Warning, 1of3

~ Warning to Political Leaders ~

There are at least three great warning chapters in Scripture.  Interesting enough they all are double digit chapters ending in three (making it easy to memorize them (Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 33, and Matthew 23).  We will briefly summarize each chapter in this series.

Jeremiah 23 Summary  ~  The word translated “pastors” or “shepherds” in many Bible versions refers primarily to kings and the ruling politicians.  The chapter is a strong and bitter indictment of the leaders.  In fact, some of these leaders were basically saying: “Don’t believe Jeremiah because he is a liar.  We are voices for God and He told us Jerusalem is safe.”

Jeremiah 23 Scripture Portion  ~  “‘Woe to the leaders who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!’ says the Lord.  Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the leaders 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” (verses 1-4).

Jeremiah 23 and The Messiah  ~  There is a foreseeing of the coming Messiah.  God will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart.  “‘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’” (verses 5-8). 

closing note:  The warnings of Jeremiah 23 are well worth personal study by each of my readers. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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