Wed. or Thurs. - Jeremiah 23 - The Weight of Responsibility

  

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EADERSHIP is an awesome responsibility. Here in Jeremiah 23 we find some rather pointed condemnations of the leaders of the Jews during the days of Jeremiah. This reminds me of Ezekiel 34. The pastors, the shepherds, the prophets, the kings, the priests; all who had rights and responsibilities as God's ministers of justice were in grave trouble because of their slackness in executing their office. The leaders of Jerusalem had served themselves at the expense of the people, rather than sacrificing themselves in service to their people. This bothered God a great deal.

One of the key truths to be reminded of here (in this passage) is that God intended to solve all problems through the sending of the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:5-6).  The contrast between failed human leadership and the perfect leadership of the Son of God is gaping. The more human leaders proclaim the soon arrival of real peace, the further we get from it (Jeremiah 23:17 & I Thessalonians 5:3). On the other hand, Jesus claimed that peace was already in existence. He brought peace with Him and offers it to us now (John 14:27). Human leaders always seem to claim to have the answers, but Jesus is the answer. Human leaders frequently claim that they are their own source of authority, but Jesus pointed to the decrees of His Father. Human leaders tend to lead people away from God (Psalm 2:1-3), but Jesus leads us to Him. The words of human agents are meandering and seasonal. The words of God are very different than that (Jeremiah 23:29).