P
|0]lll!lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!lllllllll!llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!llllllilllllllllllllllll^
... .
In te rn a t io n a l S. S. Lessons Exposition and Practical Application By R. A. Torrey Outlines and Suggestive Points By T. C. Horton
|
N I1II1IIIIIIIIIIIIII1IIIII1!I!I!I!!!II!I!IIIIIIIII1II!I!1IIIM
...... Illllllllllllll i
The Shepherd of Captive Israel SEPTEMBER 2, 1917. LESSON X. Ezek. 34:11-16, 23-27. (Read. 1-31. Memorize v. 12 .) , G olden T ex t : “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”—Ps. 23:1. DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., August 27-—Ezek. 34:1-10. (The Lesson).
Tues., August 28—Ezek. 34 :11-19. Wed., August 29—Ezek. 24:30-31. Thurs., August 30—Ezek. 33:1-9. Fri., August 31—Ezek. 33:10-20. Sat., September 1—Ezek. 37:1-14. Sun., September 2—Ezek. 37:15-27. EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
vs. 11, 12. “For thus saith the Lord, GOD; (:) I, I myself, even I will both search my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd calleth out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; (scattered abroad,) so will I seek out my sheep, (;) and (add, I) will deliver them out of all places where ( whither ) they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.” Jehovah here pre sents Himself as the true Shepherd of Israel,’ “the Good Shepherd,” in dis tinction from the . faithless shepherds in verses 1-10. In the New Testa ment it is Jesus who represents Himself as “the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11) and thus claims for Himself the place of Jeho vah. The primary reference of the prom ises made in this lesson is to the literal Israel according to the flesh, the actual descendants of Jacob through Isaac, and the fulfillment of the promise will be found in the re-gathering of Israel into the land, which is to occur at some future time in connection with the return of our. Lord (cf. Isa. 11:11, 12; Ezek. 36:24, R. V.,
37:21; Z'eph. 3:19, 20). In Psalm 23:1-4 Jehovah is set forth as the Shepherd of, the individual believer; in this passage He is set forth as the Shepherd of Israel as a people. In v. 11 there is great emphasis upon the “I, even I”, by which Jehovah is set forth in striking contrast with those who claimed to be shepherds, hut were not. This form of expression is of very fre quent occurrence in the Bible (cf. ch. 5:8; 6:3; Gen. 6:17; Deut. 32:29; Isa. 48:15; SI: 12; Hos. 5:14). Jehovah’s sheep were scattered. They not only had been carried into captivity, but scattered far and wide throughout the world, scattered through the faithlessness, of the undershepherds. And Jehovah here is represented as search ing for them and seeking them out. In a similar way the Lord Jesus represents Him self in the New Testament as seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). The figure of Jehovah as a shepherd is of very fre quent occurrence in the Old Testament (Ps. 23:1-3; 80:1; 119:176; Isa. 40:10, 11; Jer. 23:3). Not only were the Israelites widely scattered when Ezekiel uttered his
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker