Lessons in Shepherding, part 4

This month Christ Community is seeking to raise awareness and understanding of the offices that the New Testament prescribes for churches: elder and deacon. To that end, I’ll be posting sections in order from a wonderful survey of shepherding, the task of elders, on this blog in the coming days.

You can also read the entire article in one shot.

To nominate men for the office of elder and deacon, fill out a form on Sunday morning, or email name(s) and designate office(s) to info AT christcommunity church DOT com.

fourth excerpt from Lessons in Shepherding

We’re studying the leadership metaphor of “shepherding” in the Old Testament, in part because Paul counsels the Ephesian elders to “shepherd the church of God which he purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28, NAS used throughout). Peter likewise counsels elders to “shepherd the flock of God among you” (1 Pet. 5:2).

In the former excerpts on biblical shepherding, we studied the model shepherds of the Old Testament. God is the ultimate shepherd of his people, as we discovered in texts like Psalm 23 and Isaiah 40:11. Moses was the first paradigmatic human shepherd, through whom God shepherded his people. And David is said to be a shepherd as well.

In this section, we’re going to look at a few critiques of bad shepherds from Jeremiah 4-5 and Ezekiel.

JEREMIAH

The Setting—Chapter 2

Let’s start in Jeremiah by reading a few passages that describe the situation of Israel in Jeremiah’s day and which use the shepherd metaphor.

Thus says the LORD, “What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and walked after emptiness and became empty? They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of deep darkness, through a land that no one crossed and where no man dwelt?’ I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land, and My inheritance you made an abomination. The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers [roheem, shepherds] also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and walked after things that did not profit. Therefore I will yet contend with you,” declares the LORD, “And with your sons’ sons I will contend” (Jer 2:5-9).

Why did the nation of Israel wander away from God and forget his great works of redemption in the past? Because their priests, rulers, and prophets had been negligent. The word for “rulers” here is “shepherds” and refers to the kings. The shepherds were partly to blame for the apostasy of the people and for the defilement of the land by their transgression of the law. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 had stipulated that the king must write out for himself a copy of the law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests, and that he should read it all the days of his life. He was to do this in order to learn how to fear the Lord and obey his statutes, and “so that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel” (Deut. 17:19b-20). Through writing out God’s law, the king was supposed to learn humility, because the moment in which he became prideful, he would in the same moment disregard God’s authority over him and act as if his royal authority was inherent in himself rather than derived from God.

The application for us today is pretty clear: there’s a direct relationship between our humility and how much we tie ourselves to God’s Word in fulfilling our roles as elders. Our authority is wholly tied to what can be taught from God’s Word, and not one inch beyond it.

A Promise—Chapter 3

Unfortunately, this is exactly what was happening in the days of Jeremiah. The shepherd-kings were transgressing God’s law and overstepping the bounds of their own authority. In response, God promised to give his people new shepherds:

“Return, O faithless sons,” declares the LORD; “For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:14-15).

What’s true of these new shepherds?

• They are gifts from God.
• They share God’s heartfelt concern for his sheep.
• And this heartfelt concern works itself out in a carefulness to feed his sheep on the knowledge and understanding of God and his law rather than their own knowledge, or the knowledge of the pagan gods and practices of their Canaanite neighbors. Knowledge and understanding of God, his Word, and his ways are nourishing and sustaining for the sheep.

Stupid Shepherds—Chapter 10

Shepherds who do not rely on God’s Word, on the other hand, are just plain stupid.

For the shepherds have become stupid and have not sought the LORD; therefore they have not prospered, and all their flock is scattered (Jer 10:21).

In the verses of chapter 10 leading up to this condemnation, Jeremiah contrasts the impotence of idols and the stupidity of their worshippers with the living creator God. The wise men of the pagan nations are stupid and foolish (Jer. 10:8) and “every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols” (Jer. 10:14). Then in verse 21, he says the shepherds of Israel are just as stupid as the pagan “wise men” because they have ignored the Word of the living God and begun to worship idols. They’ve become just like what they’ve worshipped. Instead of beholding God and become godly, they’ve looked at the pagan idols of the culture around them and become stupid.

It’s worth pausing long enough to consider, what would such mimicking of culture look like today, especially among those who call themselves evangelical pastors?

Bad, Good, and Very Good—23:1-8

In the first verses of Jeremiah 23, God promises woe upon these unfaithful shepherds, and then promises to gather his flock himself with good shepherds and a Good Shepherd:

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds,” declares the LORD. “Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the LORD. “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is his name by which he will be called, ‘The LORD our righteousness.’ Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil” (Jer. 23:1-8).

What are these bad shepherds doing that makes them bad shepherds? They destroy the sheep (v. 1), scatter them (vv. 1, 2), let sheep go missing, expose them to danger, and generally neglect them (v.2—”have not attended to them”).

Why is neglecting and exposing sheep to danger so bad? Because sheep are dumb and careless. They need guidance.

How does God characterize this kind of neglect? It’s evil (v.2).

What is God going to do to address the situation? He’s going to bring the sheep back to their pasture and raise up better shepherds to tend them.

What will these better shepherds do for the sheep?

• They will nourish rather than destroy them, so that they can be fruitful and multiply.
• They will gather them together rather than scattering them.
• They will keep track and account for each one of them (“nor will any be missing”).
• God will keep them secure in the flock rather than exposing them to danger (v.4 “they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified”; v. 6 “will dwell securely”).

These are categories for us to associate with the work of shepherding the flock – nourishing them so that they can be spiritually fruitful and multiply themselves; gathering them together into a flock; keeping track of each one of them so that none go missing; keeping them within the security of the flock with no reason for fear from wolves who would promote false teaching.

Yet what is God’s ultimate solution for his people according to verse 5? God will raise up a righteous Branch from the house of David to reign as king, act wisely, and do righteousness. The righteous obedience and saving activity of this king is what will save the Lord’s people from their sins and make them dwell securely with him as they follow his voice back to their own pasture lands.

So God will raise up multiple human shepherds to lead and feed his people. But ultimately it will be this righteous Branch of David who reigns over both the sheep and over the under-shepherds in order to establish his people in righteousness, salvation, and security. This Branch of David, of course, is Jesus Christ, the ultimate Good Shepherd in John 10.

excerpted from Lessons in Shepherding