Jeremiah 23 Devotional
by Pastor Mark Hudson

Shepherds care for sheep.  Shepherds serve sheep by providing them places to graze, drink, rest as well as keeping them safe.  Yet sheep are blind to the care, service, and commitment of the shepherd.  Sheep do not say thank you or appreciate your work.  Not just because sheep can’t talk; they are oblivious to the shepherd’s care.  Sheep are not too intelligent.

We refer to pastors or other spiritual leaders as shepherds because their spiritual work overlaps the work of a shepherd of sheep.  In Jeremiah’s case, the term may refer to the entire group of leaders over the people since God has been castigating prophet, Priest, and king (Jer 4:9).  Spiritual shepherds have certain responsibilities to God for the people under their care.

There are a number of interesting plays on words in prophetic writing.  Here the ESV nicely keeps the verb “attend” in verse 2 the same in two phrases: “you have not attended to them (sheep).  Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds.”   In verse 2 also, the shepherds have drive them (the sheep) away and v. 3, God “will gather the remnant . . . where I have driven them away.”   God will reverse what He previously drove away by now gathering His sheep to Himself.  So the false shepherds of the land are working against what God is doing.

Then God “will set shepherds over them who will care for them . . .” in v. 4 which contrasts v.1.  In verse 1 the shepherds “destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture” (remember, these are God’s sheep), they scatter and drive them away and have not attended to the sheep (v. 2).  But in v. 4 we can see the tenderness of true shepherds: the shepherds care, the sheep fear no more, nor are the sheep dismayed, and none of the sheep are missing.

You may not have the title of a shepherd in an official title but there are people in your life that you care for.   Because of you, these people have less fear and experience less discouragement.  Be that kind of a shepherd for the small child in your life, the older spouse, your small group, or whomever you are caring for.  Someone needs you and you need to care for someone.

Now in v. 5, because God cares so deeply for His people, He will raise up  THE Shepherd who will in turn raise up other shepherd that try to shepherd like Christ does.  After all, all true shepherds are trying to be like THE Shepherd.   Then in v. 7ff, God is looking beyond the coming threat of going to Babylon to their return from Babylon.  The exile is a fait accompli (a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it).  God is looking beyond the exile to their return.  God’s grace is way beyond our ability to understand or see His hand.  We certainly cannot see His hand in our lives at the time of our troubles.   We almost never see his hand prior to the unfolding of His grace.  That is why we are always questioning God.  We are virtually blind to His ways in our own immediate lives.

Drink in verses 9ff.  These are sad verses that broke Jeremiah’s heart.  Any why shouldn’t sin break our hearts?  Sin is cosmic treason as R.C. Sproul liked to say.  As you read these verses, remember God through Jeremiah is describing people called by God to serve Him. That makes it all the worse.  Jeremiah is bothered by sin.  For a moment, ask yourself, do you think sin bothers you?  Or better, does your sin trouble you?  When you look at our nation or our church and see our selfishness, our drama, our self-righteousness, and our pride does it affect you at all?  While we need to see and mourn our sin, we must also read our culture and engage our culture.  Our culture is bound and determined to go our own way without any input from God.   Both individual and corporate sin demands repentance.

Notice v 16ff, “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy . . .” which reminds us that those of us who listen have a responsibility to listen to some and to ignore others.  God expects you to have discernment.  And frankly discernment is a rare commodity.  There is a lot of Christian dribble that is not worthy of your time.  There are sermons, books, and teaching series you should ignore.  But there are also books, sermons, and teaching that you should mull over, consider, and reflect upon.

Admittedly it is not easy to know when you should ignore so look at the next verse.  These prophets are saying to people who despise the word of the Lord that it will be well (v. 17).  That just can’t be right.  Are you in a church where you are rebuked or are you in a church that can only encourage, laugh, and be happy?  Truth does both: hurts and heals.  If you are in a church that rebukes, but also encourages, count yourself blessed.

In 18ff, we see the origins of a prophet’s authority.   “For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?”  That is where all of us ought to be – standing in the council of the Lord.  Paying attention and listening to God’s Word.  I had a professor who told us, “If you want to stand up and speak, you need to first sit down and study.”

I will end this with an encouragement to keep our noses in God’s word or our ear in our app or however you study or listen to God’s Word.  We have many ways to read and listen to His Word.  Take advantage of all of these technological tools.  Be a good listener.  Observe the text.  There is nothing in this short devotional you could not have seen.  Keep reading, observing, and asking questions of the text.  As you read, pray over what you are reading.

You may not be able to see growth in a month, but what about 365 days?  2 years or 5 years?  Keep it up.  Don’t quit.  Be the type of person who “has paid attention to His Word and listened?”  v. 18.