Jeremiah 23:1-8 – God Sends a Righteous Branch

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

Jeremiah 23 reveals the prophecy of the Righteous Branch, a promise first made to the Jews, but has now been made to the world.

Introduction

Times might be hard, but you have reason to hope because God has made a promise to you and He is faithful to keep His promise.  

In our lesson this week, we will see God speaking through Jeremiah, at a time when Judah was being led astray.  During the time of Jeremiah, Judah, the southern kingdom, lived treacherously, betraying God.  Their treachery would end up with God permitting Judah to be conquered by the Babylonians, and the Jews living in exile in Babylon.  Though those days in exile would be rough, God made a promise to the Jews that actually speaks to modern-day believers. This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover scripture from Jeremiah 23:1-8. 

What we will focus on learning in this week’s Sunday School commentary:

1. Who the Righteous Branch is.
2. Why spiritual leaders must move with great responsibility.
3. The kingdom the Righteous Branch will establish.
4. How the promise that God made to the Jews is also made to the world.

God’s Condemnation of False Shepherds

Our lesson this week opens with God condemning the false shepherds (teachers) of Jeremiah’s day.  We’ll see in Jeremiah 23:1 that God was angry with the false shepherds because they destroyed and scattered His sheep.  This is to say that the false shepherds led the Jews astray.

In Jeremiah 14:14, God spoke about what the false shepherds were doing that led the Jews astray.  The false shepherds, or false prophets, lied in His name by proclaiming ot have been sent by the Lord.  They would then share a message, proclaiming that God had given them a vision, when they would be making up their own visions.  The false shepherds lied in God’s name as a means to get the people to heed their voice.

Now, that makes the people sound innocent, but Old Testament scripture shows us that many of the people actually desired to hear from such shepherds.  Micah 2:6 shows us that the people would tell God’s prophets not to talk down to them about their sins.  The people believed themselves to be perfect and loved to listen to false shepherds who didn’t condemn their sins but approved their sins.

When I think of one shepherding the flock of Christ, I consider what Jesus told Peter when He was restoring Peter.  Repeatedly in John 21:15-16, Jesus told Peter to feed and tend to His sheep.  

To the apostles, Jesus spoke of how a good shepherd leads his flock, watches over them, tends to them, and protects them against danger.  But a hireling will run in the face of danger, leaving the sheep to fend for themselves (John 10:7-13).  When Jesus spoke those words, it is clear that He had displeasure towards one who does not feed and tend to His flock.

That displeasure is certainly shown in Jeremiah 23:2.  God said to the shepherds who had scattered His flock, “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.”

The shepherd that leads God’s flock astray will be judged harshly.  In Matthew 23, we get a sense of God’s strict judgment of those who fill the role of being shepherds of His flock.  Of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day who misled the people, Jesus pronounced several woes against them, saying that there would be no escape from the condemnation of hell (Matt. 23:13-14, 31-33).

What do you suppose that means for all of us who serve as shepherds over the flock God has assigned us to?  We certainly do our best not to lead our flock astray, right?  All of us spiritual leaders must do our very best to live in obedience and help guide those whom we lead to also live in obedience.

The Blessing of Good Spiritual Leadership

Jeremiah 23:3-4 begins God’s promises to those who were scattered because of the efforts of the wicked and false shepherds.  God promised to gather the remnant of His flock from all countries and bring them back to their folds.  This is a prophecy that has somewhat been fulfilled.  

The books of Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah show us that the Jews did return to Judea and Jerusalem after the seventy years of exile in Babylon.  The return to Jerusalem happened in three parts, beginning with the return under Zerubbabel, then the returns under Ezra and Nehemiah.

God had also promised that those who had been scattered would one day be fruitful and increase.  This promise was, again, somewhat fulfilled after the Jews returned to Jerusalem.  After returning to Jerusalem, the Jews rebuilt the temple, homes, and the walls of Jerusalem.

God also promised to set up pastors (or shepherds) who would feed His flock.  To be clear, the feeding of the flock speaks to being spiritually fed, rather than physical food.  This promise, like the others, was also somewhat fulfilled after the Jews returned to Jerusalem.  After they returned to Jerusalem, Ezra helped to restore God’s law to the people by teaching them to observe God’s law and to keep His feast. 

The last of Jeremiah 23:4 is where things get interesting about what God had been promising, and why you keep seeing me describe the promises as being ‘somewhat’ fulfilled.  Let’s note that God promised that the scattered flock would one day fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor be lacking.  

Now, I like to think that I am a pretty good spiritual leader, as I do my very best to teach and preach sound doctrine.  However, as good a spiritual leader I believe I am, I don’t believe I am good enough to make it so that those of my flock are never dismayed.  You see, inevitably, there are times when I grow dismayed myself.

Let’s be honest!  Life weighs on us so much with trials and tribulations that we inevitably become dismayed (upset or worried).  There are inevitably going to be times when you fear and worry.  Now, of course, we do our very best to remain faithful but we can chalk those things up to our human nature to worry and be concerned about things beyond our control.

The Righteous King to Come

So, to be clear, when God makes promises, the Lord doesn’t make them so that they are somewhat fulfilled.  When God makes promises, He is faithful to His promises and will make sure they are completely fulfilled.

Therefore, when we read Jeremiah 23:3-4, we should understand that when God says, “I will gather the remnant”, He literally speaks of what He is going to do Himself.

Jeremiah 23:5-6 makes it clear that God is looking ahead to the day of eternity when all promises will be completely fulfilled.  This promise is of the righteous leader who would, and did, come through the lineage of David.  Isaiah prophesied that a Rod would come forth from the stem of Jesse, who was the father of David.  Isaiah prophesied that a Branch shall grow out of his roots, which speaks of coming through their lineage (Is. 11:1).

Jesus, the Messiah, came through the roots of David, as His mother, Mary, was of the genealogical tree of David (Luke 3:23-38).  Jesus could rightfully lay claim to the throne through Joseph, his earthly father, even though Joseph had nothing to do with the conception of Christ, because Joseph was also of the tree of David (Matt. 1:1-17).

Jesus is the only one who can remove fears, worries, and anxieties.  Jesus is the only one who can assure that we lack nothing because He is able to satisfy the soul, not simply the flesh as the world does.  

More of a sign that this scripture points to Christ is God’s promise that the days are coming when the Righteous King will reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth (Jer. 23:5).  

This statement is certainly pointing to the day when Christ sits on His throne in Zion.  There is nobody on earth who can judge with such judgment because man’s judgment is flawed with prejudice and bias.  As scripture repeatedly makes clear to us, God is a righteous judge whose judgment shows no bias and cannot be bought.

As I taught in last week’s lesson – God Gathers All Nations – such days and judgment will come at the Second Coming of Christ, and not a time sooner.  This scripture is looking ahead to the days after the Rapture of the church, and the period of Great Tribulation.  At the Second Coming of Christ, Christ will stand on Mount Zion and establish what we call the Millennial Kingdom (Zech 8:3; Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 14:1).

Therefore, the scattered remnant that God speaks of in Jeremiah 23 was not referring to those who lived during the days of Jeremiah.  The “remnant” of Israel is referenced throughout Scripture and speaks of a faithful few who are preserved until the day of Christ’s coming.  

In that day, the Lord said that Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely.  The remnant will dwell under the righteous king whom they once rejected when He was first in the world as a Lamb who would be led to the slaughter.  In that day, the Lord said the Righteous King will be called by the name, “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS”.

Hope of a Righteous Leader

Again, I repeat to you, no man can fit the bill of all that God was promising here to a people that could be likened to a remnant if you think about it.  By the time of the Babylonian exile, Judah, the southern kingdom, was made up of three tribes of the twelve tribes – Judah, Benjamin, and Levi.

The exile in Babylon was not pleasant.  As shown to us in the books of Daniel and Esther, the Jews lived under constant persecution in those days.  Nebuchadnezzar tried to force all manner of changes that weren’t lawful upon the Jews.  During the time of Esther, an Agagite (of the Amalekites), named Haman desired to wipe out all of the Jews.

God’s promise of the coming Messiah was a promise of hope.  At His first coming, most of the Jews misunderstood Christ, as they believed the first coming was for establishing the kingdom.  However, as Jesus taught, the first coming was about saving that which was lost to sin.

Jesus’ first coming brought hope to the world, to all people because the Jews had rejected Him because He wasn’t the Messiah they sought.  The Jews desired a Messiah who would be a warrior king, like David, rather than a righteous king who would bring about peace, while executing judgment and righteousness, 

Jesus said to the Jews, “The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it (Matt. 21:43).”  The Jews have an earthly promise, whereas those who believe in Christ has been promised the New Jerusalem, which John saw coming forth in Revelation 21-22.

In those days, the Lord promised that this would be so good that the remnant will no longer say, “‘As the Lord lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt (Jer. 23:7).”  In that future day, under the Righteous King, God promised that the people will say, “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.”