Jeremiah 23
Even though
the book of Malachi is always associated with robbing God and the tithes and
offerings, the book is really about relationship. The tithes and offerings are simply
an expression or evidence of that relationship or lack thereof. Being that the
first thing addressed in Malachi is the loss of relationship, that’s where we’ll
begin.
Relationship
is extremely important to God, in fact it’s everything to Him. He goes on give
the example of marriage in chapter 2 to highlight this fact (more on marriage
in another post). For now, who is God talking to and really addressing? The
leaders. When God is asking His questions it is the leaders who are responding.
Sure it could also be the people too, and probably is to some degree, but it’s
the leaders who are ultimately responsible for the condition of the people so
God is addressing them and holding them accountable.
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A great
example of how leadership and responsibility work, let’s take a look at the
military. To keep it simple, a company in the army is often lead by a captain,
under him are lieutenants, sergeants, and privates, this is the chain of
command. A company is broken down into platoons lead by sergeants. If a
sergeant is given a mission to perform with his platoon it comes down from the
captain through the chain of command to the sergeant. The sergeant then gives
orders to the rest of the soldiers in the platoon. If the mission fails who is
responsible, the private or sergeant who were both on the mission? Before the
answer, let’s develop this a bit further in order to really illustrate this
point. A captain is often overseen by a Colonel in charge of several companies,
the failed mission reaches the Colonel’s desk. Who does the Colonel hold
responsible? If you said the Captain, you’re right, because the Captain is
responsible for everyone under him; his lieutenants, sergeants, and privates.
He cannot just point the finger and say “they did it”. He must ultimately take
responsibility for the failed mission because he is responsible for their
training, actions, and conduct. The same goes for the lieutenants, sergeants,
down to the private, who is responsible for his actions. If anyone in this line
did exactly as he was told to do the responsibility falls on the one who gave
the order. God works in this same way, so He is addressing and holding
responsible the leaders for their condition and condition of His people. In
other words, starting at the top, leadership is examined and appropriate action
taken when fault is found. The process
then continues down the chain of command all the way to the end. The only time a leader it is not responsible is when they have carried out the orders they were
given and after examination they have been found to have done all they can, that circumstances were out of their control and
have been found blameless. Does this mean the people are off the hook?
Nooooooo! Just as the private is responsible for his actions, so are we to
varying degrees based on the level of training and responsibility as we will
see. This system of accountability can be applied to all areas of leadership
including marriage which God just happens to bring up. And because God devised this system He is
subject to it too and subjects Himself to his own standards prior to any
judgment. God first looks in the mirror to examine Himself, and only after
being found clean moves on to the next phase; otherwise God would be a
hypocrite. A great leader will never ask anyone under him to do something they
are not willing to do, can’t do, or have never done. Also any leader that
blames his subordinates for not knowing something is a bad leader unless they
have done all they can to teach and train. That’s like a teacher who blames
their students for not learning when in fact they are the ones who have failed.
What we need to remember and take away from this is that it all starts with
leadership, and that’s the way God wants it.
The book of
Malachi definitely highlights the affects of bad leadership. God mentions the
need to purify the Levites which were the leaders at that time. God even
laments the loss of good leadership by remembering the past and how things were
with Levi. He also comments about how things are (at that time) and the bad
influence the leaders are having on the people by not teaching them correctly,
misguiding the people, by their bad teaching actually instructing the people to
offend God, and driving them away. This subject matter demands our attention.
Do any of our leaders today exhibit any of the same traits they did then?
So if the
leadership at that time were the Levites or Priests, today’s equivalent would
be our pastors primarily, which scripturally are shepherds; does God have any
more to say about leadership, particularly bad leadership? Why yes, yes He
does! Enter Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 34, and Zechariah 11.
In Jeremiah
23 God addresses the shepherds, priests, and prophets (leadership). As we read
this keep Malachi in mind.
Verse 1 “Woe
to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering My sheep!” says
the Lord. 2 the Lord says against the shepherds who tend My people:
“You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and you have not attended to
them. Behold, I am about to deal with you for your evil deeds,” – The shepherds
are destroying and killing by NOT taking care of the people physically and/or spiritually.
Scattering/driving away is literal in the passage but not necessarily today.
Today it’s more spiritual in nature, scattering or driving toward other gods or
just away from God. Notice the contrast in verse 2, some of their evil deeds or
actions are things they are NOT doing (commission vs omission). “You have not
attended to them” is directly related to the tithes and offerings because that
is what the tithes and offerings are for and how they are to be used. The
leaders in Malachi were guilty of all of the above.
We skip down
to verse 11 “Both the prophets and priests are profane; I have found their
wickedness in My house,” says the Lord. – Profane means to be defiled or
polluted. There are two primary ways to profane or defile one’s self; the
obvious is by clearly doing the wrong things, the other by not doing what
should be done. In this case both prophet and priest are profane because they
are guilty of both, engaging in evil behavior and not performing their respective
duties and hurting the people. “In My house”, where this is taking place (Lev
21:4, 22:2, 9, 15, 32, Num 12:7, 2 Sam 7:5, 1 Kings 5:5, Isa 56:5, Jer 7:9-11,
23:11, Ezek 44:10-12)
13 “I have
seen the foolishness in the prophets of Samaria: for they prophesied by Baal
and caused My people to err. 14 I have also seen horrible things in the
prophets of Jerusalem: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they also strengthen
the hands of the wicked, so that no one turns back from his evil ways. All of
them are like Sodom to Me, and her inhabitants like Gomorrah. – Any time you
see prophets, priests, shepherds, Levites, or anything like this think
leadership. We read “prophesied by Baal”, “commit adultery”, “walk in lies”,
and “strengthen the hands of the wicked”; besides the obvious, prophesying for
other gods, lying, “strengthen the hands of the wicked” is to show partiality, approve
of, encourage, and bless them. “Like Sodom to Me” and “like Gomorrah” not in a physical
sense but rather they are prideful, gluttonous, lazy, and selfish (Ezek 16:49).
We also have the tendency to think that we or our leaders don’t do any of those
things, so this doesn’t pertain to me/us. Well, it does, it doesn’t have to be
those exact things to be bad or horrible (Rom 2:11-13, James 2:10, 3:1). However if we are honest I think we will
discover that the same offenses are indeed happening; prophesying by ourselves
resulting in and equivalent to lying, and strengthening the hand of the wicked
by not confronting. We often get caught up in the literal reading and miss the real
message.
16 “Do not
listen to the prophets who prophesy to you.” Says the Lord, “They make you
worthless; they tell you a vision of their own heart, not from the mouth of the
Lord. 17 They say to those that despise Me, ‘The Lord has said, “You
will have peace”’; and to all those who walk according to the dictates of their
own heart, they say, ‘No evil will befall you.’” – We are not to listen to bad,
false, or ungodly leaders, teachers or pastors (1 Tim 6:5, 2 Tim 3:5, 4:3, Rev
2:14-15). ”They make us worthless” (Mal 1:10). “They tell you a vision of their
own heart” setting themselves up as God and doing what is right in their own
eyes (Deut 12:8, Pr 12:15, 21:2). Of course,
spotting these leaders and not following them takes spiritual discernment (1
John 4:1).
20 The Lord’s anger will not cease until He
has executed and performed all the thoughts of His heart. In the last days you
will understand perfectly. – We can understand now (maybe these are the last
days?). . . He’s upset and He will not stop the correction until they are
purified and cleansed (Jer 7:9-11, 11:9-11, Ezek 39:22-24). Many have a hard
time understanding how God can do this to His own people. It’s His righteousness
and holiness that demand it. Also, we need to keep in mind that they/we have
already left Him and His ways, and that they/we are already outside of His will
and protection. God doesn’t leave first, we do. And, that His motivation is
love and restoration, He wants them/us to come back, He wants the relationship
restored.
22 But if
they had only stood in My counsel, and had caused My people to hear Me and My
word, they would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil
deeds. 23 “Am I a God close and near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a
God far away? 24 Can anyone hide himself from Me in a secret place, so I cannot
see him? Do I not fill the heavens and earth?” declares the Lord. – “evil
ways” are simply not godly, doing things that shouldn’t be done and not doing
things that should be (2 Kings 17:13, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Jer 4:18, 18:11). “Can
anyone hide”, El Roi (the God who sees)
“And like a hammer that breaks rock into pieces? – “Will My word not accomplish what it is sent out to do?” (Is 55:11)
31 Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who use their place and say, ‘He says.’ 32 Behold, I am against those who have prophesied made up dreams,” says the Lord, “ to cause My people to err by their lies and carelessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they will not benefit this people at all,” says the Lord. – Translation = “I am against those leaders that speak for Me when I haven’t spoken, for prophesying dreams and visions that I have not given them, misguiding My people; they do not speak for Me or represent Me and they are no good for you.”
39 therefore
behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you and forsake you, and the city that I
gave you and your fathers, and will cast you out of My presence. 40 And I will
bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame, which shall not
be forgotten.’” – All through scripture God reveals Himself a forgiving God
full of second chances, and as long as there is even the slightest bit of
humility, love, or openness, God is more than willing to extend and grant us
the forgiveness we need. But there comes a time, not when God is not willing,
but when we are not willing and we go too far, and our hearts are seared
closed, forever separating us from Him (1 Tim 4:2).
To
sum up, the leaders are destroying, scattering, and driving the sheep away by
not attending to them (not meeting needs), speaking for other gods (even
themselves), misguiding, misleading the people, and lying; they are proud
(arrogant, stubborn), gluttonous (consuming), lazy (don’t want to do their duty
and do they even know it?), selfish, God is against them (opposed to their
ways), and punishment/correction is coming. Ok, that about covers it.
Whaaaaat?!
Do we even understand what we just read?! There is so much going on here than
what meets the eye.
These verses are so powerful it would be a shame for us and especially our leaders to simply dismiss any of what these passages have to say because of pride, embarrassment, or an unwillingness to look in the mirror.
It is leadership that is supposed to be the most teachable,
the most humble, the chief servants and setting an example for the rest of the
family.
After all it is God that told us that a man looks in the mirror then
walks away forgetting what manner of man he is (James 1:23-24). Well, welcome
to the mirror. Let us not fulfill the last half of this passage.
To contrast
these verses let’s see what good shepherds/leaders would have and should have been
doing – giving life and attending to the people by meeting physical, mental,
emotional, and spiritual needs, thereby gathering and calling the people to
them and God, and speaking God’s words keeping people on the path. They would
have been faithful, speaking truth, rebuking and confronting the wicked turning
them from their ways, and a humble servant that God is for and will remember.
The Malachi Blessing
themalachiblessing.blogspot.com
themalachiblessing@gmail.com
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