Read Jeremiah 23:1-8
A farmer in outback Queensland stood on the porch and surveyed his flocks. As far as the eye could see his sheep and cattle spread over the land. Such a large property with so much stock requires additional help. The owner hired an overseer to care for the stock, to feed them, to run them to good pasture and to make sure they had adequate water, good treatment and so on. Given that he was to be away from the farm for some time, the farmer thought this a prudent and wise decision.
When the farmer returned to his farm he found both sheep and cattle bone thin from starvation. The sheep had not been shorn and were fly blown. They were sick and diseased. The cattle had not been dipped and were infested with lice and with ticks. Even worse, several had wandered off because the boundaries were not maintained and were lost.
Jeremiah 23:1-2 is an apt description of that stock overseer.
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.
Is not verse 24 an understandable reaction by the farmer?
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.
Just like the farmer, God is our loving Shepherd. King David had it right in Psalm 23. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He jealously guards His flock and makes sure they are provided for. Overseers that refuse to care for the flock are quickly removed and new ones are added.
Even more so, God will raise up the Great Shepherd who will tend the flock of God. He will do what is right and just. He will reign wisely. He’ll search for the missing lambs and bring them tenderly home in His safe and loving arms. He’ll bring goodness and blessing to the herds and flocks and will install righteousness among them. He’ll raise up other herdsmen, caring leaders of the people who serve not for gain or reward but out of love for the Lord. Back in Jeremiah 5, the prophet was told to search throughout the city to find one righteous person. After searching among the common folk and the leadership he could not find even one righteous person. Jesus is the one righteous Branch that God sends into the world to reign wisely, to do what is just and right and to bring salvation to Judah, Israel and to the ends of the earth. He is the One who will bring righteousness to those who could not be righteous in and of themselves.
Of course the parable is talking about Jesus and the work He does in bringing salvation to His people. The church is the new paddock where God’s sheep graze and heaven is the green pasture to which we are being led. In God’s church Jesus has appointed elders and teachers and others with various gifts so that the flock can be edified and built up.
Prayer:
Using today’s passage and the reading notes spend time in prayer.
Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
· Ask the Lord to bring a growing sense of righteousness and holiness to everyone in your congregation. Pray that God would grow each person in your congregation in holiness.
· Pray that your city would see growing unity and oneness among the churches and that they would all be working together in the gospel to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
1. Having read today’s reading notes, someone quips to you that the farmer is unfair in getting rid of the overseer. How do you respond?
2. In what way is Jesus the righteous Branch that God sends?
3. Why do you think the metaphor changes from shepherd to Branch in v 5?
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One on One
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During the less than 13 years of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December, 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. Dr. King is widely regarded as America’s pre-eminent advocate of nonviolence and one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in world history. Drawing inspiration from both his Christian faith and the peaceful teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950’s and ‘60s to achieve legal equality for African-Americans in the United States. While others were advocating for freedom by “any means necessary,” including violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of words and acts of nonviolent resistance, such as protests, grassroots organizing, and civil disobedience to achieve seemingly-impossible goals. He went on to lead similar campaigns against poverty and international conflict, always maintaining fidelity to his principles that men and women everywhere, regardless of colour or creed, are equal members of the human family.
See more at: http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr-king#sthash.1KLOT6PJ.dpuf
As you scan the pages of the Old and New Testament you’ll quickly see that God is keenly aware of and concerned for those who face injustice. Throughout the pages of God’s Word we see that God cares for the poor, the needy, the alien, the widows and the orphans among others.
In particular, God has called His people to care for these people that cannot care for themselves. God’s people are to look after and provide for orphans and widows (James 1:27), the poor (Galatians 2:10) and so on.
Unfortunately in the past we have seen a distortion of this truth. At one extreme some churches preach the Gospel faithfully and argue that this is all they are called to do. At the other extreme some churches help the poor and needy but fail to preach the Gospel. In between there is an infinite number of churches mixing the two in varying proportions.
According to the Bible, the Word we proclaim and the works we do (ie helping the needy) are to be a complementary part of the one gospel. We should not separate the two and focus only on one or the other.
Personally each one of us should do what ever we can to assist and support those who face injustice. What you can do is only limited by your imagination and by how much you can be bothered going out of your way to help someone less fortunate than yourself.
Personal Questions
1. How’s your prayer life?
2. Describe your current thought life?
3. How’s your relationship with your spouse or your parents?
4. Discuss how and if you’ve struggled with sin/temptation this week.
5. How are you worshipping God through work, family and social networks?
Spend time praising God for His justice and mercy.
Pray for those organisations who advocate for justice and fairness, especially the Christian organisations.
Pray for wisdom to understand God’s desire for justice in your world.
Reflection:
1. Should Christians be concerned with injustice in their world?
2. What issues of injustice concern you?
3. In the past, what have you done about these injustices?
4. Take some time to brainstorm ways that you can help fight one particular injustice that upsets you greatly.
5. Why do you think so few churches take up matters of injustice?
6. What can your church do to help fight the injustice you thought about in question 5?
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