In comparison to many modern exegetes, the Reformers had a broader hermeneutical lens when reading the Old Testament, and were more open to finding types, figures, and applications for their particular contexts in the Old Testament. This can be seen in the interpretation of Ezekiel 34:1-31, where Lutheran theologian Martin Chemnitz (1522-1586), like many of his contemporaries, draws an immediate identification between the prophesy of the shepherds of Israel and the expectations of the pastoral office.
The Pastoral Office
And in Ezekiel 34:15-17 the office of a good and faithful pastor is well described, namely, that he feed the sheep, seek the lost, lead back the erring, care for the wounded and the weak, encourage the strong, distinguish sheep from goats, etc.
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