Charles Spurgeon Commentary Ezekiel 34:23-25

"And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I, Jehovah, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, Jehovah, have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land; and they shall dwell securely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods." — Ezekiel 34:23-25 (ASV)

And he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.

Those who have seen the watching of flocks by night in the East could give you quite a picture of the meaning of this verse.

Sometimes the shepherds will sit down in the midst of bushes and briars that may grow at the side of the wood. Taking some of them for firewood, they will light a fire in the night; and when the wolves come around them, the sheep are quite safe. I have read of this in books of travel, and what a beautiful thing it is! It is as though one sits there, with the full moon shining down on the forest and the fires lit, feeling that, despite all the wolves, the sheep are quite safe with the shepherds there to protect them!

So it is with God's people; they must always expect, while they are in the wood of this world, to have a scratch now and then from the briars and thorns; but they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. God will always take care of his own, for the Lord knoweth them that are his.