No mere man is our Shepherd

[Lou Newton]

This promise from God was given to His people ( that would be all who trust Him to save them ) long ago. It is still valid today.

Contrary to what so many preach in the churches today, no mere man is our Shepherd. The Lord, Himself, is our Shepherd:
Ezekiel 34 New International Version (NIV)

The Lord Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ²“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? ³ You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock.⁴ You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. ⁵ So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. ⁶ My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ¹⁰ This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheepand look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. ¹⁶ I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it not enoughfor you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

²⁰ “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, ²² I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. ²³I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.²⁴ I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them.I the Lord have spoken.

NOTE: The Lord's Servant David is of course, Jesus, who was the son of David.

²⁵ “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. ²⁶ I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. ²⁷ The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. ²⁸ They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. ²⁹ I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. ³⁰ Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord. ³¹ You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”

[Lou Newton]

Here is the same passage in another Translation:
Ezekiel 34Living Bible (TLB)

34 Then this message came to me from the Lord:

² “Son of dust, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Say to them, ‘The Lord God says to you: Woe to the shepherds who feed themselves instead of their flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the best food and wear the finest clothes, but you let your flocks starve. ⁴ You haven’t taken care of the weak, nor tended the sick, nor bound up the broken bones, nor gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and cruelty. ⁵ So they were scattered, without a shepherd. They have become a prey to every animal that comes along. ⁶ My sheep wandered through the mountains and hills and over the face of the earth, and there was no one to search for them or care about them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, says the Lord God, you abandoned my flock, leaving them to be attacked and destroyed, and you were no real shepherds at all, for you didn’t search for them. You fed yourselves and let them starve; ^9-10 therefore, I am against the shepherds, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock—and take away their right to eat. I will save my flock from being taken for their food.’”

¹¹ For the Lord God says: “I will search and find my sheep. ¹² I will be like a shepherd looking for his flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places they were scattered in that dark and cloudy day. ¹³ And I will bring them back from among the people and nations where they were, back home to their own land of Israel, and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel and by the rivers where the land is fertile and good. ¹⁴ Yes, I will give them good pasture on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in peace and feed in luscious mountain pastures. ^15-16 I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep and cause them to lie down in peace,” the Lord God says. “I will seek my lost ones, those who strayed away, and bring them safely home again. I will put splints and bandages upon their broken limbs and heal the sick. And I will destroy the powerful, fat shepherds; I will feed them, yes—feed them punishment!

¹⁷ “And as for you, O my flock—my people,” the Lord God says, “I will judge you and separate good from bad, sheep from goats.

¹⁸ “Is it a small thing to you, O evil shepherds, that you not only keep the best of the pastures for yourselves, but trample down the rest? That you take the best water for yourselves and muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ All that’s left for my flock is what you’ve trampled down; all they have to drink is water that you’ve fouled.”

²⁰ Therefore the Lord God says: “I will surely judge between these fat shepherds and their scrawny sheep. ²¹ For these shepherds push and butt and crowd my sick and hungry flock until they’re scattered far away. ²² So I myself will save my flock; no more will they be picked on and destroyed. And I will notice which is plump and which is thin, and why!

²³ “And I will set one Shepherd over all my people, even my Servant David. He shall feed them and be a Shepherd to them.

²⁴ “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my Servant David shall be a Prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken it.

²⁵ “I will make a peace pact with them and drive away the dangerous animals from the land, so that my people can safely camp in the wildest places and sleep safely in the woods. ²⁶ I will make my people and their homes around my hill a blessing. And there shall be showers, showers of blessing, for I will not shut off the rains but send them in their seasons. ²⁷ Their fruit trees and fields will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken off their chains of slavery and delivered them from those who profiteered at their expense, they shall know I am the Lord. ²⁸ No more will other nations conquer them nor wild animals attack. They shall live in safety and no one shall make them afraid.

²⁹ “And I will raise up a notable Vine (the Messiah),^[a] in Israel so that my people will never again go hungry nor be shamed by heathen conquest. ³⁰ In this way they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the people of Israel, are my people,” says the Lord God. ³¹ “You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my men and I am your God, so says the Lord.”

[Lou Newton]

So why did the Lord give the people Priest, Prophets and other men as leaders:

Most of the people of Israel did not know The Lord personally, like Abraham did. Notice Abraham did not have a Priest or Prophet other than Melchizedek ( who was The Lord Himself ) After all ,who other than God, could rightfully call Himself the King of Righteousness and be The King of Salem ( Peace). Melchizedek is Hebrew for King of Righteousness. So God Himself was Abraham's Priest. Just as Jesus is our Priest now, if we have given our life to Him and are born again by His Holy Spirit.

So the people who did not know The Lord personally were given men that did know The Lord, like Moses, to lead them. But true prophets of The Lord never tell people to follow them, but always tel people to seek The Lord and follow Him.

Also the people who know the Lord might stray from The Lord sometimes and need a mere man sent by God to tell them to repent and seek The Lord and follow Him.

[redsoxmaloney]

Here is the same passage in another Translation:
Ezekiel 34Living Bible (TLB)

34 Then this message came to me from the Lord:

² “Son of dust, prophesy against the shepherds, the leaders of Israel. Say to them, ‘The Lord God says to you: Woe to the shepherds who feed themselves instead of their flocks. Shouldn’t shepherds feed the sheep? ³ You eat the best food and wear the finest clothes, but you let your flocks starve. ⁴ You haven’t taken care of the weak, nor tended the sick, nor bound up the broken bones, nor gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with force and cruelty. ⁵ So they were scattered, without a shepherd. They have become a prey to every animal that comes along. ⁶ My sheep wandered through the mountains and hills and over the face of the earth, and there was no one to search for them or care about them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: ⁸ As I live, says the Lord God, you abandoned my flock, leaving them to be attacked and destroyed, and you were no real shepherds at all, for you didn’t search for them. You fed yourselves and let them starve; ^9-10 therefore, I am against the shepherds, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock—and take away their right to eat. I will save my flock from being taken for their food.’”

¹¹ For the Lord God says: “I will search and find my sheep. ¹² I will be like a shepherd looking for his flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places they were scattered in that dark and cloudy day. ¹³ And I will bring them back from among the people and nations where they were, back home to their own land of Israel, and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel and by the rivers where the land is fertile and good. ¹⁴ Yes, I will give them good pasture on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in peace and feed in luscious mountain pastures. ^15-16 I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep and cause them to lie down in peace,” the Lord God says. “I will seek my lost ones, those who strayed away, and bring them safely home again. I will put splints and bandages upon their broken limbs and heal the sick. And I will destroy the powerful, fat shepherds; I will feed them, yes—feed them punishment!

¹⁷ “And as for you, O my flock—my people,” the Lord God says, “I will judge you and separate good from bad, sheep from goats.

¹⁸ “Is it a small thing to you, O evil shepherds, that you not only keep the best of the pastures for yourselves, but trample down the rest? That you take the best water for yourselves and muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ All that’s left for my flock is what you’ve trampled down; all they have to drink is water that you’ve fouled.”

²⁰ Therefore the Lord God says: “I will surely judge between these fat shepherds and their scrawny sheep. ²¹ For these shepherds push and butt and crowd my sick and hungry flock until they’re scattered far away. ²² So I myself will save my flock; no more will they be picked on and destroyed. And I will notice which is plump and which is thin, and why!

²³ “And I will set one Shepherd over all my people, even my Servant David. He shall feed them and be a Shepherd to them.

²⁴ “And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my Servant David shall be a Prince among my people. I, the Lord, have spoken it.

²⁵ “I will make a peace pact with them and drive away the dangerous animals from the land, so that my people can safely camp in the wildest places and sleep safely in the woods. ²⁶ I will make my people and their homes around my hill a blessing. And there shall be showers, showers of blessing, for I will not shut off the rains but send them in their seasons. ²⁷ Their fruit trees and fields will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken off their chains of slavery and delivered them from those who profiteered at their expense, they shall know I am the Lord. ²⁸ No more will other nations conquer them nor wild animals attack. They shall live in safety and no one shall make them afraid.

²⁹ “And I will raise up a notable Vine (the Messiah),^[a] in Israel so that my people will never again go hungry nor be shamed by heathen conquest. ³⁰ In this way they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the people of Israel, are my people,” says the Lord God. ³¹ “You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my men and I am your God, so says the Lord.”

Really good news to me, except sometimes I might be the fat sheep butting the injured ones out. Also reminds me of what God told Jacob to do when he was tending laben's sheep. Only the striped and spotted and black were saved. All else were judged. I did like this one. God himself is our sheperd!!!

[Lou Newton]

Really good news to me, except sometimes I might be the fat sheep butting the injured ones out. Also reminds me of what God told Jacob to do when he was tending laben's sheep. Only the striped and spotted and black were saved. All else were judged. I did like this one. God himself is our sheperd!!!

Amen Tom, thanks for the reply. Here is another passage that tells us the same thing:
Psalm 23New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.


¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

NOTICE that David says The Lord is his Shepherd and he does not even mention any of the prophets of his day of any other day.

OK - your turn - please copy and paste a passage that agrees with these two.

[redsoxmaloney]

Amen Tom, thanks for the reply. Here is another passage that tells us the same thing:
Psalm 23New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.


¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

NOTICE that David says The Lord is his Shepherd and he does not even mention any of the prophets of his day of any other day.

OK - your turn - please copy and paste a passage that agrees with these two.

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1-5 NLT

http://bible.com/116/rev.22.1-5.NLT

[Lou Newton]

Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:1*-5 NLT

http://bible.com/116/rev.22.1-5.NLT

Thanks Tom, amen. How can any man who also needs forgiveness for his own sin lead me to salvation. He can not save himself, let alone anyone else. Jesus is the only way to salvation. Any mere man that tells others to follow him in ANY way is antichrist.

Any true servant of God will tell everyone to follow Jesus and nothing and no on else.

Hebrews 4
Jesus the Great High Priest


¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 5 New International Version (NIV)


5 Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. ²He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. ³This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. ⁴ And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was.

⁵ In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him,

“You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.”

⁶ And he says in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”

⁷ During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered ⁹ and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ¹⁰ and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Any professing Pastor who is not also confessing his sin to his flock is a false leader. The High Priest had to offer a sacrifice for his sin in public. He confessed to the people that he was a sinner and needed forgiveness for his sins just as they did.

If any Pastor is not offering a sacrifice for his sins, that sacrifice being the blood of Jesus, then he himself is not forgiven and can not offer anyone any help.

This sacrifice was NOT a one time event, but the Priest had to offer a sacrifice for his sins every time he entered the Holy of Holies. I have to do the same. I can only enter into the presence of God by confessing my sin and offering the sacrifice that Jesus made of His blood for my sin.