Shepherds After God's Heart (Part 2)
The damage had already been done in the days of Jeremiah. God would not relent; Judah was destined for exile at the hands of Babylon. Jerusalem would not be delivered as it had been, over a century earlier, when the Angel of the LORD single-handedly defeated the Assyrians (II Kgs 19:32-35). However, Samaria (the capital of the northern kingdom) was decimated and exiled by the same Assyrian juggernaut because of her faithless idolatry back then (II Kgs 17:6-23). Despite Jerusalem's similar idolatry, God promised to protect it in those days, saying, "For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David" (II Kings 19:34). God had already promised his Christ would come through David's line and rule as king in Zion, therefore he preserved Jerusalem despite ongoing sin. One city fell. One stood by the grace of God.
Now, during the ministry of Jeremiah, the holy city would be plundered instead of protected. Judgment was certain; Jerusalem would fall because she had not learned the lesson of her sister Samaria. Yahweh told Jeremiah that Samaria's "treacherous sister Judah saw it...yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear" him (Jer 3:7, 8). Instead of learning from the destruction of Samaria, Jerusalem increased all the more in idolatry, having become "more corrupt than her sister" (Ez 23:11).
To make matters worse, those who had a platform to speak to the wayward people and call them to return to God, those who ministered the word of God, those who were to care for God's flock were just as corrupt: priests, shepherds, and prophets alike. "The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' Those who handle the law did not know me; the shepherds transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal and went after things that do not profit" (Jer 2:8). The priests weren't praying. The shepherds flagrantly sinned against heaven. The prophets consulted the idol of Baal instead of God. The Bible teachers didn't even know God. When the ministers of the word fail the flock so disastrously, there are grave consequences for all. As the ministers go, so go the people. Jerusalem was doomed. But what would become of God's promises to David?
God would not forget. Renewal would come, in part through the people's repentance beginning in Israel to the north.
Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, "'Return, faithless Israel, declares the LORD. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the LORD; I will not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the LORD your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the LORD. Return, O faithless children, declares the LORD; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. (Jer 3:12-14)
Just as Samaria lead the plunge into ruin, she would lead the way in repentance by confessing her guilt and returning to her merciful Savior, though Judah would soon join in. "In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage" (Jer 3:18).
Renewal would also come through God raising up faithful shepherds in place of the worthless ones. God would lead people to the true knowledge of his grace and mercy through new shepherds who would be faithful to the preaching of the word and to compassionate pastoral care.
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart (Jer 3:15-17).
When the ministers of the word are faithful to feed God's sheep from the wells of God's word, when their hearts are after God's own heart of mercy and forgiveness while not shying away from an unwavering call to repentance, the people themselves multiply and bear much fruit. Idolatry and godless ministry produce devastation; true preaching produces a harvest of righteousness. The right ministry of the word is used by God to transform hearts and homes, cities and nations. Jeremiah is told that Jerusalem itself will be dusted off and become "the throne of God," and "all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem." True repentance results in people not following "their own evil heart" anymore.
Of course, God would also judge the worthless shepherds.
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! declares the LORD. 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. (Jer 23:1-2)
The false shepherds scatter Christ's sheep. God promised Jeremiah that he would gather them, sheep from all around the world, and that the LORD himself will "set shepherds over them who will care for them" (Jer 23:4).
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. 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 (Jer 23:3-4).
Though the vile ministers wreak havoc on the sheep, not one of God's own will go missing. He knows each of them by name. He guides each of them home. And, as much as God raises up faithful shepherds who feed his sheep and care for them, it is ultimately through raising up the Shepherd-King whom he promised would come through David's line that God will restore his people. Indeed, all of these promises in Jeremiah are fully realized in the new covenant through the ministry of Jesus Christ.
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. 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' (Jer 23:5-6).
The need for faithful shepherds was urgent in the days of Jeremiah. The disastrous effects of ministers who neglected prayer, preaching the truth in love, and knowing God personally only multiplied through Israel and Judah to the point of utter physical ruin, a tangible sign of the rot and rubbish within the heart. The need in our day is no less pronounced. The church is in desperate need of shepherds who will carefully feed the sheep with the Bible, care for them as brothers and sisters in Christ, and pursue the lost with God's mercy. If it were not for the promises of God, our situation would be most dreadful. The culture in disintegration, in large part, is a reflection of the state of our pulpits. Yet I rejoice in God's personal testimony which assures us he will give his people shepherds after his own heart and also "raise up for David a righteous Branch," a righteous and just king, a Savior, a defense against every evil and enemy—"The LORD our righteousness." (Jer 3:15; 23:5-6). God has raised up Christ for us. May God raise up shepherds who will lift his name ever high!
Read Part 1 here.
