Reassigned
Jeremiah 23:1-8
If you fail to take care of those you are responsible for, what should happen to you?
Photo by Sue Tucker on Unsplash
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." Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, "As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt," but "As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them." Then they shall live in their own land. - Jeremiah 23:1-8
According to Jeremiah, God takes the responsibility away from you and raises up new leaders to take over.
In other words, "You're fired."
But the question remains: What shepherd would destroy his sheep and scatter those that are left?
In this reading from Jeremiah, God is warning the leaders of his people, the governors and faith leaders, that they will be replaced by a Messiah.
Of course, they ignored God. We humans have a tendency to do that, feeling we know better.
What's worse is if we believe we are doing God's work and we find out that we are not.
This is where we often find ourselves. I thought I was doing the right thing, but found out I wasn't aligned with God's plan.
Oops.
Back in Jeremiah's day, God was still finding a way to talk to us, in this case, through the prophet. But today? Does God talk to us this way?
I believe God changed His strategy in dealing with us. He realized we never listen to Him, so instead of speaking through a prophet,He gives each of us our own mission or calling.
He does this through His Spirit, which is much more personal and close to us.
The good thing about that is we cannot be fired from that mission. We can be reviewed and redirected when we make a mistake, but God never abandons us.
That makes things easier for God, who doesn't have to punish a whole people for the failure of one or two.
So, what is God calling you to do?
There is a way to find out, and it is mentioned in Psalm 46, verse 10. Be still and know that I am God.
That is where we start, in the stillness, listening and waiting.
Btut the Holy Spirit can only work with us if we are moving, so after hearing what God has called us to do, we have to get up and do it. Even if we don't know how, we can start.
The Holy Spirit will guide us.
Imagine. If all the leaders before Jesus had listened for God's voice, Jesus might not have had to visit us.
More to come...