The Descendant

The Descendant

(Jeremiah 23:1-8)

Yearly Theme:  “Kindness is… Amended”

Series Title:  “Kindness through Discipline”

June 11^th, 2023

Something to think about:

It's hard to have faith in something (or someone) you cannot see, but faith is what is needed in order to conquer some of the most towering doubts that we face. 

As we continue our series today through the book of Jeremiah, entitled “Kindness through Discipline,” we come to a passage of hope.  After having warned the leaders and the people of Judah about impending judgment from GOD through the Babylonian Empire’s invasion of the land, GOD gives Jeremiah a word of hope to the people for future generations; a descendant of David who will come and rule with wisdom and do what is right throughout the land.  This ruler will be called, “The Lord is our Righteousness,” and in that day Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.  Let’s take a closer look today:

Jeremiah 23:1-8 (NLT),

“What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.

² Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds:  “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction.  Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.  ³ But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them.  I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.  ⁴ Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again.  Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!

⁵ “For the time is coming,”

says the Lord,

“when I will raise up a righteous descendant

from King David’s line.

He will be a King who rules with wisdom.

He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

⁶ And this will be his name:

‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’

In that day Judah will be saved,

and Israel will live in safety.

⁷ “In that day,” says the Lord, “when people are taking an oath, they will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who rescued the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.’  ⁸ Instead, they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the people of Israel back to their own land from the land of the north and from all the countries to which he had exiled them.’  Then they will live in their own land.”^[1]

Here’s the takeaway:

Key Point:  “Even though people may fail us, GOD will always come through for those who remain faithful to Him.”

There are three main characters that we need to take a closer look at today in order to understand the goodness of GOD:

•  Shepherds.

Jeremiah 23:1-2 (NLT), “What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for,” says the Lord.

² Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to these shepherds:  “Instead of caring for my flock and leading them to safety, you have deserted them and driven them to destruction.  Now I will pour out judgment on you for the evil you have done to them.

•  Shepherds.

Jeremiah 23:3-4 (NLT), ³ But I will gather together the remnant of my flock from the countries where I have driven them.  I will bring them back to their own sheepfold, and they will be fruitful and increase in number.  ⁴ Then I will appoint responsible shepherds who will care for them, and they will never be afraid again.  Not a single one will be lost or missing. I, the Lord have spoken!

• The  .

Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NLT) ⁵ “For the time is coming,”

says the Lord,

“when I will raise up a righteous descendant

from King David’s line.

He will be a King who rules with wisdom.

He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

⁶ And this will be his name:

‘The Lord Is Our Righteousness.’

In that day Judah will be saved,

and Israel will live in safety.

Something to take home:

Even though GOD may discipline His people through judgment, He still comes through for those who remain faithful to Him.  These people throughout the Old Testament are called “The Remnant,” people who continue to remain loyal to GOD even when the rest of the world/culture rejects Him.

In your walk of faith, have you become too familiar with a certain concept of GOD that you’ve lost interest in Him altogether?  Have you become so used to going through the motions of religious activity, that you’ve grown bored with what you consider to be “Christianity”?  Have the government and spiritual leaders in your life left you frustrated and weary to the point where you’ve said cynically, “If you can’t beat them, then join them?”  Are you judging GOD’s responsible shepherds through the lens of irresponsible, destructive shepherds?

Let us remember the words of Paul to the Church at Galatia:

Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT), ⁷  Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God.  You will always harvest what you plant.  ⁸  Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.  But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.  ⁹  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.  ¹⁰  Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

^[1] Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2015), Je 23:1–8.