Ezekiel 31–36: The Good Shepherd, Repentance & a New Heart

What happens when God’s people have wandered so far that their hearts have become hard?

In today’s episode of The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms, Stephanie Hickox continues through the chronological Bible reading plan in Ezekiel chapters 31–36. These chapters move from judgment and exile to some of the most beautiful promises of restoration in the Old Testament.

God exposes the pride of Egypt, appoints Ezekiel as a watchman, announces the fall of Jerusalem, and rebukes Israel’s corrupt shepherds. But then the tone changes dramatically.

God says:

“I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.”

He promises to gather His scattered people, care for the weak and injured, and establish one shepherd over them. This promise points us directly to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who says in John 10, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.”

And then Ezekiel 36 gives us another breathtaking promise: God will cleanse His people, give them a new heart and a new spirit, and replace their heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

But restoration doesn't mean pretending the past never happened.

God's people will remember their sin, recognize their need for forgiveness, and experience godly sorrow that produces repentance.

For Christian moms, that raises an important question:

Are we simply trying to change our children's behavior—or are we teaching them to recognize sin, take responsibility, repent, and experience the restoration that comes through Christ?

In This Episode, We'll Study:

• Ezekiel 31–32: God's judgment against Egypt and the consequences of pride.
• Ezekiel 33: Ezekiel's calling as a watchman and the responsibility to faithfully warn others.
• God's repeated declaration that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires that they turn and live.
• The historical fall of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of Ezekiel's years of warnings.
• Ezekiel 34: God's condemnation of Israel's corrupt shepherds and His promise to personally shepherd His people.
• The connection between Ezekiel's Good Shepherd prophecy and Jesus in John 10.
• How Psalm 23 helps us understand God's tender care for His people.
• Ezekiel 35: God's judgment against Edom.
• Ezekiel 36: God's promises of restoration, cleansing, a new heart, and a new spirit.
• Why God's restoration isn't based on Israel's worthiness but on His holy name and faithfulness.
• The difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.
• How repentance should shape our approach to biblical parenting and Christian discipline.

The Good Shepherd Is the Perfect Parent

Ezekiel 34 gives us a beautiful picture of God's heart toward His people.

The leaders of Israel had exploited the sheep rather than caring for them. They fed themselves, neglected the weak, failed to protect the vulnerable, and allowed the flock to scatter.

God's response is remarkable:

“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.”

He promises to seek the lost, bring back the strayed, bind up the injured, strengthen the weak, and provide a place where His sheep can dwell securely.

And then Jesus identifies Himself as this Shepherd.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” — John 10:14

What an encouragement for Christian moms.

We aren't the ultimate shepherds of our children.

Jesus is.

We are called to faithfully care for the children God has entrusted to us, but ultimately they belong to Him. And the same Shepherd who cares for us is the One who cares for our children.

Biblical Parenting Gets to the Heart

Ezekiel 36 describes God's promise to replace a heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

That is a powerful picture of what we should ultimately desire in our parenting.

We don't merely want children who know how to behave.

We want children whose hearts are being transformed by the Spirit of God.

That means biblical parenting can't stop at behavior modification.

When our children sin, we want to help them understand:

• What did I do?
• Why was it wrong?
• Who did I hurt?
• What responsibility do I need to take?
• What do I need to confess?
• How can I make things right?
• How does God's forgiveness change the way I live?

The goal isn't simply “Don't do that again.”

The goal is a heart that understands sin, loves righteousness, receives correction, and desires God's will.

Worldly Sorrow vs. Godly Sorrow

One of the most practical parenting applications from today's reading is the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.

Worldly sorrow says:

“I'm sorry I got caught.”

Godly sorrow says:

“I'm sorry I chose to sin.”

Worldly sorrow makes excuses.

Godly sorrow takes responsibility.

Worldly sorrow blames someone else.

Godly sorrow confesses.

Worldly sorrow resists consequences.

Godly sorrow accepts correction and desires restoration.

Worldly sorrow wants to get off the hook.

Godly sorrow wants God's will.

This is a foundational principle of Christian parenting and biblical discipline: we aren't merely trying to produce compliant children. We want to shepherd their hearts toward genuine repentance and dependence on Christ.

“It Can't Be Heaven Unless We Agree About Holiness”

Ezekiel 36 reminds us that restoration doesn't require God to overlook sin.

It requires His people to recognize the seriousness of their sin and the greatness of His forgiveness.

When we understand how much we've been forgiven, we don't have to hide from our past.

We can acknowledge it.

We can confess it.

We can repent.

And we can move forward in grace.

That is true for us as mothers, and it is what we want to teach our children.

Christians aren't perfect. We're forgiven.

And because we've been forgiven, we can acknowledge our sin without despair because our Good Shepherd is merciful.

A Question for Christian Moms

When your child sins, what are you primarily pursuing?

Compliance—or repentance?

Are you simply trying to stop the behavior, or are you helping your child understand what is happening in their heart?

Biblical parenting calls us to go deeper.

We want our children to know the holiness of God, recognize their own sin, experience the mercy of Christ, and learn to walk differently through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Mentioned

• Ezekiel 31–36
• Ezekiel 33:7–11
• Ezekiel 34:10–31
• Ezekiel 36:22–32
• John 10:14
• Psalm 23

A Prayer for Christian Moms

Heavenly Father, thank You for being our merciful and forgiving God. Thank You for being our Good Shepherd who seeks the lost, strengthens the weak, binds up the wounded, and lays down His life for His sheep.

Give us new hearts and renew our spirits. Soften the places in us that have become hard through bitterness, selfishness, or sin.

Help us as mothers to shepherd our children toward You. Teach us to look beyond outward behavior and address the heart. Give us wisdom to teach our children the difference between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow.

May our families become places where confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration are practiced because we have experienced the mercy of Christ ourselves.

Thank You for replacing hearts of stone with hearts of flesh and for giving Your Spirit to Your people.

Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd.

Amen.

Resources Mentioned:

• Entrusted With a Child's Heart
• The Again Podcast: Interview with Chris McKenna Part 1, Part 2
• Full-Circle Discipline Resources
• Journey Through the Bible

Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary

This is the Dwelling Place

from Entrusted Ministries.

2

I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today, we're going through

Ezekiel chapters 31 through 36.

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God will reveal how jealously and

tenderly He loves His people, and He'll

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continue to disclose the drastic measures

He will providentially enact to punish

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those who mistreat the nation of Israel.

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That's beautiful news for you and I who

have also been knit into the family of God

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We'll also press into the benefits of

restoration that repentance brings us.

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In chapter 31, God continues his

oracle against Egypt as he explains

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how he chose Assyria to rise in power

to be an instrument of judgment, he

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has sovereignly cut down their

kingdom and made another rise up

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When Egypt is faced with this

reality, Pharaoh should realize How

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foolishly his pride has been placed

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so in chapter 32, God explains how

he will humble the pride of Egypt.

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in chapter 33, God calls Ezekiel

to be a watchman over the people

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imagine how crucial that role would have

been in these Old Testament times As any

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nation could appear at any time, they

didn't have drones or aerial footage.

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the watchman was a pivotal person to give

warning for when the people were in danger

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I'll read a portion of this call beginning

in chapter thirty-three verse seven.

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" So you, son of man, I have made a

watchman for the house of Israel.

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Whenever you hear a word from my mouth,

you shall give them warning from me."

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If I say to the wicked, "O wicked one, you

shall surely die," and you do not speak to

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warn the wicked to turn from his way, that

wicked person shall die in his iniquity.

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But his blood I will require at your hand.

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But if you warn the wicked to

turn from his way, and he does

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not turn from his way, that

person shall die in his iniquity.

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But you will have delivered your soul.

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And you, son of man, say to the house

of Israel, thus have you said: Surely

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our transgressions and our sin are upon

us, and we rot away because of them.

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How then can we live?

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Say to them, as I live declares the

Lord God, I have no pleasure in the

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death of the wicked but that the

wicked turn from his way and live.

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Turn back, turn back from your evil ways

for why will you die O house of Israel

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What a comfort this reality is to us.

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God does not have wrath and anger

stored up that He's waiting to

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dole out to whomever He wills.

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His heart is to spare and to extend mercy.

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We are the ones that choose

punishment and discipline from

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Him when we walk in our sin.

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I love that he's repeated this

phrase to ensure that we know the

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forgiving nature of his character.

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He is a gracious, gracious God, that's

why he's been so faithfully warning

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about the downfall of Jerusalem,

and that pivotal newsflash finally

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comes in chapter thirty-three.

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In verse twenty-one, we're told that

in the twelfth year of their exile,

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a fugitive from Jerusalem came and

told them that the city had been

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struck down This date equates to

January 19th, 585 BC, but the fall

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had happened on August 14th, 586 BC.

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It took several months to escape and to

reach hundreds of miles away to Babylon

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to let the exiles know what had occurred.

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But all who had ears to hear would

not be surprised by the message,

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as Ezekiel has been proclaiming

and warning of this for years.

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And next, because God is such a

holy, loving leader of his people, in

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chapter thirty-four, he rebukes the

unrighteousness of Israel's leaders.

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This includes the kings, the

priests, and the prophets that

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have led the people astray.

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Though it's heartbreaking to watch

leaders of God fall into sin It also

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creates an opportunity for the perfection

and character of God to be glorified

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after God rebukes the leaders for three

specific sins, which included exploiting

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the people for their own financial gain,

treating the people cruelly, and their

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failure to protect the people from harm.

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Then God explains how his

shepherd will be different.

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And this is our main reading

for today, beginning in

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Ezekiel thirty-four verse ten.

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Thus says the Lord God: " Behold, I

am against the shepherds, and I will

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require my sheep at their hand and

put a stop to their feeding the sheep.

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No longer shall the

shepherds feed themselves.

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I will rescue my sheep from their mouths,

that they may not be food for them."

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For thus says the Lord God: " Behold,

I, I myself will search for my

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sheep and will seek them out.

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As a shepherd seeks out his flock

when he is among his sheep that have

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been scattered, so will I seek out my

sheep, and I will rescue them from all

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places where they have been scattered

on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

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And I will bring them out from the peoples

and gather them from the countries,

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and will bring them into their own land

And I will feed them on the mountains

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of Israel by the ravines and all

the inhabited places of the country.

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I will feed them with good pasture,

and on the mountain heights of

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Israel shall be their grazing land.

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There they shall lie down in good

grazing land, and on rich pasture they

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shall feed on the mountains of Israel.

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I myself will be the shepherd of my

sheep, and I myself will make them

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lie down, declares the Lord God.

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I will seek the lost, and I will bring

back the strayed, and I will bind up the

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injured, and I will strengthen the weak,

and the fat and the strong I will destroy.

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I will feed them injustice As for

you, my flock, thus says the Lord

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God Behold, I judge between sheep

and sheep, between goats and male

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goats, between rams and male goats.

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Is it not enough for you to feed on the

good pasture that you must tread down

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with your feet the rest of the pasture?

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And to drink of clear water,

that you must muddy the rest

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of the water with your feet?

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And must my sheep eat what you have

trodden with your feet, and drink

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what you have muddied with your feet

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Therefore thus says the Lord God to

them: " Behold, I, I myself will judge

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between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.

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Because you push with side and

shoulder, and thrust at all the weak

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with your horns till you have scattered

them abroad, I will rescue my flock.

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They shall no longer be a prey, and

I will judge between sheep and sheep.

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I will set up over them one shepherd, my

servant David, and he shall feed them.

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He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

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And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my

servant David shall be prince among them.

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I am the Lord.

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I have spoken."

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I will make with them a covenant of

peace and banish wild beasts from the

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land so that they may dwell securely in

the wilderness and sleep in the woods.

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And I will make them and the places all

around my hill a blessing, and I will

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send down the showers in their season;

they shall be showers of blessing.

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And the trees of the field

shall yield their fruit, and the

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earth shall yield its increase.

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And they shall be secure in their

land, and they shall know that I

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am the Lord when I break the bars

of their yoke and deliver them from

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the hand of those who enslaved them.

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They shall no more be a prey

to the nations, nor shall the

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beasts of the land devour them.

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They shall dwell securely, and

none shall make them afraid.

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And I will provide for them renowned

plantations so that they shall no more be

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consumed with hunger in the land and no

longer suffer the reproach of the nations.

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And they shall know that I am

the Lord their God with them, and

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that they, the house of Israel are

my people declares the Lord God.

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" And you are my sheep, human

sheep of my pasture, and I am

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your God," declares the Lord God

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Did you hear how selfishly and unjustly

the leaders were shepherding the people?

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And this is contrasted with

how God himself would shepherd.

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It's exactly the context Jesus was

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he says, "I am the good shepherd.

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I know my own and my own know me, just as

the Father knows me and I know the Father,

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and I lay down my life for the sheep."

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I've mentioned it before, but in the

original language, Jesus said, " I

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am the shepherd, the good one."

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He's aware that there were other shepherds

over the flock of Israel, And he separates

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himself from their wicked reputation.

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Consistent with what we read yesterday,

Jesus humbled himself repeatedly to

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be the leader and the ruler that his

people required, that his people needed

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Surely you think, surely when you hear

this, you think of Psalm 23 and that

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the Lord provides all that we need.

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even in times of exile or trial, we

can look to God to provide exactly

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what we need spiritually and physically

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Moving on to Chapter 35, the second

prophecy against Edom is issued.

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But God addresses them as Mount Seir

which was a synonym for the nation of

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Edom and that's why in chapter thirty-six

God refers to the nation of Israel by

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speaking to the mountains of Israel.

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It's in contrast to the people of Edom;

and at the end of chapter thirty-six

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God delivers beautiful promises for

the future of the Nation of Israel, and

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we're reminded that it's not because of

the nation's worthiness that he does so.

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I know I've already read two longer

portions but I really feel it's important

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to keep the context in mind as I read

these words of hope and encouragement.

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Beginning in thirty-six twenty-two:

Therefore say to the house of Israel,

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Thus says the Lord God: It is not for

your sake, O house of Israel, that I

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am about to act, but for the sake of

my holy name, which you have profaned

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among the nations to which you came.

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And I will vindicate the holiness

of my great name, which has been

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profaned among the nations, and

which you have profaned among them.

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And the nations will know that

I am the Lord, declares the Lord

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God, when through you I vindicate

my holiness before their eyes.

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I will take you from the nations and

gather you from all the countries

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and bring you into your own land

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I will sprinkle clean water on

you, and you shall be clean from

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all your uncleanness, and from

all your idols I will cleanse you.

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And I will give you a new heart, and

a new spirit I will put within you.

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And I will remove the heart of stone from

your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

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And I will put my Spirit within you

and cause you to walk in my statutes

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and be careful to obey my rules.

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You shall dwell in the land that I

gave to your fathers; and you shall

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be my people, and I will be your God.'

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" And after God promises that he will

deliver them from their uncleanness and

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bless their grain and their produce,

He says, 'Then you will remember your

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evil ways and your deeds that were not

good, and you will loathe yourselves for

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your iniquities and your abominations.

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It is not for your sake that I

will act,' declares the Lord GOD.

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' Let that be known to you.

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Be ashamed and be confounded of

your ways, O house of Israel!

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In hearing that we might

feel, it was going so well.

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We had that beautiful promise of the new

heart and the promise of God's Spirit

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in them, and then God had to go and

get historical and point out how they

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had completely blown it in the past.

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And as I prayed about it and where

to cut off the reading, the phrase

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came to my head, " It can't be heaven

unless we agree about holiness."

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for God to bring us into this

time of restoration and peace

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with Him We need to understand

the wickedness of our former ways.

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This renewal requires the

acknowledgement of sin and repentance.

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So it is actually truly beautiful that

as they're receiving God's blessings,

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that they will be fully aware Of how

they have previously fallen short.

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As Jesus said, "He who has been

forgiven much, loves much."

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Then the people will be filled

with gratitude for the blessings

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of the Lord instead of being

entitled that they deserve them

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And when someone is truly walking

in repentance, they don't mind

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acknowledging their former sin they're

thankful for the forgiveness that

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they've been issued And they press

forward in the grace of the Lord.

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This is one of the most practical

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Lessons in Entrusted With a Child's Heart.

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And I'd just like to read a little

bit about what worldly sorrow

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looks like versus godly sorrow

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this is from the couples version

that's only $20 on our website, and

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if you purchase it, it comes with all

20 videos, and we're offering those

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for free right now Worldly sorrow

regrets getting caught, but godly

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sorrow regrets the sinful choice.

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Worldly sorrow excuses or rationalizes

wrong behavior, but godly sorrow

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confesses their behavior as wrong.

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Worldly sorrow continues to

blame shift or accuse others.

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Godly sorrow takes personal responsibility

for their actions Worldly sorrow

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dodges or resists consequences and

discipline, and resents correction.

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But godly sorrow accepts consequences

and discipline, and is grateful

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for correction and restoration.

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Worldly sorrow seeks their own way.

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Godly sorrow desires that God's

will be done in their life.

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People with worldly sorrow are

stuck in a cycle of recurring sin.

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But those with godly sorrow are

in the process of being sanctified

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and bearing fruit Worldly sorrow

expects to be let off, and godly

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sorrow expects justice to be done.

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Those with worldly sorrow are unrepentant

and have a stubborn heart, and all of

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these ultimately bring death but those

who have been transformed by godly sorrow

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are repentant and have a humble heart,

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And ultimately, this brings spiritual life

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Think about an argument

you've had in your marriage.

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Have you ever reached that point

where you just say, "Let's agree to

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disagree," and you move forward but you

both have tense faces and demeanors?

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You're just trying to get beyond it.

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Would you rather have that or would you

rather have a situation where you both

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acknowledge where you went wrong, you

apologize and move forward in unity?

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That's exactly the concept of

understanding and agreement

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Betsy talks about in Entrusted.

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God wants that for us too, and it's

important that we have that goal in

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our parenting, and that's why we call

it Entrusted With a Child's Heart.

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We want to get to the heart of the

matter, not just brush things aside and

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move forward with behavior modification.

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That's why I felt it so important that I

include those verses around the beautiful

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promises of the new heart and the Spirit

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Christians aren't perfect, we're forgiven.

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And as we parent, we should expect

many opportunities to address sin in

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our own hearts and in our families

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But let's make sure that we do it

while pointing to the tender, merciful

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forgiveness of our shepherd and savior

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Because when we realize what Jesus

has done for us, we can acknowledge

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our sin and yet choose to live

differently through His Spirit

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so let's pray into those

glorious promises we just read.

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Heavenly Father, we thank you that You

are a merciful, forgiving, gracious God.

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We praise You that You

are the Good Shepherd.

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Though some nations look down upon this

occupation, You humbly embrace it as

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a picture of Your tender love for us.

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We rejoice that You have given us

a new heart and a new spirit, and

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that You've replaced our heart

of stone with a heart of flesh.

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But we acknowledge that so often

our bitterness and selfishness

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make us realize that the battle

with our sin is still very present.

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We long for You to be victorious in our

hearts and in the hearts of our families,

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and we pray against the tendencies

to be stubborn and stiff-necked.

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Soften us through Your Spirit.

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May we move forward in peace

and restoration both with

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You and with those around us

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may we have godly sorrow, knowing that

we have been forgiven by a very good God.

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Jesus, we thank you once again

for being the Good Shepherd who

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lays down His life for His sheep

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it's in your powerful name that we pray.

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Amen