Jeremiah (1-31) 23:1 Commentary and Bible Study

We remind ourselves again of the significance of the message of Jeremiah, he was the last prophet before the great catastrophe, the captivity, leading eventually to the destruction of Jerusalem. He was an eleventh-hour prophet, and therefore his words embody all the passion, the fervour, and the concern which our words should embody as we believe that we are living also in the last days, in the last period of earth history. Now there is a word for the pastors or shepherds of God’s flock. The word ‘pastor’ is obviously not used to describe an office in its New Testament sense. The commentators take this to be a reference to the governors and rulers of the nation, including its kings who had so failed them, and they see a contrast with the religious leaders mentioned in verse 9. The Lord says that he will make good this failure by setting over his flock shepherds of his own choosing, who will truly pastor the flock (verse 4). These will feed the flock so that it thrives, and the language implies spiritual blessings, and assume a transition to New Testament times, when a vastly superior type of shepherd will be established.The shepherds of Israel and Judah should have nurtured and protected the flock as those accountable to God for its welfare. They should have seen that God’s flock is precious to him, and that to hurt it was to invite his wrath. Instead they scattered the flock, something that only happens when a flock is attacked and driven in all directions, for the natural instinct of sheep is to gather together, and they will only scatter when chased. This suggests violence towards the people, and perhaps bringing them under judgment by not correcting their idolatry and therefore making them subject to the punishment of God in sending enemies against them. God cares greatly for his people, and he holds those set over them as ultimately responsible for their wellbeing. He will not take this evil lightly when he sets under-shepherds in charge of them, and these only pursue their own interests. The leaders had failed to warn and to set God’s standard before the people, and instead they told the people what they wanted to hear. God says, ‘Ultimately, you the teachers and pastors are responsible for my judgment, the invasion of the Chaldeans, and the people having been driven into captivity.’ It all started with the pastors. ‘Behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.’