Sermon Cloud

July 19, 2009

Jeremiah 23:1-8 “Promised Shepherd”

Restatement of Issue

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. 

            We have spent a fair amount of time on what’s wrong with Israel this summer.  Powerful images have prevailed.  They’ve substituted other saviors for God and have drunk from broken cisterns that couldn’t hold water instead of the Living Water.  They’ve whored themselves out to other gods and prosperity and have turned their back on their faithful covenant partner.  They are spoiled clay about to be remade into something different because of their rebellion.  They are about to be broken pieces of pottery thrown away in the garbage pit via the Babylonians.  Here the charge is specific to the leadership of Israel.  It’s nothing new, but it might triangulate the key issue.  Leadership of God’s people is so important and if Israel’s leaders are corrupt, then so will the people.  The previous chapters have been specific.  They haven’t followed God.  They’ve mistreated the weak.  Instead of protecting the flock, they have harmed it and driven it away and judgment is coming in the form of the Babylonians who will defeat them and take them into exile in Babylon.  That has pretty much summed up every sermon I’ve delivered up to this point.  In fact, if you want to see how dark this season of Israel’s history was, read Lamentations (also by Jeremiah) or Psalm 73-89 that were likely compiled during this period.

Some Hope: Near Future

3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. 5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ 7 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 8 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”  God is promising something that will look like the Exodus from Egypt.  In fact, much of the language in this passage seems to borrow from it.  Verses 7 and 8 seem to indicate that this exodus from Babylon will be in people’s minds even more than the return from Egypt several hundred years earlier.  For clarity’s sake, God is confirming that they have been that wicked, but He will redeem them again and they will return to the land and a reunion with the lost northern tribes might be hinted at in verse 8. Please notice that this is giving hope in a very practical, physical way in their near future.  Also, notice how much of this promise is tied to a new batch of shepherds that will take better care of God’s people instead of leading them into ruin and mistreating them.

Some Hope: Distant Future

            But this passage isn’t only making prophecy about 70 years in the future.  Some of the things predicted here just didn’t happen when they returned from Babylon (read Nehemiah if you want an account of this).   Shepherds will take care of them and will rule in the right kind of way.  This prophecy is looking forward to an ultimate shepherd that would rule God’s people with wisdom. 

            We see that happened a little when the Jews returned from exile in Babylon and it would happen at some point in the distant future.  But when?  In some circles, people would say that this will only find fulfillment in the millennial kingdom?  In case you don’t know or care, that’s code in certain circles for after Jesus returns a second time.  Is that when we should look towards Jeremiah’s prophecy coming to pass?  Jesus tells us in John 10.  1 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

            No doubt that Jesus’ return will lead us into the completion…the full extent of Jeremiah’s prophecy.  But there can also be no doubt that Jesus was fulfilling this prophecy in His ministry on earth.  His shepherding of His people was continued after His death and resurrection via the Holy Spirit and Spirit filled shepherds (pastors) that would look out for His new covenant people, the church.  So Jesus was Jeremiah’s promised shepherd!  Jesus is still shepherding through His death (15) and through ministers who shepherd in His place...the church.  Look at 1 Peter 5:2-5.  2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

You need a shepherd today 

            I realize you aren’t a really aggie kind of crowd.  I’m not either.  The image of shepherding isn’t that foreign to us though.  We see a need to do this sort of thing with our children.  We protect them against all sorts of threats- sickness, hunger, crazy wackos out there, things they don’t need to hear too early in life, bad decisions, financial commitments, and the list goes on.  This is what God has done with us.  We were helpless spiritually and He opened up our heart and made us His.  It would be tempting to sigh out of the window and think we have come to grips with this truth.   But…

1.  We isolate ourselves.  We isolate ourselves from God and from His appointed means of protection: the church.  Not just pastors, but other members of Jesus’ church are appointed as means for your protection and growth.  The main point of this text isn’t our consistency and immersion in the life of the church so I won’t linger here.   But there can be no doubt that this is likely God’s primary means of shepherding His people today.  Through the Spirit we protect and encourage one another. 

2.  We resist Jesus’ leadership.  He is always guiding us to greener pastures where our soul can grow and flourish, but many times we insist on gorging ourselves on junk.   Bottom line is that just about everyone I know (including the one speaking to you) has authority issues and it’s the worst kind of authority issues.  We think we know better than God what will make us happy, but our choices don’t make us happy and will make us miserable in the end. 

I’d add that we tend to combine #’s 1 and 2.  I just heard research presented by Ed Stetzer of NAMB that revealed that over half of American still believe in Jesus’ resurrection (wow!), but only 20% are worshiping with other Christians on a given Sunday.  In addition 40% said that their lifestyle wouldn’t be accepted at the church.  What should we do with that info?  Well, we can recognize, as Stetzer stated, that Americans still hold an “echo of an echo” of historical Christianity, but it is overwhelmingly isolated from the church.  Some of that is on us with our well documented self-righteousness.  Some of that is on people that reject any sort of accountability and definition to the Jesus they have developed over time.  Isolation.  Authority.  They are issues. 

            This can be true corporately as a church, too.  We can know that we are called to love one another well and serve a city and go to the nations, but we become content to attend services.  We can play the silly games that kill churches.  We can wonder why no one has reached out to us when God is shepherding us to contribute to the community as a committed member of His church.  But we resist.  And end up isolated (#1) and miserable through our preoccupation with self.   Sometimes we don’t know the right thing to do, but lots of times we know and we just don’t want to do it because of our authority issues and we nearly kill ourselves in the process.

            Can you imagine if all you and I had was some corrupt Davidic king looking out for me with my wayward sheep-like heart?  I am so happy that on big and small issues that Jesus is shepherding His church right now.  He is the supreme shepherd.  He is the leader par excellence.   Let’s be encouraged by His care.  Soak in it and let this long anticipated prophecy be good news to you today as a follower of Jesus.  And as you are soaking in it, embrace the Shepherd’s correction and come to grips with the authority issues that are surely there (as evidenced by your life!).   As we go to the Lord’s table, let’s soak in this gracious leadership and simultaneously vow to submit to it.