Ezek 34:23    I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd.

      

We've commented a number of times before that the scholars really had trouble with some of these prophecies that popped into existence every now and again, about a coming one. This one is both easy and hard. The thought of God providing a shepherd to look after His people is both nice and simple to understand. It is one shepherd, not many shepherds. This one is special. That much is easy.

 

But this shepherd is David, but hold on, David lived many years before this prophecy, he is long gone! In that case he's got to be a David-replacement. David was a shepherd king, well first a shepherd and then a king. He was chosen and anointed by God, a man after God's own heart, so the coming One must be the same.

 

When Jesus came he declared, “I am the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11). As Matthew pondered on all this he remembered the Micah prophecy we've considered before: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.” (Mt 2:6 quoting Mic 5:2).

 

This baby to be born will come as a king, be a shepherd to his people, and return to glory as a king. What a mixture of care, compassion, authority and power. That is what is coming with this newly born baby!