Preached February 19, 2012
from
Jeremiah 24:1-8

Theme: The failure of fallen humankind to rule itself highlights to us God’s promise of the rule of King Jesus.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

This morning, we come to the end of our study of the story of the Old Testament kings of Judah. And in many respects, what a sad and dismal story it has been!

I suppose we should not have expected it to be otherwise; because it all began way back in 1 Samuel 8—when the people of Israel first demanded of their godly judge Samuel that they be given a king like the other nations. Old Samuel was very saddened by this request; but God told him, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

What a grievous request that was! For several centuries, God had been their Ruler and Provider as He raised up judges for them. But now, they had rejected God’s good, gracious, immediate rule over them in favor of the rule of a fallen, fallible, unfaithful human monarch. And though there had been some good kings here or there along the way, we have seen through our study that God’s people—for the most part—had suffered the unwanted consequences of their fateful choice.

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Turn with me, if you will, to the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah; and particularly to what we might call God’s “indictment” to the kings of Judah. These words were written with respect to the last four kings who had ruled over the people of Judah; but they may be taken as typical of all of the many centuries of kings that had descended from King David.

Jeremiah wrote,

“And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

“Execute judgment in the morning;

And deliver him who is plundered

Out of the hand of the oppressor,

Lest My fury go forth like fire

And burn so that no one can quench it,

Because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 21:11-12).

Reading those words would probably have awakened in the hearts of God’s people a sad longing for a king who would have heeded God’s command. But alas—so very few did; and those few who did heed them did so imperfectly. Instead, the story of the long list of the kings of Judah who ruled after him is one characterized by inconsistency, and foolishness, and wickedness. It’s a story of kings who not only didn’t work to drive wickedness out of the land, but who very often led the way in corruption and unfaithfulness and rebellion against God.

If you go on to read Jeremiah 22, you read God’s indictment of the kings that had most recently reigned over Judah. Of the administration of King Jehoahaz—who was a king that God longed to regard as fair and lovely to His heart—we read;

For thus says the Lord to the house of the king of Judah:

“You are Gilead to Me,

The head of Lebanon;

Yet I surely will make you a wilderness,

Cities which are not inhabited.

I will prepare destroyers against you,

Everyone with his weapons;

They shall cut down your choice cedars

And cast them into the fire.

And many nations will pass by this city; and everyone will say to his neighbor, ‘Why has the Lord done so to this great city?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods and served them’” (Jeremiah 22:6-10)

Of the next king, King Jehoiakim—whose father was a humble and godly king—we go on to read;

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness

And his chambers by injustice,

Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages

And gives him nothing for his work,

Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers,

And cut out windows for it,

Paneling it with cedar

And painting it with vermilion.’

“Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar?

Did not your father eat and drink,

And do justice and righteousness?

Then it was well with him.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy;

Then it was well.

Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.

“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness,

For shedding innocent blood,

And practicing oppression and violence” (Jeremiah 22:13-17).

And of King Jeconiah—who entered upon the throne at a young age, but who was an ungodly man that God allowed to reigned for only a short while—we go on further to read;

“As I live,” says the Lord, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return” (Jeremiah 22:24-27).

And of course, in the reign of Judah’s last king Zedekiah, the people of Judah were taken away captive to Babylon for seventy years; and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed and burned to the ground.

All of these kings were the rulers over God’s chosen people. All of them had the rich heritage of God’s law through Moses available to them. All of them were benefited by the ministry of the prophets of God. All of them had the example of their father David to follow. It’s hard to imagine how it could have been a better situation for great leadership to have arisen among men. But altogether, the story of even the kings of Judah proves the truth of what Jeremiah 10:23 affirms—that “it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps”.

The reason for all of this is found in our fallenness in Adam. It’s foolish to expect fallen humankind to ever be able to produce a fallen leader who will righteously and justly lead a fallen people. Even today, at each new election cycle, we imagine it could be otherwise. We entrust the next generation of leaders, or the newest group of politicians, with positions of power and influence over us and expect them to lead us all into a wonderful new golden age. And before long, reality hits again; and we’re so disappointed and disgusted with them that we can’t wait to get rid of them and get the next batch in.

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And it’s against the backdrop of this long record of disappointment that I ask we turn to this morning’s passage. After this sad review of the failure of the kings, we read the words from God that are found in Jeremiah 24:1-8—and particularly, of God’s promise of a king from the lineage of David who would one day come and truly rule over humankind righteously and justly.

God said;

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord,

“That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;

A King shall reign and prosper,

And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

In His days Judah will be saved,

And Israel will dwell safely;

Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ And they shall dwell in their own land” (Jeremiah 23:1-8).

What a wonderful way to close our study of the Old Testament’s study of the kings of Judah—by looking ahead to Judah’s last and most glorious King yet to reign! The failure of fallen humankind to rule itself wonderfully highlights to us God’s promise of the rule of King Jesus!

And may He come soon!

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Now; look carefully with me at what God tells us in this passage. You can divide what He says by focusing on the four main declarations that we find in it.

First, God declares . . .

1. “WOE TO THE SHEPHERDS” (vv. 1-2).

In verses 1-2, we read, “’Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’ says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: ‘You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord.’”

The word “shepherds” speaks of the rulers of the people—the kings. If you have the the King James Version, you’ll see that it says “pastors” (which is another word for “shepherd”); but in this context, it’s speaking of rulers. And in these first two verses, God lets His people know that He knows about the unjust rule of their rulers.

The role of a shepherd is to lead, and protect, and care for the sheep. He is to recognize that the sheep have been entrusted to him by someone else; and that it’s his job to make sure he has taken good care of those with whom he has been entrusted. In a similar way, God had entrusted His people to the care and feeding and leading of the kings that he here calls “shepherds”. But they have not done what good shepherds should do.

Instead, they did what God describes in Ezekiel 34. In that passage, God was describing the behavior of the priests to which He had entrusted the spiritual care of His people; but what He says to the priests, I believe, would apply equally to the rulers. God speaks to Ezekiel and says,

“Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them’” (Ezekiel 34:2-6).

And these words of woe tell us that when the rulers over the precious lives of people misuse the authority God has entrusted to them, He knows about it! In fact, in this morning’s passage, He uses a play on words and says, “You did not attend to them. Behold, I will attend to you!”

And so; when we become frustrated by the ungodliness and unfaithfulness of those who lead us and rule over us, we should never let our frustration turn into hopelessness and despair. God sees the hearts of every ruler—both the good ones (which are many), and the bad ones (which also are many); and He will hold every one accountable for what they do.

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Notice too how God cares about His people. He goes on to make the declaration . . .

2. “I WILL GATHER THE REMNANT” (vv. 3-4).

In God’s dealings with His people, He always makes distinctions between the godly and the ungodly. He places special emphasis on the godly that He has chosen for Himself—those that He here calls “the remnant”—who had been scattered from their homeland by the unfaithfulness of their shepherds. God says, “‘But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,’ says the Lord” (vv. 3-4).

Notice that, even though it was through the neglect of the shepherds that the people were scattered, God says that He would gather the remnant of His flock “out of all the countries where I have driven them . . .” When a bad ruler rules over God’s people, and even if it should result in His sheep being scattered from where He has placed them, He is still sovereign over them. If they are scattered, it is only by His permission that it happens—and for their ultimate good. And just as He is sovereign over all that happens to them, He is wonderfully able to bring them back to their folds—in His good time—where they will be fruitful and will increase.

Note also that He says that he will set shepherds over them who will care for them in a way that the irresponsible shepherds failed to do. During that time, they will “fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking” This may be speaking—in part—of the time when the people would be brought back from their captivity in Babylon. But I don’t believe it can entirely be speaking of that time. After all, when they came back from the their captivity that they were soon afterwards oppressed by the Persians, and then by the Grecian empire, and eventually by the Romans under whose rule they were again scattered across the face of the earth.

I believe that God is here promising good shepherds who would rule over them when they are brought back to their homeland in a future glory for His covenant people—a time when both Judah and Israel will be reunited under the rule of one glorious King, under whose authority only godly rulers will rule. I believe we even know who some of those rulers are! Jesus once told His disciples, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28).

Dear brothers and sisters; not only does God have His eye on the unjust rulers who rule oppressively over His people, but He also has His eye on His precious people! In Jeremiah 3:14-18, it says;

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,” says the Lord, “that they will say no more, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore. At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given as an inheritance to your fathers” (Jeremiah 3:14-18).

Surely He has a glorious future for those who are His own!

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And look at what is in that future! God goes on to declare . . .

3. “BEHOLD . . . A KING SHALL REIGN” (vv. 5-6).

Against the backdrop of all the kings who had come before and had failed to lead His people in righteousness and justice, we read, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’” (vv. 5-6).

Notice what God says about this King. First, we’re told that His coming would be future from the time when these words of promise were first given. “The days are coming”, God says. They speak of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The phrase, “The days are coming”, certainly have their basis in the atoning sacrifice He made for sins at His first coming. That’s when God’s “new covenant” with His people was established. Jeremiah 31:31-34 says;

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

The world didn’t see the fulfillment of all those promises when He first came; because, at that time, His people rejected Him as their King and crucified Him. And so, this phrase, “The days are coming”, also looks ahead to their ultimate fulfillment at Jesus’ His second coming. It’s then that He will reign over His people in such a way that both His promises will be true: “Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely”.

Second, notice what God calls this King. He says, “I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.” The word “Branch” here means “a sprout”—not merely the limb or twig of another tree, but a sprout that comes up out of the ground from the root of David as its own individual growth. He was truly the offspring of King David; but not like any of the fallen and fallible kings that came before Him. He was raised up from that root, by the power of God, to be a tree that is different from what came before.

King Jesus—the son of David—was born of a virgin. He was the eternally pre-existent Son of God who took human nature to Himself—born without the sin nature that has plagued every one of Adam’s descendants. When He takes up His rule on the earth, He will be the first and only truly righteous King the world has ever seen; and therefore He “shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”

And finally, notice what the world will call Him: “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”. What a name for a king! He wouldn’t simply make His people behave righteously. He Himself would be their righteousness! As Paul wrote; “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). What great days those will be, when King Jesus rules this earth in righteousness and justice the righteousness of His people—God reigning on earth!

How the world longs for those days! And they will come! Notice how God says a second time . . .

4. “THE DAYS ARE COMING” (vv. 7-8).

He assures His needy people—distressed and scattered because of the unfaithful shepherds who had ruled over them—“’Therefore, behold, the days are coming,’” says the Lord, “’that they shall no longer say, “As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but, “As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country and from all the countries where I had driven them.’” And they shall dwell in their own land’” (vv. 7-8).

And it will be done with King Jesus upon the throne!

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Let me close by suggesting two things we need to learn from this.

First, with respect to the whole story of the kings of Judah, let’s learn not to expect righteousness and justice to be brought about on earth through the efforts of mankind. Political leaders—no matter how well-intentioned they may be—are fallible sons and daughters of Adam, and are fallen sinners. They cannot bring about perfect justice and righteousness on this earth.

It’s not that governments are, in and of themselves, wrong. They are, in fact, very necessary because of the fallenness of the whole of humanity. But as we make use of the government that God has given us, and as we elect our leaders as we should, let’s not be surprised by their imperfections and failures. Let’s never expect from mere men and women what God promises will only be brought about by the reign of the last great King of Judah, Jesus Christ—who alone deserves to be called “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”.

And second, let’s never forget that God is not merely wanting to bring about righteous “governments”. His Son Jesus Christ came into this world to make individual men and women—sinners like you and me—righteous in His sight. This comes about only through a personal faith in sacrifice that this One who is Judah’s last great King made for us on the cross.

Have you placed your faith in Him? Is He your “righteousness” today?