Planet of renown

(new article tomorrow)

Ezekiel 34: [29] And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

[30] Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD.

"When I read that verse 29, 'I will raise up for them a plant of renown,' that's one of those verses that really demonstrates . . . You know, it's a figure of speech; it's a symbol. It's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ, Messiah, and He's a plant of renown," explains Richard Jordan.

"In the Bible He's called 'the lily of the valley.' He's called the 'rose of Sharon.' The 'balm of Gilead.' Those titles are used to describe the impact. If you're renowned that means you're a celebrity. You're distinct. You're like nothing else; there's not another plant like you. You're beautiful.

"You provide shelter; you provide nurture. He's going to do all those things and He's going to be the hero of the world. Everybody is going to see Him and know, 'That's Israel's God; He's Israel's king and the house of Israel belongs to Him.'

"You see in verse 31: [31] And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

"It's obvious that shepherds and sheep, referring to the leaders of Israel and the nation, are figures of speech."

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Ezekiel 34: [14] 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.

[15] I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.

"Now, the one who's going to feed them is the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus. You know Psalm 23:

[1] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
[2] He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
[3] He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

[4] Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

"That's not a psalm designed to be quoted at funerals, although the application can be comforting if you make application that way.

"It's about what's going on in Ezekiel 34. I told you last week, when He said, 'I'll cause them to lie down,' it's, 'I'm going to feed them, and after I feed them they're going to lay down.' What do you do after you've had a big BBQ? You go lay in the sun.

"If you get a big meal, you're satisfied; you're full. You want to go lay down and rest and digest it.

"In Mark 7, when Jesus addresses the Syrophenician woman, He says, 'Let the children first be filled.'

"Mark 7 is a verse that's almost always misquoted. When the woman comes to Christ and wants Him to heal her daughter and He says, 'I'm not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,' she responds to Him.

[27] But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

"Let the children first be what? Not fed; filled. That's an important thing. You're not just preaching it to Israel so that Israel gets it; you're preaching it to them so they're FILLED with it.

"That verse is often quoted that the children must first be FED but it doesn't say that. It's says be filled. In other words, Israel must be redeemed. Be filled, restored. That's what He's talking about."