William Greenhill (1591-1671) was an English Puritan pastor and member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. In his reading of Ezekiel 34, he follows a well-trodden path of Christological interpretation. The Promised Land symbolizes the church, into which God gathers his flock. The shepherd is Christ, who, unlike the leaders of Israel, will feed and tend to his people, saving them from their enemies and delivering them healthy and well-nourished by his word and ordinances.
God Gathers His Sheep
God, finding his sheep scattered into several nations, where they met with hardships, graciously promises to bring them out of those nations. They should not always be among their enemies, who were no better than wild beasts to them . . . God would bring them into their own land, namely, into Canaan, a type of church. They should both possess their land and be put into a church condition again, and he would feed them with his word and ordinances and put them into a better state than ever. This refers to the times of Christ and the gospel; then especially did God gather his sheep out of Babylon and bring them to Zion, then did he feed them on the mountains of Israel by the rivers.
An Exposition of Ezekiel, commenting on Ezekiel 34:11-19.
Ezekiel, Daniel, ed. Carl L. Beckwith, Reformation Commentary on Scripture, OT vol. 12, p. 168-69.
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