Sunday School Lesson--The Great Shepherd

The Great Shepherd



Theme: God is the Shepherd

 

Text: Ezekiel 34:1-31

 

A1 Outline: The wicked shepherds

• B1 The charge and evidence Ezekiel 34:1-10


• B2 God's sentence of these evil shepherds, and His cure Ezekiel 34:11-31

A2 Notes and questions

• B1 Shepherds
  
  
  
  • C1 Those who guide, protect, and oversee sheep.
  
  
  • C2 Symbolic for those who guide, protect, and oversee people. In this passage shepherd is used for the leaders of the nation of Israel.
  
  
  • C3 Why does God call the leaders shepherds?
  
  
  
  


• B2 How is the verb "prophesy" used here? Is it a telling of a future situation, present situation, or both?


• B3 What is a prophet?
  
  
  
  • C1 Old Testament
    
    
    
    • D1 God gave a message to the prophet/prophetess. This message might be to repent, what to do, what not to do, guidance for someone seeking God's wisdom, a message about the future, or of judgment.
    
    
    • D2 In our passage here, God gives a message to Ezekiel to tell the leaders of Israel of judgment because of their sins.
    
    
    • D3 They are confirmed by encouraging the worship of Yahweh only and their words come true (Deuteronomy 13:1-5, Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • C2 New Testament
    
    
    
    • D1 The same as the Old Testament except there were apostles to certify that they are true.
    
    
    • D2 No prophets are mentioned after the last apostle--John.
    
    
    • D3 The prophets in the New Testament era and dispensation are Agabus and the daughters of Philip.
    
    
    • D4 The so-called prophets of today are either self certified or confirmed by apostles who are self certified.
    
    
    • D5 The Bible is the only source of 100% truth and has all that we need.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• B4 Were these shepherds approved by God? Who is the Good Shepherd that is approved?


• B5 Ezekiel 34:2, what was the failure of these shepherds? What can we learn from this?


• B6 What were some of the other failures in these shepherds?


• B7 Ezekiel 34:10, what was God's sentence of these evil shepherds?


• B8 Ezekiel 34:11-16, what are some things that God states a good shepherd should be? Does Messiah Jesus fulfill these?


• B9 Ezekiel 34:17-22, what are some other things that makes God angry in shepherds? How can we avoid doing these things?


• B10 Ezekiel 34:23-24, what does God promise here? Is this to be taken literally?


• B11 Ezekiel 34:25-31, what are some other promises that God WILL do?


• B12 In the New Testament there are three references to the Lord Jesus being the shepherd.
  
  
  
  • C1 Matthew 26:31  Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of me during this night, for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
    
    
    
    • D1 Who is the "I" that will strike the shepherd? It is God, Himself, Romans 8:32 and Mark 15:34.
    
    
    • D2 Who is this shepherd? It is Jesus. John 10:11-14
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • C2 Matthew 14:27  And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd and the sheep will be scattered.'
  
  
  • C3 Hebrews 13:20  Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
  
  
  
  


• B13 What is the difference between the Shepherd Jesus and all other shepherds?


• B14 Does Shepherd Jesus still care for His sheep?


• B15 Does Shepherd Jesus give us everything to make us happy or what we need?


• B16 Does Shepherd Jesus give us everything we ask for?


• B17 Psalm 23 speaks of the Good Shepherd
  
  
  
  • C1 Who is the writer of this psalm?
  
  
  • C2 Who does David say is his shepherd?
  
  
  • C3 In Psalm 23:1, what is the first characteristic of this shepherd? ("I shall not want," that is, not lack what I need).
  
  
  • C4 Psalm 23:2
    
    
    
    • D1 "He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. " (Psalms 23:2, NKJV)
    
    
    • D2 "He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. " (Psalms 23:2, HCSB)
    
    
    • D3 Note the difference. The Holman Christian Standard Bible is translated lets, while the New King James Verse translates the word as makes. Most English translations I checked used either makes or causes; only a few used lets. The verb is in the imperfect, but I could not find out a reason for the difference in translations. Using the word makes leaves with the impression of using force to get the sheep to lie down, while lets gives the impression of when the sheep decides to lie down. I am going to choose lets, because it fits with the rest of Psalm 23 and reflects the character of Yahweh's style of leadership.
    
    
    • D4 The green pastures would imply that Yahweh as shepherd would not let the sheep stop at inferior pastures but would lead them to the best. Once He has brought them to the best, He would let them do what sheep do--eat.
    
    
    • D5 The still waters are to be compared to raging waters as a rapids. God leads them to the best and cleanest water.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • C5 Psalm 23:3
    
    
    
    • D1 What 2 things does this good shepherd do in this verse?
    
    
    • D2 An emotional abuse and control freak does not want to restore someone's soul. Yahweh does. What is the lesson for us?
    
    
    • D3 See 2 Corinthians 4:16 and Colossians 3:9-10
    
    
    • D4 What path does God lead us on? What is righteousness? (Doing what is right. What is right? See Ephesians 4:22-32 for one example).
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • C6 Psalm 23:4-5--what are some of the difficulties we face in this passage, and what is the solution? How can we apply this?
  
  
  • C7 Psalm 23:6
    
    
    
    • D1 Why should God's goodness and mercy be with us always?
    
    
    • D2 Name some things that are of God's goodness and mercy.
    
    
    • D3 Are they still with us when times are difficult?
    
    
    • D4 Why is living in God's house forever important? What is God's house?