Ruling with Righteousness
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Rev. Randy Quinn

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD. The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
Jeremiah 23:1-6

One of the questions scholars have not come to agreement about is when Jeremiah wrote our text for today. Bear with me while I explain the implications of that uncertainty before inviting you to come to your own conclusions about when you think he may have written.

But before I start, I should probably tell you that the last phrase in the text, “The LORD is our righteousness,” in Hebrew sounds remarkably like the meaning behind the name of the last King to rule in Jerusalem, the end of the royal line that began with King David. His name was Zedekiah, a name very much like Jeremiah and Obadiah and Hezekiah, where the “iah” at the end is a reference to The Lord. The last sentence of our text for this morning says, “And this is the name by which [the king] will be called: Lord Tsedeq” (Jer. 23:6). “Lord Tsedeq” as a Hebrew name would be Tsedeqiah – or Zedekiah.

Now for the question that has stumped scholars: Did Jeremiah write before Zedekiah became king, maybe just as he ascended the throne? Or did he write while Zedekiah was ruling, before he was taken into exile? Or did he write after the dust had settled and Zedekiah’s reign was already being spoken about as a failure?

What exactly did Jeremiah mean when he said, “The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness’” (Jer. 23:5-6).

If Jeremiah was writing before Zedekiah became King, this was a prophecy of hope after years of difficulty. Numerous kings had ruled with their own interests in mind, enjoying all the pleasantries the land had to offer while ignoring the needs of the people. If Jeremiah is writing before Zedekiah ascends to the throne, it may be that he is hearing in the meaning of the king’s name a sense of hope and promise.

If, however, Jeremiah was writing while Zedekiah is on the throne, this was more likely a prophecy of warning to the King. You see, Zedekiah was no better than his predecessors had been. He, too, sought after his own comfort. He, too, had forgotten about the lonely and the destitute and the homeless and the widows. If Jeremiah is writing while Zedekiah is on the throne he is telling the king that he is a disgrace to his own name.

On the other hand, if Jeremiah was writing after Zedekiah’s fall, this was a prophecy assuring the people that God was aware of their situation and would find someone who would be a Shepherd-King like David. The fact that the last King in David’s line was Zedekiah might serve as a reminder that the people need to rely upon God, not the King, to institute righteousness, hence a name that means “The Lord is our righteousness.”

Now, I don’t know which way you think it is to be read. But if you’re having trouble deciding, you’re not alone. Not even Biblical scholars can agree which of those three scenarios accurately defines when Jeremiah wrote. Having spent time with Jeremiah’s book this past fall, I find myself leaning towards the second option, giving a warning to the standing King; I would point to the evidence that says Jeremiah was confronting a King who had failed to live up to his name.

You may have your own opinion. And while it may be worth pondering the implications of each, I’d like to suggest that if you are one of the sheep, or if you are a shepherd, it really doesn’t matter when Jeremiah wrote.

You see, no matter which of the three is actually when Jeremiah wrote, it’s clear that the status quo has not been up to par. In fact, God is disgusted with the leaders of Israel – not just the leader on the throne in Jerusalem. The shepherds have failed to care for the sheep. That much is clear, no matter when Jeremiah writes.

And in all three scenarios, God desires to be heard, God desires to be present, God desires that the needs of the sheep be met. No matter when Jeremiah writes, that also remains true.

So for us today, what seems to be the message is that God cares about us – or maybe more accurately – God cares about those in our midst who are helpless and suffering – since some of us may actually be a shepherd who needs to change. God wants things to be different. And God will find a way to alleviate the helpless situations of our lives through a new King, a new Shepherd, a Good Shepherd. And that Good Shepherd will find under-shepherds who will care for us and about us.

And of course we all know who that Shepherd-King is, the Good Shepherd, the one who is born as a descendant of David, the foremost example of a Shepherd-King. That person is Jesus.

But Jeremiah’s message is also an important reminder to anyone who lives in a time when there is abuse of power by those in leadership. It is a pointed reminder to anyone in leadership, no matter what the circumstances may be. And it is a word of assurance to those who have suffered under failed policies and poor decisions made by leaders.

That is true in national politics and city government as well as pastoral leadership. It doesn’t matter whether you are a leader or someone who is led; our text from Jeremiah has a message for us today. The more pointed message, however, is to those of us who lead. Whether you lead a classroom of children or are the supervisor of a work crew, Jeremiah has a message for you. Whether you make decisions that affect a handful of people on your company payroll or lead a Sunday School class, you are a leader and Jeremiah has a message for you.

And it is a message for me, too.

Jeremiah reminds those of us who are leaders that our task is to lead. Our task is not to be overly concerned with our personal benefits, but to provide for and protect those who have been put under our care. The best King, Jeremiah suggests, is one who treats his subjects the way a shepherd treats his sheep. So it is with leaders.

Shepherds feed their sheep. They find safe places for them to rest. They watch for disease and illness as well as wolves and poachers. Shepherds know what their sheep need and make sure those needs are met.

Unfortunately, there are leaders whose primary goal is to pad their bank accounts. They do not watch out for or care for the people under their care. In researching the 400 largest corporations in America, the Wall Street Journal this week noted that the average compensation for the CEO’s of those companies this year exceeds $7 million, with the highest being paid $1 million each week!1 Meanwhile there are about 1 in 10 Americans out of work.

Something is wrong with that picture. The shepherds are no longer taking care of the sheep, if you ask me.

Similar statistics can be found to speak about those we have elected to office. That is part of the reason there was such a large turnover in the elections earlier this month. It may have been the largest turnabout in the history of our country. The sense is that the shepherds have forgotten the sheep. But Jeremiah’s warning applies to both political parties.

Sadly, similar things can be found in churches. No leader is immune from the temptations of using power for personal gain.

Jeremiah’s message is a warning to King Zedekiah and anyone who finds themselves in a leadership position. When we lead, our focus must be on those we are leading, not on ourselves.

And to the people who are being led, Jeremiah’s message is one of hope – hoping not in what our leaders can do, but in what God can do through our leaders. God is disappointed when things do not go well; God is discouraged by poor leadership; but God is not abandoning the sheep. One way or another, God will find a way to meet our needs. God will call prophets to speak to the leaders and God will find shepherds who will seek to do right and to provide justice.

And therein we find the good news for today.

Thanks be to God. Amen.