding of the Lord's flock is now taking place. R633:4
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| 16 The lost I seek, and the driven away bring back, And the broken I bind up, and the sick I strengthen, And the fat and the strong I destroy, I feed it with judgment. |
With judgment – A righteous recompense. R5694:3
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| 17 And you, My flock, thus said the Lord Jehovah: Lo, I am judging between sheep and sheep, Between rams and he-goats. |
O my flock – The beguiling of the attention of the flock from the one true shepherd to a fellow sheep is not always the fault of the leaders. There is a tendency of those of the sheep nature to follow one another. R2080:2, R5694:3
The rams – Elders in the church. R5389:1
The he goats – Whenever any one manifests the goat disposition the ecclesia should strictly avoid making him a leader. R5389:4
Owners of sheep sometimes use a goat as leader of the flock because a goat is more combative than a sheep, and thus supplies the sheep courage. R5389:4
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| 18 Is it a little thing for you the good pasture ye enjoy, And the remnant of your pasture ye tread down with your feet, And a depth of waters ye do drink, And the remainder with your feet ye trample, |
The deep waters – Of truth. R3076:1; C65
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| 19 And My flock the trodden thing of your feet consumeth, And the trampled thing of your feet drinketh |
They eat that – Each sheep must see to it that he eats only "clean provender" and drinks only "pure water" as directed by the Shepherd. R2080:4
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| 20 Therefore, thus said the Lord Jehovah to them: Lo, I even I, have judged between fat sheep and lean sheep. |
I, will judge – This already has begun in respect to the Gospel Church. R5694:4
The fat cattle – Some who have been considered quite prominent in Christendom, pushing and managing its affairs, will be reproved by the Lord in this day. R5694:4
The lean cattle – The poor, the outcasts, the peculiar, are styled his flock, which he is now gathering and feeding. R5694:4
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| 21 Because with side and with shoulder ye thrust away, And with your horns push all the diseased, Till ye have scattered them to the out-place, |
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| 22 And I have given safety to My flock, And they are not any more for prey, And I have judged between sheep and sheep. |
I will judge – See comments on verse 20.
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| 23 And have raised up over them one shepherd, And he hath fed them my servant David, He doth feed them, and he is their shepherd,
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My servant David – The Christ, Head and Body. R5694:5
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| 24 And I, Jehovah, I am their God, And My servant David prince in their midst, I, Jehovah, have spoken. |
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| 25 And I have made for them a covenant of peace, And caused evil beasts to cease out of the land, And they have dwelt in a wilderness confidently, And they have slept in forests. |
The evil beasts – The evildoers, those who will devour, destroy and do harm. R5694:6
In the woods – A quiet and restful condition. R5694:6
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| 26 And I have given them, and the suburbs of my hill, a blessing, And caused the shower to come down in its season, Showers of blessing they are. |
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| 27 And given hath the tree of the field its fruit, And the land doth give her increase, And they have been on their land confident, And they have known that I [am] Jehovah, In My breaking the bands of their yoke, And I have delivered them from the hand of those laying service on them. |
Yield her increase – In the "Times of Restitution" of Messiah's reign. R4674:1, R1248:3; A192; HG515:1
Already we have evidence of how these scriptures may be fulfilled. R4431:5
For the microbes of destruction and disease shall be restrained. R1771:6
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| 28 And they are no more a prey to nations, And the beast of the earth devoureth them not, And they have dwelt confidently, And there is none troubling. |
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| 29 And I have raised for them a plant for renown, And they are no more consumed by hunger in the land, And they bear no more the shame of the nations. |
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| 30 And they have known that I, Jehovah, their God, [am] with them, And they the house of Israel My people, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah. |
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| 31 And ye, My flock, the flock of My pasture, Men ye [are] I [am] your God, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah!' |
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