Jeremiah 23:1

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD. This forms the epilogue to the denunciations of the four kings in Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 22:1. WOE BE UNTO THE PASTORS THAT DESTROY AND SCATTER THE SHEEP - Shallum, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah ()....

Here the Prophet promises the restoration of the Church; but he reminds hypocrites that there was no reason for them on that account to flatter themselves, especially the king, his councillors, and the priests. Then this prophecy is a mixture of promises and threatenings, for God promises that he would be propitious to the miserable Jews, after having chastised them, so that the seed of Abraham might not be entirely cut off: he yet deprives hypocrites of vain confidence, so that they might not falsely apply to themselves the hope of salvation, from which they had excluded themselves by their impiety. And this is what ought to be noticed, for as soon as God’s mercy is offered, hypocrites apply to themselves whatever God promises, and become more and more insolent, as though they held him bound to them; for impunity leads them to take more liberty to sin. Hence it is that they boast that t...

1-8 Woe be to those who are set to feed God's people, but take no concern to do them good! Here is a word of comfort to the neglected sheep. Though only a remnant of God's flock is left, he will find them out, and they shall be brought to their former habitations. Christ is spoken of as a branch from David's family. He is righteous himself, and through him all his people are made righteous. Christ shall break the usurped power of Satan. All the spiritual seed of believing Abraham and praying Jacob shall be protected, and shall be saved from the guilt and dominion of sin. In the days of Christ's government in the soul, the soul dwells at ease. He is here spoken of as "the Lord our Righteousness." He is so our Righteousness as no creature could be. His obedience unto death is the justifying righteousness of believers, and their title to heavenly happiness. And their sanctification, as the...

CHAPTER XXIII _Sequel of the discourse which commenced in the preceding_ _chapter. The prophet denounces vengeance against the pastors of_ _Israel who have scattered and destroyed the flock of the Lord_, 1, 2. _He concludes with gracious promises of deliverance from the_ _Babylonish captivity, and of better times under the Messiah,_ _when the converts to Christianity, who are the true Israel of_ _God, shadowed forth by the old dispensation, shall be_ _delivered, by the glorious light of the Gospel, from worse than_ Chaldean bonda

THE PASTORS - shepherds, i. e., civil rulers Jeremiah 2:8. THE SHEEP OF MY PASTURE - literally, of My pasturing, the sheep of whom I am shepherd. The people do not belong to the rulers but to God....

EXPOSITION The first eight verses form the necessary conclusion of the group of discourses summarized in Jeremiah 21:1; Jeremiah 22:1. Like Isaiah, our prophet follows up denunciation with consolation, and will have the mind rest on the sure promises of God for the Messianic future. A part of the people has been already scattered abroad. In Jeremiah 24:8, "those who dwell in the land of Egypt" are a section no less important than "those who remain in this land;" and the Babylonian Captivity is an event only too certain to take place (comp. Jeremiah 24:8). Unhappy Judah! for though not free from responsibility, it

WOE BE UNTO THE PASTORS,.... Or, "O ye shepherds" or "governors", as the Targum; the civil rulers and magistrates, kings and princes of the land of Israel; since ecclesiastical rulers, the priests and prophets, are mentioned as distinct from them in Jeremiah 23:9; whose business it was to rule and guide, protect and defend, the people: but, instead of that, they were such THAT DESTROY AND SCATTER THE SHEEP OF MY PASTURE, SAITH THE LORD GOD; set them bad examples, led them into idolatry and other sins, which were the cause of their ruin, and of their being carried captive, and scattered in other countries; and their sin was the more aggravated, inasmuch as these people were the Lord's pasture sheep, whom he had an interest in, and a regard unto, and had committed them to the care and charge of these pastors or governors, to be particularly taken care of....

Jeremiah 23:1. _Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the LORD._ What a dreadful woe this is upon all false shepherds, those who profess to be sent of God to instruct the people, but who are not sent of God at all, whose labours only result in the scattering of the sheep, and destroying them, instead of gathering them to Christ for their salvation! Jeremiah 23:2. Therefore thus saith the LORD God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit upon you, the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds, and they sha

RESTORATION This final restoration is shown to be accomplished after a period of unexampled tribulation (Jeremiah 30:3) and in connection with the manifestation of David's righteous Branch (Jeremiah 23:5) who is also Jehovah-tsidkenu (Jeremiah 23:6). The restoration here foretold is not to be confounded with the return of a feeble remnant of Judah under Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel at the end of the 70 years (Jeremiah 29:10). At His first advent Christ, David's righteous Branch (Luke 1:31) did not "execute justice and judgment i

CHAPTER 23:1-8 _ 1. The false shepherds (Jeremiah 23:1) _ 2. The True Shepherd (Jeremiah 23:5) Jeremiah 23:1. The word “pastors” means “shepherds.” Ezekiel received a larger message about these false shepherds, the hirelings who did not feed the flock. (See annotations of Ezekiel 34:1 The scattered remnant of the Lord's flock (not the Church, but the remnant of Israel) will yet be gathered out of all countries, be fruitful and increase, no longer fearful, dismayed or in want. It is a prophecy concerning the time when the Shepherd of Israel, their King as well, is manifested....