Jehovah views the leaders of his people as shepherds (Eze 34:2 “Woe to the shepherds of Israel”; Jer 23:1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture”; Zec 11:17 “Woe to my worthless shepherd, who is abandoning the flock!”).
The sheep symbolize a group of humans (“men” Eze 34:11).
Jehovah will replace these shepherds and become the new shepard (Is 40:11 “Like a shepherd he will care for his flock”)
Temporary Jehovah allowed leaders, judges and kings to lead this people. However because of imperfection any human leadership is doomed to fail.
The Shepherd Jesus Christ
And I will raise up over them one shepherd, and he must feed them, my servant David. He himself will feed them, and he himself will become their shepherd.
– Eze 34:23
Jehovah will provide “one shepherd over them, my servant David, and he will feed them”.
The real David however was dead for several hundreds years. Would David be resurrected to lead the Israelites again? What can be immediately understood is that it must be about an event in the future.
Afterwards the sons of Israel will come back and certainly look for Jehovah their God, and for David their king; and they will certainly come quivering to Jehovah and to his goodness in the final part of the days.
– Ho 3:5
This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his father,
– Lu 1:32
“‘I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to you about these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright morning star.’”
– Re 22:16
Although being an amazing king and one of the most important persons in the bible this role would be too big for ancient David. The scriptures leave no doubt that the future installed king of Jehovah will be Jesus Christ when in Kingdom Power (Re 11:15).
Jehovah will “judge between one sheep and another” (Eze 34:17)
For the Bad: The “shepherds” but also called “strong and fat sheep” (Eze 34:16)
- … will be annihilated (Eze 34:16)
- … will lose their authority (Eze 34:10)
- … stop abusing their authority for their own gain (Eze 34:10)
For the Good: those who suffered from bad human rulership
- A Covenant of Peace (Eze 34:25)
- Peace with other Humans and Animals and “dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the forests” (Eze 34:25, 28)
- They and their worship (hill, Zion) will be blessed (Eze 34:26)
- Freed from Slavery (Eze 34:27)
- Jehovah will be their god and being with them and calling them “my people” (Eze 34:30)