The Lord Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:1-6)

Series: What I'd Like to Know Is… (1/6)

July 29, 2012

This series was created by requests from our congregation.  The six most requested topics were chosen and made into a six week sermon series.

Dear friends in Christ.

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

We don’t know exactly when the Prophet Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, because the book of Jeremiah was not written in a chronological order so much as it was laid down topically.  It was laid down topically according to the prophecies that the Lord gave to Jeremiah throughout the many years that he served as prophet proclaiming the truth of God’s Word to all those living in Jerusalem and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.  But even though we don’t know exactly when Jeremiah spoke these words, our best guess is that this all took place about 2,600 years ago, somewhere around 597 BC. 

This would mean that when Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, roughly 125 years had passed since the Assyrian Empire had conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel and taken them off into captivity—a captivity from which the nation never returned.  Roughly 80 years had passed since the Prophet Isaiah had been martyred, as tradition suggests, at the hand of evil King Manasseh.  Less than 25 years had passed since King Josiah, the grandson of evil king Manasseh found the book of God’s Law and begun a religious renewal in the Kingdom of Judah.  A renewal unlike any that had ever been seen before!  However, when Josiah died fighting against Pharaoh Neco at the battle of Megiddo, about 15 years before our lesson takes place, things began to go downhill quickly.  Things began to go downhill quickly because the next two kings that followed faithful Josiah did evil in the eyes of the Lord just as their predecessors had done.  Though Josiah turned to the Lord unlike any other king in the history of Judah, and though he worked very hard to bring about religious renewal and lead the people back to the Lord their God, the kings that served after him did the very opposite.  They did evil in the eyes of the Lord.  They worshiped false gods.  They bowed down to idols and by their example they led the people of Judah away from the worship of the true God.  Thus they were destroying and scattering the sheep of the Lord’s pasture.

So, by the time that Jeremiah spoke the words of our lesson today, it was the 11th hour.  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had either sent, or would very soon be sending Babyloniah, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against the land of Judah to devastate the land and punish the nation because their king had tried to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar.  Then, as history shows us, not long after those raiders were sent, Nebuchadnezzar himself would advance on Jerusalem, lay siege to it, and carry its people off into 70 years captivity in Babylon.  So this was the political situation in Judah.  There were maybe 11 years left until King Nebuchadnezzar would march in and completely destroy Jerusalem and its temple before the captivity would begin. There was not much time left until the Righteous Lord would fulfill the words he had proclaimed to the people for centuries, the words that Jeremiah so recently spoke to them, saying: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

This was the political situation in Judah during the days of Jeremiah!  But is the political situation in America all that different today?  Are our leaders leading us by example, and encouraging us as a nation to live in our faith?  If you look back in history it seems that some did and some did not.  Take a look at Mr. Jimmy Carter.  He is a man known for his faith and his trust in God.  No matter how you felt about him as president or what kind of job you believe that he did, it seems that he sought to lead this nation based on his faith in God.  The same thing seems true about the years that Mr. Ronald Reagan was president.  His words in speeches seem to convey a personal faith in God his creator, and it seems that he sought to rule our Nation from that perspective.  Again I’m merely bringing these men up as examples.  You may or may not have liked them as leaders or how they led, but their words and actions often show them as leaders who either sought to lead based on a faith in God or without a faith in God.  The same thing can be said about Mr. George Bush Sr. and Jr.  By their words and their actions they seemed to seek to lead the nation based on their faith.  However it seems that the exact opposite can be said about Mr. Bill Clinton and Mr. Barack Obama.  With their words and actions they demonstrated themselves to be men who do not hold to the same faith to which we hold.  They have demonstrated themselves to be men who have more of a secular attitude to the leadership of this country and by their examples, Americans have felt justified to emulate the actions and the beliefs of these presidents and turn away from the truth of God’s Word. 

Please understand what I am saying here.  Under every president countless people have come to trust in the Lord and countless others have fallen away from the Lord.  However, in the same way that the leaders of God’s people greatly influenced the faith of God’s people in Jeremiah’s, so also the leaders of America greatly influence the spirituality and the faith of Americans.  For example, in the last 20 years or so, Christians have grown more and more silent.  Christians are finding that they are facing much more mocking and ridicule than they once did.  Christian children are growing tired of following the faith of their parents because more and more of their friends do not see the need for worship or God’s word.  On top of this, the President of our nation stated in a number of different speeches, “Whatever we once were, we’re no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation and a nation of nonbelievers”[1]   Add to that the surge in faith that took place after September 11, 2001, which has since dissipated, and even though we have been struggling through an economic down turn for the past six or seven years, how many people in our world and in our Nation have stopped putting their faith in the Lord for help, but have turned their faith toward themselves, or the banks, or even the government to provide for them.  This is the political situation in which we find ourselves today!  This is the reason why Jeremiah’s words are so relevant for us today: “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the LORD." (Jeremiah 23:1–2, NIV84)

Perhaps the economic situation in our country is the beginning of God’s punishment against our Nation for turning away from him.  Perhaps the financial ruin, which is predicted to be worse than the Great Depression, is this generation’s Babylonian Captivity designed to destroy the power of the false gods of our society and world and lead people back to the Lord.  Perhaps just the idea of what is coming our way, according to many economists, will be just enough to turn many back to the Lord to trust in him as it was with the Israelites!  Though it is true that Jeremiah’s message to the people of Judah was indeed a message of harsh judgment, because there were still many who were faithful to the Lord, the Lord filled their hearts with comfort even as Jeremiah spoke.  In the midst of harsh judgment and woe, the Lord also gave great comfort, saying: “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:3–6, NIV84)

Even in the midst of looming destruction and captivity, the Lord still comforted his faithful people with the promise of the Messiah.  Though the tree of Jesse would be cut down and left as a dead stump through the coming captivity, the Lord would cause a new branch to sprout when he sent Jesus as the Messiah.  He would be the king who preached the message of salvation to all his people.  He would be the king who would lead his people to the green pastures and quiet waters of his word.  He would be the king who would fight head to head with satan and his evil angels.  He would be the king who granted victory to his people through his death and resurrection.  He would be the king who led his people to the complete safety of his heavenly kingdom when their time on earth was done.  Though it was clear that all of Judah and Jerusalem would face some terrible times at the hands of the Babylonians, those who trusted in the Lord had his comfort and assurance.  They knew that the Lord was their Righteousness.  They knew that the Lord was their Savior.  They knew that no matter what evil they faced by trusting in the Lord they would be delivered to their kings side where they would live with their Righteous Savior.

The same thing is true for you and me today.  Even though we are living in a world that daily grows darker and more evil, we are looking forward to the day when we will be gathered with the remnant of the Lord’s believers.  Even though we are facing ridicule and persecution we know that through faith in the Lord our Righteousness, we will never be missing from his side.  We know that even though we may be facing some financial dark days in the next years, by trusting in the Lord he will provide for us all that we need.  We are looking forward to the day when we will see the Righteous Branch of Jesse, our King, the Lord our Righteousness, gathering us before his throne where we will live with him forever in safety and security.  No matter what we face in this life, we know that heaven is our home.  No matter what temptations come our way, we know that the Lord Jesus has forgiven us.  No matter hardships we face, we know that the Lord is with us, just as he was with his people even when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem. 

So now, as God’s children, continue to grow in your faith by reading and studying his Word.  Teach your children and your grandchildren the precious truths of salvation.  Bring them with you as you worship the Lord so that they learn the habit of taking time out for God.  Schedule extra time each Sunday for Sunday School and Bible study so that you and your family may grow in your faith and your love of the Lord.  Though the days are growing darker, the days are coming when the Lord our Righteousness will raise up the righteous Branch of Jesse.  This will be the day when our Savior returns in glory and judgment. This will be the day when we see the Lord our Righteousness face to face and he welcomes us into his heavenly kingdom forever.  Until that day, grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Encourage each other in the faith, and know that no matter what you might face in this life, we have the Lord’s promise:  “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. 5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness." (Jeremiah 23:3–6, NIV84)

Amen.

Pastor David M. Shilling

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN

---

[1] From a speech on June 7, 2007 referenced at: http://www.christianwebsite.com/obama-america-no-longer-a-christian-nation/  also from a speech on March 9, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmC3IevZiik  also a speech on April 9, 2009 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVd7YT0oWA  All sites accessed July 28, 2012.

See the Savior of the World Revealed (Matthew 2:1-12)

Do you know just how much your God truly loves you? I’m sure you do, because we are all very familiar with the events of Christmas Eve and how the Lord revealed his Savior to the world on that night so many years ago. But do you know all the effort that went into fitting all the pieces of history together so precisely? Do you know the vast amount of preparation that that the Lord patiently orchestrated so that he could reveal his Son, our Savior not merely to the nation of the Jews, but also to the myriad nations of Gentiles as well? If you aren’t fully up to date on everything the Lord did to make sure that we, the Gentiles, would know his Son our Savior, then permit me if you will to take you on a journey back in time. Back before the night the Lord revealed his Son to the nations; back to the days of 931 BC when Rehoboam was scheduled to take the throne of his father, Solomon. Though the people asked him to lighten their load, he refused and promised even heavier burdens on the people to the point that the 10 Northern Tribes of Israel rebelled against him, split off, set up Jeroboam as their king and proceeded down a path of idolatry from which they never recovered.

Fast forward from there about 200 years to the year 725 BC. It was in this year that the prophecies the Lord had spoken against the Northern Kingdom of Israel came to pass. For in that year Shalmaneser, the King of the Assyrian Empire, attacked, laid siege to the kingdom for three years, and finally brought it to an end in 722 BC. It was in that year that the Lord sent his people into exile, leading them off to the land of Media nearly 1000 miles away from their homeland—a land located just south of the Caspian Sea in modern day Iran. Though in those years the Assyrian Army quickly marched through Samaria adding Israel, Philistia, and even Egypt to their vast empire, the small nation of Judah was left untouched simply because they had not rebelled and had remained loyal subjects continuing to pay their tribute to the Assyrian King.

For the next 100 years or so, things remained roughly the same for Judah, until the Assyrians began to fall from power and Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians began to rise to power as the Lord had prophesied that they would. It was during that time while Babylon and Egypt were struggling for control of the Assyrian Empire that Judah found herself in a curious place, and she sought to throw off the fetters of the Assyrians by backing the Egyptians against the Babylonians. But that lasted for only a short time, for when Nebuchadnezzar had finally conquered the Egyptians and added them as part of his new empire; he turned his sights on Jerusalem. Then, in 586 BC after laying siege to the city for the second time, he broke down the walls of the city, destroyed the Temple, burned Jerusalem to the ground, and led the people of Judah off into captivity, just as the Prophets said would happen.

But even though Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed a long reign as King of the Babylonians, all was not peaceful in the rest of the world, as less than 40 years later, in 550 BC, Cyrus, the Persian (also known as Darius) began his conquest. Over a period of the next 10 years he began conquering nation after nation. He started with Media, where the 10 Northern Tribes had been exiled. He entered into Lydia—the land where the Apostle Paul did much of his missionary work and where the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation were founded. He conquered the Babylonian Empire on the very night that the Babylonians King Belshazzar saw the hand writing on the wall and called the Magi, Daniel, in to interpret those mysterious words of: “Mene, Mene Tekel Parsin.” (See Daniel 5) Then he moved on conquering even Egypt and forming the Persian Empire, just as Daniel had explained to King Nebuchadnezzar when he had the dream about the great statue. (See Daniel 2) Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold had fallen as the Chest and Arms of Silver, the Persian Empire, now took its place. It was this Cyrus who conquered Babylon who also issued a decree in 539 stating that all the Israelites living in the Persian Empire were free to return to their homes, to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, the Temple of the Lord their God, even the Nation of Israel—as the Lord had promised through the prophets.

Then, after roughly 200 years, in 330, of the Persian Empire comes to an end and the belly and thighs of bronze—the Greeks—enter the world scene. Under the leadership of Alexander the Great, in 13 quick years the Greeks conquer what remains of the Persian Empire extending their language and culture to much of the world in preparation for the quick and easy transmission of the Scriptures. Yet, even as Alexander is conquering the Persians, the legs of Iron, the Romans, are beginning their conquest of the Western World until, in about 200 BC, they set their sights on Empire Alexander had conquered moving Eastward until they had control of much of the world by 27 BC when Caesar Augustus came to power. Though the Roman’s Empire encompassed a great deal of territory around the Mediterranean, by the time of Jesus birth they had not yet reached the land of Parthia, nor would they ever conquer it.

It was into this world, perfectly prepared by the Lord for the spreading of the gospel that he revealed his Son as the Savior of all people. Though he was first announced to the Israelites by the shepherd who had received the glories news from the angel, it wasn’t that much later when the Lord revealed him to the Gentiles as well, as our text tells us: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2) What an amazing thing it must have been for the Magi when they saw the star of the new born King rising in the sky! What an amazing thing it must have been for those men who had watched the skies for generations waiting for the fulfillment of Balaam’s prophecy: “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17)

Though we don’t know exactly who the Magi were, we know that they were Gentiles. Though we don’t know exactly where they came from, the simple fact that they were astrologers suggests that they may have hailed from the lands of Persia, lands located in modern day Iran and Afghanistan, a distance of some 800 to 1000 miles away from Jerusalem. Though we don’t know exactly how many Magi traveled to Jerusalem, we know that there were at least two because the Bible speaks about them in the plural. Though we don’t know exactly when they arrived in Jerusalem, we know from the Scriptures that they would have had to arrive by the time that Jesus had turned two. What a sight it must have been to see this caravan of Magi entering the city! Though a convoy like this may have simply been common place in a city situated on major trade routes, when they asked “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” I’m sure there were many people who sat up and took notice, and when they said that they had come to worship the one whose star they had seen in the east they confirmed the message that the shepherds had spread on the night that Jesus was born.

In this simple and beautiful way, the Lord used these Magi and the star they had followed to reveal his Son, the Savior of the world. In one simple episode, the Lord demonstrated to the Israelites that the Messiah whom he had sent into the world was destined to be the Savior of both Jew and Gentile alike. In bringing the Magi to Jerusalem the Lord once again revitalized among the Israelites the news about the birth of his Son—the Messiah for whom the people had been looking for many long years, and he stirred his people up so much that the only thing that seemed to be on everyone’s lips was the news about the Magi, the Gentiles who had come looking for the one who had been born as King of the Jews. In fact, the news was talked about so much that eventually King Herod heard of it, as Matthew tells us, “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” (Matthew 2:3-8)

Now, if you know anything about Herod the Great from History, you know that he was a very suspicious person by nature and was rather unstable when it came to things like people trying to usurp his throne. In fact, already by this time Herod had done away with his wife, three sons, and many other conspirators because they thought they might be after his throne. He was the one, who, in 40 BC had been named, “King of the Jews.” He was the one who spent the next three years fighting to claim his throne as “King of the Jews”. So, when he heard the news that a rival king had been born as “King of the Jews” you can imagine that Herod was about as agitated as a paint can on a shaker, or as a load of laundry in a washing machine. The last thing he needed was the people to catch hold of this message and rally themselves behind a Jewish baby that had been born, rebel against him and seek to over throw him. So he made his plan. He found out from the Sanhedrin that the Baby was to be born in Bethlehem. He secretly gathered the Magi to himself and learned when the star had appeared, ascertaining the approximate age of the child. He then instructed the Magi to find the child for him and report back so that when they had left, he could go out and do away with this rival king himself. Or if worse came to worse, and the Magi left him hanging, as they did, he could still get rid of this new King.

We know the results. We know who the Lord warned the Magi not to return to Herod. We know how the Lord sent an angel to Joseph to warn him to flee with his family to Egypt. We know how Herod slaughtered babies in Bethlehem, bringing about Rachel’s weeping in Ramah as Jeremiah had prophesied. (Jeremiah 3:15) We know how the Lord rescued his Son from the mouth of the great dragon, the devil, as John revealed in Revelation. (Revelation 12:4-5) We know how the Lord then called his Son out of Egypt and returned him to Nazareth. (Matthew 2:15)

It was this child that the Lord revealed as the Savior of the world that the Magi came to worship, as Matthew tells us: “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” (Matthew 2:9-12)

In this way the Lord set in motion the fulfillment of those very prophecies we heard and sang today! The prophecy from Psalm 72 telling us, “The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him…Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. (Psalm 72:12,11,15) And the prophesy from Isaiah 60: “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD. (Isaiah 60:4-6) He even set in motion the events that 30 years later would cause the lightning fast transmission of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike as was begun on the day of Pentecost! For the Jews from Parthia, Media, and Elam, Mesopotamia and the rest of the Roman world carried the message of salvation back with them, they laid the ground work for the Apostles to go out and proclaim the message of Christ, the Savior whom the Lord God had revealed for the salvation of all people, of which you and I are the end result.

Now, because of the Lord’s great love for Gentiles like us, we are sitting here today amazed by all that he did throughout history to prepare the world for the revelation of his Son, the Savior of the world. Yet, if you truly think about it, how much more hasn’t the Lord done to see to it that his message is continually spread across the world so that Jews and Gentiles, alike, might hear that message, see the Son of God revealed, and believe in him as the one and only Savior form sin? We are part of that technological revolution that is enabling us to transmit the Gospel farther and faster than we ever have. We are part of the Gentile nation whom the Lord our God loved so much that he prepared the world so that we might receive the message of the New Born King, and we are the ones whom he is continuing to use to spread that message to other Gentiles and even back to his People, Israel as well. That is how much the Lord your God loves you. That is how far reaching his arm truly is. He is the one who moved the heavens and the earth themselves so that we might catch just a glimpse of his great love revealed in his Son, the Savior of the world.

Amen.

Pastor David M Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN