Jeremiah 23:1-8
Summary for Jer 23:1-8: 23:1-8 a The Lord rebuked the three kings (ch 22 b) and contrasted them with the righteous leader he would place over his people after the Exile. 23:1 c Kings in the ancient Near East were often referred to as shepherds. Good shepherds would protect and care for their people, but Judah’s kings scattered their people instead.23:3 d As a good shepherd, the Lord would gather the exiles and place them in their own sheepfold, the land of Judah. There, they would be fruitful and increase in number (cp. Gen 1:28 e; 17:6-8 f).
23:4 g Once the people were back in Judah (23:3 h), the Lord would appoint responsible shepherds. As good leaders, they would care for the people.
23:5 i A righteous descendant of King David’s line, whose ruling power had temporarily come to an end, would be a King. In stark contrast to the three kings the Lord had just rebuked (ch 22 j), this King would have wisdom and act in a way that is just and right (33:15 k; Isa 11:1-5 l; 53:2 m; Zech 3:8 n; Luke 1:32-33 o).
23:6 p This ruler would have the name The Lord Is Our Righteousness (Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu), an interesting reversal of Zedekiah’s Hebrew name (Tsidqiyyahu), which means “Righteous is the Lord.” Zedekiah’s character and the chaos of his reign were the opposite of the future King’s character and the salvation and safety that his reign would offer.
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