Jeremiah 23:1-8. We have just spent several days reading warnings by Jeremiah. Most of the book has contained warnings about the coming disaster at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. We have also seen that Nebuchadnezzar was being used by God as a tool to deal with the rebellion and disrespect of the people of Judah toward him (sin). More recently we have been reading warnings directed at the various kings of Judah who reigned near the end, just before Nebuchadnezzar took over (and while he was taking over).
Today’s reading starts out with more warnings. Remember that the word “woe” means something like “look out”. This warning is to the “shepherds”. Shepherds are guys who watch sheep, usually the sheep belong to someone else. In this case the sheep are the LORD’s (Yahweh, the personal name of the one true God). In verse 2 we learn that God is not talking about literal sheep but about people. The fact that he identified himself as the “God of Israel” in verse 2 tells us that the particular people he is talking about are the Jews (Israelites). Shepherds are supposed to protect the sheep, keep track of them, and lead them wherever they need to go. According to verse 2 these shepherds of Israel did just the opposite. The people God is talking to were probably the priests and false prophets in the land; the religious leaders, but the reference could also have been referring to kings as well. God says that because they have not attended to his sheep that he is going to attend to them. That word “attend” means to “count, govern, punish, visit, look after”. What God is saying is that these guys had not kept an eye on his sheep but he has kept and eye on them and now they are going to be dealt with. And we are told that their deeds have been evil; they have been very very bad and now they are going to suffer for it.
In verse 3 we see a change in the message. After chapters of warnings God gives a message of hope. Since the guys God put in charge didn’t do their job and the people of Israel where scattered all over the place God himself would bring them back. God had made promises to Abraham and David about a forever kingdom and he was not about to go back on his word. Not everyone who was descended from Abraham would be a part of that kingdom, many had rejected God, and remember God won’t force us to be a part of his forever family. But there were those who had been faithful to God (like Jeremiah) and God promises to bring back those who were. God then promises to raise up new shepherds who will take care of the sheep and the sheep will live in peace. Like a lot of prophecy this could find fulfillment on several levels over a period of time. After the Babylonian captivity the people were brought back to the physical land by Nehemiah and were encouraged to follow God. The Jewish people, mostly, continued in their failure to wholeheartedly follow God. But God was working a plan that was bigger than the Jewish people (see “The Old Testament Connection”).
In verses 5-6 we get a glimpse of this bigger plan. In verse 5 God moves from talking about new and faithful shepherds to one leader in particular. This leader is called the righteous Branch. This is a way of saying that the person will be a descendant of David. We are told that this person will be a good king and will bring security to the people who have been restored to the land. This king will be called “Yahweh who makes us right”. The Jewish people had been promised a forever kingdom ruled by a descendant of David and God is reassuring them that one day that will still happen. It is interesting that Jesus name means “Yahweh is salvation” and that Jesus is the one who makes things right between us and God. In Jesus’ day the Jewish people actually started to recognize him as the promised coming king but they were looking for a guy to kick Rome out of the land. They were missing the “righteousness” part. A kingdom is nothing but dirt without people so Jesus was about getting people right with God first. The taking over the land part will come but right now God is gathering people for his kingdom. So there is a definite fulfillment of part of the prediction in Jesus, in fact he becomes the ultimate fulfillment.
Followers of Jesus are also a part of the fulfillment of this prediction by Jeremiah. In Ephesians 4:11 we are told that God gave some as apostles (the word means “sent ones” like missionaries, some as prophets, some as evangelists (guys who mostly focus on how people can get right with God through Jesus) and some as pastor-teachers”. The word “pastor: means the same thing as “shepherd”. And we see from the following verses in Ephesians 4 that these guys really do take care of God’s people; they are faithful leaders. So there is a sort of fulfillment of the prediction found in the church (a word that means chosen or picked ones). Right new we are God’s chosen people and we have a job to do together of helping people understand who Jesus is, what he has done of all of us, and their need to turn to God through Jesus.
IN verse 7-8 we see a possible double fulfillment of the prediction. 70 years after the Babylonian Captivity some of the Jewish people started to return to the land. The temple was rebuilt and the stage was set for Jesus to be born and serve the people. Remember that Jeremiah referred to Nebuchadnezzar as being a king form the north because that was the route that he would take when invading the land. But much later in history the Jewish people were scattered again and many wound up in Russia and Eastern Europe. After World War 2 many of these people emigrated back to the land and the modern state of Israel was formed. This may be again setting the stage for the second coming of Jesus, this time in victory over the land. This part of the promise to the Jewish people is reconfirmed in the book of Revelation where we also see God raising up Jewish men to lead people to Jesus and ultimately we see Jesus conquering all invaders both physical and spiritual once and for all.
God is serious about sin, it will be punished. The good news is that Jesus took that punishment for all mankind (1 John 2:2). The sad part is that many will reject his offer; wanting to do it their own way they will suffer eternal separation from God. God wants people in his kingdom and has gone to unbelievable extreme of having his son become one of us to suffer death for us. Now God is giving mankind time to accept (or reject) Jesus. One day he will return and gather all who are his own together, give us new forever bodies, and welcome us into his forever universe. I hope all who read this will take God up on his totally cool offer.
God help me be a good shepherd of your sheep. Help me gather people to you not scatter them. Help me give them peace and remove fear from their lives. Let them learn about you from my words and my actions. Use me to lead them by still waters to great pastures.