The Lord also said that He would bring His people back to the rivers (v. 13). These rivers signify the life-giving Spirit, the living water of the Spirit. From the mountains, the resurrected and ascended Christ, the living water of the Spirit flows. The Spirit of life flows forth from Christ in His resurrection and ascension. After the Lord sought us out and brought us back to Himself, we not only returned to Christ in the transcendent position of His ascension, but we also began to drink of the Spirit as the living water.
Furthermore, verse 13 says that the Lord would feed His flock by the rivers. We can testify that in the local churches we have the sense that the Lord Jesus is feeding us day by day by the rivers of living water. While we were in the denominations, we had the sense of dryness and drought, but once we came into the meetings of the local churches, we began to have the sense that we had been brought back to the river and that by this river we were being fed by the Lord Jesus. Something was flowing there as a river, and we were by the side of the river enjoying the riches of Christ. This is not something of man; it is something of our Shepherd, who is feeding us by the rivers. In the meetings of the local churches we have the river, the flow, and the watering.
Verse 14 goes on to say, “I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.” Here we see that the Lord would bring His people back not only to the rivers but also to the good and fat pasture. Whereas the rivers signify the life-giving Spirit, the pasture signifies Christ. By the rivers we have the rich Christ as our pasture. The rivers are for our drinking, and the pasture is for our eating. In the meetings of the local churches, we do have the sense that we are by the rivers and in the pasture, that we are drinking and eating. Praise the Lord that we are under the care of our Shepherd, drinking by the rivers and feeding in the pasture!
If visitors come to your local church and do not have the sense that they are under the watering and the feeding with a river flowing and with a good, fat, and green pasture, this indicates that the church life is wrong. If the church life is right, then when others come to the meetings, they will sense that they are by a flowing river and in a good pasture.
In verse 15 the Lord, the Shepherd, says, “I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down.” To lie down means not to work, struggle, and strive. In the Bible to lie down is to rest. In Song of Songs 1:7 the seeker asked the Lord where He fed His sheep, where He gave His flock rest at noontime. Whenever the Lord feeds us, shepherds us, and gives us something to drink, He also gives us rest. In the church meetings we often have the sense that we are lying down to rest. Outwardly we are sitting, but inwardly we are lying down to rest.
Ezekiel 34:16a continues, “I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick.” Here to strengthen means to heal. As the Shepherd the Lord will bind up that which was broken and heal that which was sick. How we need the Lord’s binding and healing! Frequently in the church meetings we have the sense that we are under the tender binding of the Lord and that the wounds and the broken places are being bound up by Him. At other times we may sense that we are experiencing His strengthening, His healing. Praise the Lord that while we are eating, drinking, and resting, we are under His binding, strengthening, and healing.
Verse 17 says, “And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats.” Verses 18 through 21 continue the Lord’s word concerning His judging, and then verse 22 concludes, “Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle.” This indicates that when we have experienced the Lord’s recovery by life—that is, when we have been brought back to the mountains, the rivers, and the pasture and have experienced rest and healing—there can be righteous judgments among us. When we were fallen or backslidden, we argued with others and blamed them for our situation. But after we have been revived, recovered by life, we begin to realize that we ourselves have been wrong. Only then will righteous judgments be made among us. Actually, only the Lord who shepherds us, supplies us, and heals us can make such judgments. Only after He gives us the life supply, binds up our wounds, and heals us can all the unjust things among us be cleared away.
However, if we lack the Lord’s supply, binding, and healing, we will condemn others, blame others, and complain about others. If we condemn and blame one another, we cannot be in harmony with one another. But as the Lord recovers us by life, we have genuine revival, we have the enjoyment of Christ, which causes us to be satisfied, restful, and peaceful, and we experience the Lord’s binding and healing. The One who nourishes us and supplies us causes us to have an accurate sense concerning our relationships with the brothers and sisters. When we have such a sense, we judge ourselves, and as a result we have a genuine oneness with the saints as the one flock.