Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Aug 19 2019 - Jeremiah 23 – False shepherds

In psalm 23, David the shepherd boy thinks of the way the Lord has been his shepherd. The Lord has cared for him, protected him and directed his paths. God's love and faithfulness has surrounded him all the days of his life. The Lord chose David, a man after his own heart, to be king over his people. God's plan was that the king, along with other leaders of his people, should be caring shepherds, reflecting God's own love and care for his people.

But Jeremiah is sent to declare that the leaders of God's people have abandoned God's calling:

"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture! … Because you have scattered my flock … and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the Lord. (vv.1-2)

The prophets and priests in the land have turned away from the Lord so that even the temple has become a place of idolatry (v. 11). The prophets are not listening to the voice of the Lord but are making up words of their own or are copying one from another. They are preaching a message of peace, assuring the people that all will be well, when God is speaking words of warning and of judgment (vv.16-17). Prophets from Samaria are even prophesying in the name of Baal (v.13). Others are telling people of the dreams they have had, visions of purely human origin (vv.25-27). God declares that he will bring disaster upon them and on the people that have delighted in their soothing message. He calls the people not to listen to the voice of these false prophets with their continual message of peace.

But once again there is hope beyond judgment. "The days are coming" (vv.5,7) when God will come to rescue and restore his people. He will bring them back from the land of their captivity and will raise up a new king to rule over them. He will be from David's descendants yet will be a greater and better king than David, the best of their kings. He will reign wisely and justly and will be called "The Lord our righteousness [or righteous Saviour]" (vv. 5-6). The name "Lord" in verse 7 is the name of the living God; the one who comes to save and reign over God's people will be Yahweh himself. He will be the righteousness of his people.

This is what God declares through Jeremiah:

I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing. (vv.3-4)

And this new act of God's saving power will be more dramatic even than when he rescued Israel from Egypt all those years ago. That event was remembered and celebrated by God's people, especially at Passover time. But when God himself comes to save his people it will be this new act of redemption which will be continually celebrated by them (vv.7-8).

We know that Jesus is the one who came to fulfil this ancient prophecy. He is Emmanuel, God come among us to save us. He is the one who has rescued us from slavery to sin and to death through his own victory at the cross. He is the Messiah, God's anointed king, who reigns over us in wisdom and gracious power. He is the Good Shepherd. He is our righteousness and our peace. And he is the model for leaders among his people (v.4). They also are to be shepherds of God's people, caring for the flock of God, the church of God which he bought with his own blood.

Father God, we thank you for the Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. We pray for all those who are called to be leaders among your people that you would fill them with your Spirit and make them like your Son. So may we be led in paths of righteousness and be used of you to continue your work of gathering a people for yourself from every nation under heaven.

Aug 19 2020 - 2 Peter 3:1-18 – The day of the Lord

During the 400 years between the Testaments, godly Jews must have wondered when the promised Messiah would come; others would have mocked their hope with the scoffing accusation, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?" But, when the time had fully come, God sent the Saviour into the world to the accompaniment of angels and the joy of those like Simeon and Anna who longed for his appearing.

The Saviour who came to earth in Bethlehem has long returned to heaven. But he has promised that the day will come when he will return in power and in glory and that every knee shall bow to him. Before one hundred years had passed there were scoffers who said, "Where is this 'coming' he promised?" (2 Peter 3:4). How much more does the promise of Jesus' return seem simply ridiculous to many today.

Nor is that mockery reduced by misguided attempts by Christians to predict the time when Jesus will come again. I have a fourth edition of John Wesley's Notes on the New Testament, printed in Bristol in 1768 – when John Wesley was 65 years old. At the very end of the book, appended to his notes on the book of Revelation, is an outline of world history. It concludes with the beast ascending from the bottomless pit in 1832 and the destruction of the beast and imprisonment of Satan in 1836, ushering in the Millennium.

Today it is all too clear that John Wesley was unwise to place such dates against future events. Indeed, someone reading this final page of his Notes might conclude that the whole book is unreliable – if he got this wrong, why trust him on anything else?

Jesus told us that no-one knows the timing of his return and Peter here reminds us that God’s time-scales are different from ours. Notwithstanding all the bad press, we can be sure that the day will come when Jesus will return, to the delight of those who have longed for his appearing and the dismay of those who have mocked the promise of his coming. Peter encourages us to go on trusting in the promises of God and to look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And there’s a reason for the 'delay' in his return. Peter tells us that, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (3:9). This is not an age of inactivity; not a time during which God is leaving the world to its own devices. Now is the age of salvation, the time during which God is at work by his Spirit to bring people into his kingdom that they also might look forward to Christ's return (see 3:15). Nor is it to be marked by inactivity on our part: "You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (3:11b-12a). We are not only to look forward to the coming of Christ; we are to 'speed' his coming by being active in the work of the kingdom and seeking to draw others to Christ.

Lord Jesus, we look forward to the day of your coming and to the transformation of all things at your appearing – “to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” We look forward to the day when the whole of creation will share in the glory of your resurrection life. Help us to prepare the way for your coming – to speed your coming by praying and working towards the day when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Peter Misselbrook