I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture; and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord Yahweh. “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.” ’
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Ezekiel 34:13-16 sits inside this longer paragraph.
“ ‘For the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered abroad, so I will seek out my sheep. I will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture; and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord Yahweh. “I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.” ’
Parallel Translations
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I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them with good pasture; and their fold will be on the mountains of the height of Israel. There they will lie down in a good fold. They will feed on fat pasture on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will cause them to lie down,” says the Lord Yahweh.
“I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will feed them in justice.” ’
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And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
Show all 3 translations
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And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them upon the mountains of Israel, by the streams, and in all the habitable places of the country.
I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie down in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.
I will feed My sheep, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.
I will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice.
Cross-references (65)
- Ezekiel 28:25-26 (v13) “ ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “When I have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and am sanctified in…
- Ezekiel 11:17 (v13) “Therefore say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been…
- Isaiah 11:11-16 (v13) It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from…
- Zephaniah 3:19-20 (v13) Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you, and I will save those who are lame, and gather those who were driven away.…
- Psalms 106:47 (v13) Save us, Yahweh, our God, gather us from among the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise!
Show all 62 cross-references
- Jeremiah 32:37 (v13) “Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I…
- Jeremiah 23:3-4 (v13) “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and…
- Ezekiel 36:24 (v13) “ ‘ “For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
- Amos 9:14 (v13) I will bring my people Israel back from captivity, and they will rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; and they will plant…
- Jeremiah 30:3 (v13) For, behold, the days come,’ says Yahweh, ‘that I will reverse the captivity of my people Israel and Judah,’ says Yahweh. ‘I will cause…
- Isaiah 65:9-10 (vv13, 15) I will bring offspring out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains. My chosen will inherit it, and my servants will dwell…
- Ezekiel 39:27 (v13) when I have brought them back from the peoples, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of…
- Ezekiel 20:41 (v13) I will accept you as a pleasant aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been…
- Jeremiah 23:8 (v13) but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up and who led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all the countries…
- Ezekiel 37:21-22 (v13) Say to them, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they have gone, and will…
- Micah 7:14-15 (v13) Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture…
- Jeremiah 31:8 (v13) Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, along with the blind and the lame,…
- Jeremiah 30:18 (v13) Yahweh says: “Behold, I will reverse the captivity of Jacob’s tents, and have compassion on his dwelling places. The city will be built on…
- Ezekiel 38:8 (v13) After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land that is brought back from the sword, that is gathered…
- Isaiah 66:19-20 (v13) “I will set a sign among them, and I will send those who escape of them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to…
- Ezekiel 34:18-25 (v13) Does it seem a small thing to you to have fed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture? And…
- Luke 19:10 (v16) For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
- Ezekiel 34:4 (v16) You haven’t strengthened the diseased. You haven’t healed that which was sick. You haven’t bound up that which was broken. You haven’t…
- Ezekiel 34:11 (v16) “ ‘For the Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
- Isaiah 49:26 (v16) I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they will be drunk on their own blood, as with sweet wine. Then all flesh shall…
- Luke 5:31-32 (v16) Jesus answered them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick do. I have not come to call the righteous,…
- Luke 15:4-7 (v16) “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn’t leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the…
- Micah 4:6-7 (v16) “In that day,” says Yahweh, “I will assemble that which is lame, and I will gather that which is driven away, and that which I have…
- Ezekiel 39:18 (v16) You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of…
- Mark 2:17 (v16) When Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are healthy have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the…
- Isaiah 5:17 (v16) Then the lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat the ruins of the rich.
- Isaiah 10:16 (v16) Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning…
- Psalms 23:1-2 (vv14–15) Yahweh is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
- Jeremiah 3:15 (v15) I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.
- Jeremiah 10:24 (v16) Yahweh, correct me, but gently; not in your anger, lest you reduce me to nothing.
- Micah 7:14 (v16) Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture…
- John 10:9 (v14) I am the door. If anyone enters in by me, he will be saved, and will go in and go out, and will find pasture.
- Isaiah 40:11 (vv14, 16) He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who…
- Jeremiah 9:15 (v16) Therefore Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, “Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood and give them poisoned…
- Jeremiah 31:25 (v14) For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.”
- Isaiah 61:1-3 (v16) The Lord Yahweh’s Spirit is on me, because Yahweh has anointed me to preach good news to the humble. He has sent me to bind up the broken…
- Jeremiah 31:12-14 (v14) They will come and sing in the height of Zion, and will flow to the goodness of Yahweh, to the grain, to the new wine, to the oil, and to…
- Ezekiel 34:23 (v15) I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be their shepherd.
- Matthew 15:24 (v16) But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
- Matthew 18:10-14 (v16) See that you don’t despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in…
- John 21:15 (v15) So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him,…
- Deuteronomy 32:15 (v16) But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and…
- Psalms 31:8-10 (v14) You have not shut me up into the hand of the enemy. You have set my feet in a large place. Have mercy on me, Yahweh, for I am in distress.…
- Isaiah 11:6-7 (v15) The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf…
- Isaiah 25:6 (v14) In this mountain, Yahweh of Armies will make all peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast of choice wines, of choice meat full of marrow, of…
- Isaiah 30:23-24 (v14) He will give the rain for your seed, with which you will sow the ground; and bread of the increase of the ground will be rich and…
- Jeremiah 23:15 (v16) Therefore Yahweh of Armies says concerning the prophets: “Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink poisoned water; for…
- Jeremiah 33:12-13 (v14) Yahweh of Armies says: “Yet again there will be in this place, which is waste, without man and without animal, and in all its cities, a…
- Jeremiah 50:11 (v16) “Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain,…
- Ezekiel 34:27 (v14) The tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure in their land. Then they will…
- Ezekiel 36:29-30 (v14) I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain, and will multiply it, and lay no famine on you. I will multiply the…
- Amos 4:1-3 (v16) Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their…
- Zephaniah 3:13 (v15) The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they will feed and…
- Revelation 7:16 (v14) They will never be hungry or thirsty any more. The sun won’t beat on them, nor any heat;
- Song of Solomon 1:7-8 (v15) Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you graze your flock, where you rest them at noon; for why should I be as one who is veiled beside…
- Isaiah 27:10 (v15) For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness. The calf will feed there, and there he will…
- Hosea 2:18 (v15) In that day I will make a covenant for them with the animals of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the creeping things of…
62 distinct cross-references across this passage (65 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v16 Meaning, such as lift up themselves above their brethren,…
Meaning, such as lift up themselves above their brethren, and think they have no need to be governed by me.
That is, by putting difference between the good and the bad, and so give to either as they deserve.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv13–16 Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from…
Eze 34:13 And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.
Ver. 13. And I will bring them out from the people.] This they could very hardly believe, therefore he assureth them of it again and again. God will do the like for all his elect, seem it never so impossible.
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And fled them upon the mountains of Israel.] Which are very high mountains; but the Church, God’s hill, is higher. {Isa 2:2} {See Trapp on "Isa 2:2"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv13, 14, 16 When Cyrus’s proclamation came forth that the Jews might…
When Cyrus’s proclamation came forth that the Jews might return, this prophecy was literally fulfilled, God did incline the minds of the Jews to retire from the people amidst whom they had dwelt seventy years: see Ezr 1:5,6; 7:13.
Gather them; assemble them together; so they did in a place appointed without the country, where they were, (as appears, Ezr 8:15) in their assembling at Ahava or Diava, near where it falls into Euphrates, in the country Adiabene, which was from the more inward recesses of the Babylonian kingdom onwards of their journey to Jerusalem.
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Will bring them; lead, conduct, and as a shepherd go before them, till I have put them into possession again of their own land.
Their own land; Canaan, their own by grant from the crown of heaven, anciently possessed by their fathers, and out of which violence cast them.
Feed them; God will provide, maintain, and nourish them. The mountains of Israel; places proper for sheep, where now they shall once more be kept.
The rivers; water-brooks, as Psa 42:1; which run down from the spring-heads in the sides and tops of the mountains, with some impetuousness and noise; or if greater rivers, they are those that run by the foot of the mountains, on which these sheep shall feed.
The inhabited places: this may explain the former. On such hills by rivers the returned captives would first settle their habitations, and here these sheep would be safest; thus literally: spiritually, it refers to the gathering the elect by the gospel out of the world, &c.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv13–16 I will feed them in a good pasture,.... Or…
I will feed them in a good pasture,.... Or with good food, as the Targum: such as the fulness of grace in Christ, where believers go in and out, and find pasture; and where they may feed to the full, have bread enough, and to spare; and may draw water with joy out of the full wells of salvation: this is good food; food indeed, in opposition to that which was typical, or is imaginary; this is spiritual food, suitable to the spirits of men, brought by the Spirit of God, and relished by a spiritual man; this is savoury food, soul satisfying and soul strengthening food; this is nourishing food, and what will endure to everlasting life: and such is the Gospel, the promises and doctrines of it, in which there is a variety of food; milk for babes, and meat for strong men; sweet to the taste, and health to the bones; salutary and nourishing, and which makes glad the heart; and of the same kind are the ordinances of the Gospel, the breasts of consolation, the goodness and fatness of the Lord's house; which he makes his people partakers of, and satisfies them with.
And upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie in a good fold; of the same nature and use are the churches of Christ as a fold is to the sheep; as that they are separated, divided, and distinguished from others; as into a fold, the sheep of Christ are gathered into churches; where they lie together, are united and knit together in love, and where they have communion with one another, and keep each other warm, and stir up one another to love and good works; whereby the vitals of religion are preserved; here they are kept in the night season, and fed in the winter; these like a fold are a sort of fence unto them, and a preservation of them from wolves and bears; and here they lie down, and have spiritual rest, ease, and safety: and as in a fold there are lambs, and sheep, and goats, so in churches there are different sorts folded together, weaker and stronger Christians; and some only nominal ones, who will be separated at the last day. A fold may be taken down, and removed from place to place, and so may visible congregated churches; the candlestick may be removed out of its place, the word and ordinances; and so a Gospel church state may be carried from place to place; and there is but one fold for Jews and Gentiles, and this is a good one; see Joh 10:16.
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And in a fat pasture shall they feed on the mountains of Israel; on the feast of fat things there, and so become fat and flourishing; See Gill on Eze 34:13.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v16 The fat - The powerful and rich. I will…
The fat - The powerful and rich. I will feed - I will judge and punish them.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv13, 16 Verse 13. I will - feed them upon the…
Verse 13. I will - feed them upon the mountains] When I bring back the people from their captivity, I will raise up to them a holy and diligent priesthood, who shall in all places give them sound instruction. But this, and some of the following promises, belong to the Christian Church, as we shall find below.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v16 With judgment - It is characteristic of Yahweh as…
With judgment - It is characteristic of Yahweh as a shepherd that He judges between sheep and sheep, rejecting the proud and accepting the penitent and broken-hearted.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv13, 16 Land. All this cannot be understood of the synagogue…
Land. All this cannot be understood of the synagogue alone.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv13, 14, 16 And I will bring them out from the people,…
And I will bring them out from the people, &c.-- (Eze 28:25; Eze 36:24; Eze 37:21-22; Isa 65:9-10; Jer 23:3).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv13, 14, 16 13. Read peoples as usual.
13. Read peoples as usual.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv13, 16 (13) Bring them to their own land.—It is not…
(13) Bring them to their own land.—It is not to be forgotten that this is a part of the same figurative language with “the cloudy and dark day” of the preceding verse, and that they must be explained in the same way. God’s people have wandered in the gloom, and they shall be gathered back to Him again.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv13, 14, 16 Vers. 13-15. On the mountains of Israel by the…
Vers. 13-15. On the mountains of Israel by the rivers. The picture of the pleasant pasture-lands of Judah, almost, as it were, an expansion of Ps 23, of the mountains which are not barren and stony, of the streams that flow calmly in the inhabited places of the country, serves as a parable of that which is to follow on the restoration of Israel. The sheep that had been wandering so long in the wilderness should at last lie down in a fat pasture (ver. 15), and the tender care of the Shepherd should watch with an individualizing pity over each sheep that had been brought back. Every broken limb should be bound up. Every sickness should be treated with its appropriate means of healing.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v16 I will seek that which was lost, and bring…
Eze_34:16
I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.
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The good shepherd
In reading this verse hastily we are apt to overlook the new and very interesting idea introduced in each succeeding clause of it. Our feeling is that each clause is just meant to teach the idea of the former one in different terms. A little attention will satisfy us that this is far from doing justice to the verse.
I. The first class suggested to our notice comprehends the lost, of whom it is said that the Saviour will seek them. The language, every Gospel-hearer is familiar with, as descriptive, on the one hand, of mans natural state of spiritual stupidity and danger, and on the other, of the tender compassion of Christ, the great Shepherd, in redeeming and reclaiming him.
II. The driven away, whom the Saviour tells us He will bring again. It implies, no doubt, like the former, that the sheep is gone out of the fold, and cannot, therefore, for the present be in a situation of comfort or safety. But does it not imply that the sheep has left the fold reluctantly? It has not escaped of its own accord. It has been driven away by some enemy; and, wandering now in want and fear, it longs to return to the green pastures where it had hitherto fed in plenty and safety. What could be more descriptive than this of the case of the backsliding Christian? Was it not thus that, by the violence of temptation, David was for a time driven away into sin, so that he lost his previous consciousness of the saving care and countenance of his God? Was it not so, too, with Peter, whom the fear of man so far overcame in a moment of weakness that he denied his Lord, and so was for a season visibly separated from the fold of Christ? Even now, is not the voice of our great Shepherd lifted up amongst us, at once rebuking our wanderings and encouraging our return?
III. The broken, whom He graciously promises to bind up. Solemn pledges forgotten, broken through, trampled on,--mercies of every description slighted and abused,--the cause of Christ dishonoured,--perhaps, through their unaccountable folly, some neighbour, some companion, if not some relative or child, hardened against the Gospel, and led away to ruin! Oh! the very thought of such aggravated sin is heart rending, and the appalled backslider can only cry out in vexation and trembling, Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart faileth me. Or, in another way still, may the heart of a backsliding Christian be broken. Think of the deep wounds of adversity to which Jesus has found it necessary to subject him, as the means of putting an end to his wanderings. Now by these and similar measures Jesus may have checked the believers wanderings, and won back his heart. He has recovered His straying sheep, and brought it home to His fold. But oh! is it not broken, suffering bitterly under the consequences of its wanderings, and therefore needing greatly the attention and sympathy of its Shepherd? Wounded and bleeding, it must now become the object of His tenderest care, and with skilful hand must He now apply the healing balm of His blood and grace. And He does so.
IV. I will strengthen that which was sick. This description refers to those more secret, insidious diseases by which the shepherds flock is liable to be infected, and which, if allowed to take their course, may prove as fatal as any of the seemingly more alarming casualties to which the wandering sheep may be subjected. The seat of this spiritual sickness is the heart; and it will be in operation there for months, perhaps, before the symptoms of it appear outwardly, or assume a serious aspect. It may receive a check at any stage of its progress, or it may be suffered to take its course, till at last it prostrates its victim before some gross temptation, so that his case becomes an astonishment to the world, and a grief to all who respect the honour of the Gospel. This is certain, it will receive a check, sooner or later, in the case of every true Christian. I will strengthen that which was sick. True, it may often seem to our narrow view as if He delayed the communication of spiritual strength long after it has become every way needful. Such delay, however, undoubtedly accords with His own sovereign and, wise plan, though we cannot understand it; and so far from indicating a want of interest in the individual, or a want of power or of determination eventually to restore his soul, it would be seen, if we rightly comprehended the case, to indicate the contrary; just as Lazaruss death, which could easily have been prevented, is allowed to take place, in order that the Saviours power and love may be the more signally displayed in His resurrection. (P. Hannay.)
Will strengthen that which was sick.
Sickness a strengthener
I. Sickness makes us contented to perform all the God-assigned tasks of life, severe as these tasks may be. When I hear people complaining of the burdens of life, and expressing a longing to die, I say to myself: They are only talking, and their words are empty words. A visitation of sickness would change their tone. A square look at death would make them satisfied to live, and to live right in the midst of the toils against which they speak. The ancients were fond of relating this tale which falls into the line of my thought. A discontented man heavily burdened was called to the task of carrying his burden to a town on the other side of a steep hill. Murmuringly he began the toil of ascent. The burden was heavy before, but it grew still heavier as he climbed. At last his discontent knew no bounds, and, disgusted and dissatisfied with his lot, he threw the burden from him and cast himself upon the ground, crying, O death, come and deliver me! O death, come and deliver me! Death heard the cry of the man and responded, and came to take him at his word. In the dim distance the discontented man saw the awful form coming into sight. There was a great gaunt figure, a skeleton form, sweeping toward him with tremendous gigantic strides. Instantly he leaped to his feet and laid hold of his burden and endeavoured to shoulder it. With a sepulchral voice Death greeted him: I believe you called me; now here I am. What do you want of me? With the look of the sweetest innocence the man replied: It was my voice that you heard, no doubt. My burden fell off my shoulder, and I was only calling for someone to come help me restore it to its place again. The sight and voice were enough. They were an inspiration to the man. Of his own strength he lifted his old burden, and with a positive pleasure carried it to the town over the hill. That story, whether it be fact or fiction, is true to life. We leave the sickroom, where we have looked death in the face, willing to take up the toils of life, and we find the heaviest task within the compass of our abilities a delight. Willing workers, satisfied workers, enthusiastic workers, bright-faced workers, mastering and performing the duties of life, and carrying forward the great enterprises of the age--these are the product of the sickroom. These are what the world needs. They carry in them a spirit that is contagious, and that generates faithfulness to duty in all whom they touch.
II. Sickness gives us a new appreciation of the Divine things in our lives. I knew a man who for years spent his Sabbaths in the machine shop, repairing engines, without a single desire toward the house of God. I begged him many a time to give up his irreligious life and worship with his family on the Sabbath; but to no purpose. The time came when he was imprisoned in the sickroom, and then his lament was that he had neglected the sanctuary. That man spent the first returning strength of convalescence in travelling three miles to my house, and for what purpose? That I might kneel with him at the Throne of Grace and offer prayer of thanksgiving for him. Not only is the Throne of Grace made appreciable by sickness; the Book of God also is made appreciable. The Bible of the invalid is a well-used book. It is thumb-marked--at the writings of Job; at the 23rd Psalm; at the 14th chapter of John; at the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians; at the 21st and 22nd chapters of Revelation. These closing chapters of the Divine volume are studied until the geography of the heavenly land is as well known as that of the land in which we live.
III. Sickness teaches us the value of health and the duty of looking after the condition of the body.
IV. Sickness cuts up by the roots our conceit and pride and selfishness and develops in the places of these humility and sympathy. If this be true, then physical pains bring spiritual gains. Humility and sympathy help in the making of grand men. Humanity should be willing to pay a great price for the eradication of such evils as pride and selfishness, for they are social curses and social disorganisers. Humanity should count nothing too dear to pay as a purchase of humility and sympathy. Humility and sympathy were two of the virtues that made the Christ of history the Man who inaugurated the highest civilisation of the world. That which has the power of making men Christ-men is a most desirable factor in this world. It is easily seen why man is unsympathetic. The sense of power generates independence; the sense of independence closes the avenues of sympathy. Where there is no sympathy, where there is no recognition of the mutual dependence of man upon his brother man, man becomes selfish and proud and hard. The sense of dependence is the basis of sympathy. Sickness brings the sense of dependence. A man who has to be lifted and turned by his nurse, a man who has to be fed by a spoon in the hand of another, cannot look down and despise his fellow men. There, in the hour of weakness, he learns his indebtedness to man, and his duty to make a return for benefits received by willingly giving service and kindness and interest and care and his very life. These things he is constantly receiving from others, and these things make him what he is. These things it is his duty to pass on. At a railroad station a benevolent man found a schoolboy crying because he had not quite enough to pay his fare home. He remembered suddenly how years before he had been in the same plight, and had been helped by an unknown friend who enjoined upon him that some day he should pass that kindness on. Now he saw that the opportunity spoken of had come. He took the weeping boy aside, heard his story, and paid his fare, and asked him in turn to pass the kindness on. As the train moved off from the station the lad waved his hand to his benefactor and cried cheerily, I will pass it on, sir. That act of thoughtful love is being passed on through our globe, nor will it stay until its ripples have belted the globe and met again. To every man who has received kindness and sympathy in the hour of his sickness and trial God is saying, Pass these on. Remember there are hearts to be bound like thine; there are tears to be dried like thine; there are lives to be illumined like thine. Light up the lives of others. (D. Gregg, D. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v14 General Information:
General Information:
Yahweh continues giving Ezekiel his message to the leaders of Israel.
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General Information:
Yahweh continues speaking of the people of Israel as if they were a flock of sheep. Here he speaks of himself as their shepherd who will take care of them. (See: Metaphor)
their grazing places
"places where they can eat"
abundant pastures
"lands that have a lot of grass and plants to eat"
graze
eat grass and other plants
I myself
The word "myself" adds emphasis. God would do this because the shepherds were not doing it. (See: Reflexive Pronouns)
will shepherd
"will feed and take care of"
will make them lie down
"will let them lie down"
the lost
The words "the sheep or goats" are left out of this phrase, but they are intended to be understood. AT: "the sheep or goats that are lost" (See: Ellipsis)
restore the outcast
"bring back those that others have chased away"
bind up the broken sheep
"wrap a cloth around any sheep's broken bone" or "wrap a cloth around any sheep's wound"
the fat and the strong
The word "sheep" is understood. AT: "the fat sheep and the strong sheep" (See: Ellipsis)
translationWords
declare
ewe
just
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.