Jeremiah 23

It is a great temptation to claim to rule or speak in the Name of an invisible God. People apparently suppose that they can get away with it. You can easily say to people that you are doing what you do or saying what you say because of what you have heard from God, and who can contradict you? Of course, God will know, and that will be the problem with any plan you have to fool men. You can fool people for some time, but you cannot fool God.

The kings over God’s people were called “shepherds” and the people were His sheep. The Davidic king was to be a good shepherd over the people on behalf of the Lord Almighty, who is the Shepherd of Israel. But they misused their position. They did not lead the sheep in the direction of righteousness and peace. Rather than gather the flock in appropriate covenant assembly, they scattered the sheep, drove them away through abuse and corruption, and turned against them in unrighteousness. They did not attend to the needs of the weak in their charge, but harmed them through neglect and oppression. These were not true godly shepherds.

Similarly, the prophets were to bring the word of God to the people in a way that honored Him. Yet the land seemed to be filled with false spokesmen. They claimed to have dreams from God, and freely spoke to others using the formula speech of those who had been in the heavenly council. They were full of “Thus says the Lord,” but their words and their ways were not from God at all.

A prophet should lead the people along the way of righteousness, but these false prophets of Israel and Judah had brought the foolish along the way of darkness on slippery paths. Like false kings, they have not carefully considered that God might come against them, expose them, and destroy them. Perhaps they deceived even themselves into thinking that they were truly speaking for God just as they deceived so many others.

These men were full of gross spiritual adulteries and lies. Some even led people into the worship of false gods and demons who gave them their false words and evil suggestions. From them ungodliness went out into all the land.

The God that ungodly kings and false prophets claim to represent will not allow these imposters to stand forever. He is both a God who is near and a God who is far off. He is able to know the secrets of every heart and the words of every tongue. Though evil men and angels might seek to poison the elect, and to lead God’s people away from the true and living God, they cannot succeed forever. The Lord is engaged in the events of our lives. He has a decree that is expressed not only in creation, but also in all of His great works of providence.

He is able to discipline His people in sending them north into the land of captivity. He is also more than able to bring them back from the land as their strong Deliverer. Even this great act of salvation is only a foretaste of what has now been accomplished by the true Prophet and King over God’s people, the Lord Jesus Christ.

His coming is boldly prophesied by Jeremiah in this chapter. “The days are coming,” says the true prophet of God, when the Lord will raise up for David a righteous branch. This descendant of David will be a “branch” because He will somehow come from the root of David, appearing on the earth many years after God gave great promises to this great king of old. He too will be a man after God’s own heart, and will be of the house and lineage of David, just as His mother Mary and Mary’s husband Joseph.

But it would be God Himself who would uniquely raise up this promised Messiah in fulfillment of His promise to have a descendant of David who would reign forever. He would be conceived by the Holy Spirit and would Himself be the Lord. This divine King will reign justly and wisely, but not with the partial justice and wisdom of even the best of the other kings of Judah. Jesus will reign perfectly. His reign will not be cut short by death, but will be established by His death and resurrection.

In His days, Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely, but perhaps not in the way that some of His own disciples expected. His reign as King would be over a spiritual Israel from every imaginable background and heritage, all one new nation in Him. His name will be “The Lord is our righteousness,” since it will be His own righteousness that is credited to us. All of this will be made known through His perfect Word, for He will be King and Prophet over God’s people. He will establish shepherds and ambassadors who will proclaim His Word. All false prophets and oppressive kings who have used God’s name to do things that the Lord opposes will one day be opposed by Him. What will the enemies of God do when they face God’s true King and Prophet when He comes again to judge the living and the dead?