Ezekiel 34:18

Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the residue with your feet? SEEMETH IT A SMALL THING UNTO YOU TO HAVE EATEN UP THE GOOD PASTURE, BUT YE MUST TREAD DOWN WITH YOUR FEET THE RESIDUE OF YOUR PASTURES? Not content with appropriating to their own use the good of others, they, from mere wantonness, spoiled what they did not use, so as to be of no use to the owners. AND TO HAVE DRUNK OF THE DEEP WATERS, BUT YE MUST FOUL THE RESIDUE WITH YOUR FEET? - "deep waters," i:e., limpid as deep waters are generally clear. Grotius explains the image as referring to the usuries with which the rich ground the poor (;...

17-31 The whole nation seemed to be the Lord's flock, yet they were very different characters; but he knew how to distinguish between them. By good pastures and deep waters, are meant the pure word of God and the dispensing of justice. The latter verses, Ezekiel 34:23, prophesy of Christ, and of the most glorious times of his church on earth. Under Him, as the good Shepherd, the church would be a blessing to all around. Christ, though excellent in himself, was as a tender plant out of a dry ground. Being the Tree of life, bearing all the fruits of salvation, he yields spiritual food to the souls of his people. Our constant desire and prayer should be, that there may be showers of blessings in every place where the truth of Christ is preached; and that all who profess the gospel may be filled with fruits of righteousness....

Verse Ezekiel 34:18. _HAVE EATEN UP THE GOOD PASTURE_] Arrogate to yourselves all the promises of God, and will hardly permit the simple believer to claim or possess any token of God's favour. _YE MUST FOUL THE RESIDUE WITH YOUR FEET?_] Ye abuse God's mercies; you _consume much_ upon yourselves, and ye _spoil more_, on which the _poor_ would have been glad to _feed_. There are some who would rather give food to their _sporting dogs_ than to the _poor_ around them, who are ready to starve, and who would be glad of the crumbs that fall from the table of those _masters_!...

EXPOSITION EZEKIEL 34:1 AND THE WORD OF THE LORD, etc. As no date is given, we may infer that what follows came as an almost immediate sequel to that which precedes it. The kernel of the chapter is found in the Messianic prophecies of Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 34:24, as the first stage in the restoration of Israel which is beginning to open to the prophet's gaze. We can hardly avoid seeing in it the deliberate expression of words that had been spoken by Ezekiel's master (Jeremiah 23:1), and which in his case also were followed by a directly Messianic announcement. In...

SEEMETH IT A SMALL THING UNTO YOU TO HAVE EATEN UP THE GOOD PASTURE,.... This is directed to the rams and he goats, to the people of power and wealth, or who had the key of knowledge and instruction; who, by their conduct, showed as if it was not enough for them to eat and drink the best of things themselves, to enjoy their wealth and riches, and keep their posts of honour and profit, and the revenues of them, in church and state: BUT YE MUST TREAD DOWN WITH YOUR FEET THE RESIDUE OF YOUR PASTURES? AND TO HAVE DRUNK OF THE DEEP WATERS, BUT YE MUST FOUL THE RESIDUE WITH YOUR FEET? but they must oppress the poor, by taking away from them that little they have; or by making their lives uncomfortable to them, by their severities and exactions; so that that small pittance they had, they cannot enjoy with any pleasure, The allusion is to beasts in pasture, which tread down and put dung what th...

Ezekiel 34:11. _For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day._ What a glorious promise! Christ's elect run hither and thither, in the darkness of their ignorance, into sin of every kind, but he will find every one of them out. There is no jungle so thick but Christ will track his own through it; There are no bogs of sin so dangerous but Christ will traverse them and find every lamb of his flock. And if through your backslidings, O people of God, you have wandered far from him, yet he perceives you with that eye which sees in the dark as well us in the light; and he will follow after you and bring you back. Bles

Ezekiel 34:1. The shepherds of Israel were the kings and princes and all who had authority over them. The prophet Jeremiah had received a similar message Jeremiah 23:1. These shepherds of Israel were responsible for the deplorable condition of the flock. Utterly selfish, they cared not for the sheep of His pasture; they feared not God nor did they have a heart for God's people. The flock was scattered and spoiled. Such was the sad condition of the people Israel. And when the Lord Jesus appeared in their midst to seek the lost sheep of the house of Israel, He found them as sheep without a shepherd, and He had compassion upon them Mark 6:34. But they rejected Him and the Shepherd was smitten. Zechariah's prophecy was fulfilled

But among the flock there were differences too, the strong (_i.e._ the rich) treating the weak with selfishness and brutality. This too will end....

SEEMETH IT: or, supply "Is it". YOU: i.e. ye goats. The verse goes on to describe the evil work of the goats in fouling the pastures of the sheep. There is. solemn application of this to the churches and congregations in the present day, YOUR: i.e. the goats....

The words are addressed to the rams and he-goats the magnates and ruling classes. _deep waters_ CLEAR (lit. settled) waters, cf. Ezekiel 32:14....