Our Premillennial Hope for Justice (Jeremiah 23:1-8)
In Ecclesiastes 3:16, King Solomon wrote, “Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.” As with all men, Solomon possessed what academic theologians refer to as a judicial sentiment. That is to say, God has instilled within all men a sense of justice, a sense that wrongs ought to be righted, and that violators should be punished (cf. Rom. 1:32, 3:14-15). Instinctive outrage is proof that this is so; even at a young age children recoil in protest when a sibling does something that is deemed unfair, and they appeal to their parents as a higher authority to make it right.
Thinking about justice in the world, Solomon’s own judicial sentiment allowed him to recognize that far too often in life there is exactly the opposite: oppressors victimize the powerless, criminal activity goes unnoticed, and legal proceedings subvert due process. And as we think about our fallen world today, many recognize that the same problems remain. Politicians are crooked. Money influences public opinion. Media outlets distort the daily news. Though each individual may have a different ultimate standard or definition of justice, there is often common agreement that things simply aren’t what they should be.
So what’s the solution?
The world offers many opinions. Some would say that society needs better education. If people were more educated, then perhaps they would be more courteous in their interactions with one another. And so it is that millions of dollars fund government educational institutions. Others look to money to solve the problem. Poverty, it is sometimes believed, is the effect of systemic oppression of one people group on another. And so it is that socialistic policies gain their appeal to those who are financially strained. Still others might look for answers to mental health issues. Evil in the world, according to this view, is more so a matter of the brain than the heart. With enough counseling—coupled with the right medication—drug-induced harmony would be inevitable.
But none of these options would have been satisfactory to Solomon. Rather, he went on to say, “I said to myself, ‘God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,’ for a time for every matter and for every deed is there” (Ecc. 3:17). And in fact, that belief concludes the entire book of Ecclesiastes: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
Solomon knew that true justice could, and would, only be provided by God.
And far from being alone, this was the conclusion of the prophet Jeremiah as well. As one of the prophets who ministered to Judah just prior to Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah spent virtually all of his days rebuking the unchecked godlessness throughout the nation. God had said to him at the outset, “I will pronounce My judgments on them concerning all their wickedness, whereby they have forsaken Me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and worshiped the works of their own hands.” And that is precisely what Jeremiah did—even to the highest ranking officials in the land. With the kind of courage that could only have come from a divine source, Jeremiah preached against the final four kings of Judah for their utter failure to lead the people in righteousness. Rather than maintaining justice and ruling in godliness, the men from Josiah’s family (Shallum/Jehoahaz, Eliakim/Jehoiakim, Jeconiah/Jehoiachin, and Mattaniah/Zedekiah) were unmitigated failures from a spiritual standpoint. They enabled the upper class to oppress those beneath them (cf. Jer. 21:12), mistreated the most vulnerable in society (cf. Jer. 22:3), built palaces on the backs of their citizens’ wageless labor (cf. Jer. 22:13), and rejected the counsel of godly men (cf. Jer. 22:21). For these things, and more, Judah would be destroyed, and to such an extent that even Gentiles would be shocked at the devastation: “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?’ Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them” (Jer. 22:8-9, cf. Deut. 29:22-27).
But after prophesying the coming destruction and exile of the people, Jeremiah ended with a glorious promise that one day things would be better for those who trust in the Lord. There would come a time in which a godly shepherd would lead his flock properly. There would be a kingdom in which things were set right. Jeremiah provided a prophetic glimpse of a kingdom in which there would be regathering, righteousness, and remembrance.
Regathering (Jer. 23:1-4)
“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 shall gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and shall bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I shall also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend to them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah, as the mouthpiece of God, began by pronouncing a woe oracle upon the failed shepherds (kings, along with the prophets and priests they consulted) of Judah for scattering the sheep (the people of Israel). As warned in the key curse passages of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28, a departure from the Lord would result in a departure from the land. Thus, the kings were ultimately to blame for leading the people into apostasy and its resultant exile. In keeping with their forefather Josiah, they should have brought about a spiritual revival, but they did just the opposite. Thus, in rebuking the kings for not “attending” to the sheep, using a play on the Hebrew word paqad (meaning “to care for” as well as “to chastise”), God essentially said to them, “You have not taken care of My people, so I’m going to take care of you.”[1]
But the kingdom promise given by Jeremiah was that one day God would undo what those failed shepherds did. There would come a day when God Himself would regather His remnant (elect Israelites) from every nation they were scattered to, and bring them back to the Promised Land, where they would flourish and be at peace. And of course, even though years after this prophecy Nehemiah and others were used mightily by God in bringing groups of exiled Jews back, that return—as wonderful as it was—did not encompass all that Jeremiah promised. The restoration back to the Promised Land has yet to be fulfilled in the glorious way described by Jeremiah. Instead, the context of this promise indicates a global (“out of all the countries” in v. 3), literal (“their own soil” in v. 8), Messianic (“behold, the days are coming” in v. 5), ethnic (“household of Israel” in v. 8) regathering (“gather the remnant” in v. 3)—and thus demands an eschatological fulfillment for national Israel.
Jeremiah gave hope to his fellow people that God would literally fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant promises (land, seed, and blessing) and bring them back, reversing the curse brought about by the failed shepherds. And on top of that, God would even give them faithful under-shepherds who would properly care for them. When this comes to pass, never again will they have to fear their government.
Righteousness (Jer. 23:5-6)
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I shall 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.’”
Jeremiah went on to explain that there would come a day in which God would raise up, in accordance with the Davidic Covenant, one who would rule His people with Solomonic wisdom (“act wisely”) and Davidic justice (“do justice and righteousness”). Using the messianic phrase “behold, the days are coming” (a phrase used fifteen times in Jeremiah), what’s clear is that hope for ailing citizens was given not in legislative action, societal reform, or human ingenuity, but in the redemptive plan of God.[2] The “branch,” a designation that has semantic commonalities with the “seed” of Genesis 3:15 and 2 Samuel 7:12, is a reference to none other than the promised Messiah who would come and make all things right.[3] He would not only save His people, but restore them to the land, providing physical, spiritual, and national blessings.
Of course, no mere man could accomplish this. Though the Messiah certainly would be a man (as a branch of David), He would also be divine. The name “The Lord our righteousness” (Yahweh Tsidkenu) indicates that this coming king would possess the intrinsic righteousness that is characteristic only of God. In contrast with the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the unrighteousness of all fallen men in general (cf. Rom. 3:10), this king would be inherently righteous. And that righteousness would work its way out in governmental policy. Jeremiah promised that this coming King would not embezzle money, bribe judges, succumb to lobbyists, pervert justice, enable corruption, disregard the disenfranchised, manipulate the powerless, or overlook inequality, but would provide refreshing righteousness for all citizens of His kingdom!
Remembrance (Jer. 23:7-8)
“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.”
Finally, as with all that God does, the redemptive restoration of His people would be to the praise of His glorious grace (cf. Eph. 1:6, Rom. 11:33-36). One of the greatest acts of redemption in all of history, especially at the time Jeremiah prophesied, was the Exodus of Israel out of Egypt. When God saved His people from that oppression, it was accompanied by the raising up of Moses, the miraculous plagues against Pharaoh, the substitutionary symbol of the Passover, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. Almost nothing could ever parallel the glory and grandeur of God that was on display in that work.
Almost.
The final aspect of hope offered by Jeremiah is that the inauguration of the kingdom would be so majestic that it would be esteemed over and above even the Exodus event. When this kingdom is ushered in by the Messiah, no longer will anyone be talking about how God brought “the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,” but instead they will be talking about how He led “the descendants of the household of Israel” back from “the north land and from all the countries” where He had driven them. For the small minority of believing Israelites alive in Jeremiah’s day, who were preparing to go into exile into the “north land” (Babylon), hope was offered that God would bring them back to the land. And for the remnant of believing Israelites alive throughout the centuries, who have resided in nations around the world (“all the countries”), hope is still provided today that God will bring them back into the land. God has not abandoned the literal fulfillment of the promise He made to their father Abraham, that they would indeed reside in the Promised Land: “Then they will live on their own soil” (Jer. 23:8).
As you can imagine, returning to the Promised Land from all over the world will make the Exodus out of Egypt pale in comparison. Just as people occasionally reflect back on the “glory days” of former times in their nation, there will come a day when all of God’s people reflect back on the wonderful work He did for the citizens of this kingdom. This aspect of Jeremiah’s prophecy is a critical component to those who might otherwise be tempted to nurse past grudges. Rather than focusing on the oppression they or their ancestors endured, harboring residual anger over their plight in life, or indulging personal resentment over the injustices they’d faced—as so many today are tempted to do—Jeremiah promised that there would come a day when the renewed minds of God’s people would instead be thoroughly saturated with thoughts of how the promised shepherd had led the sheep home.
The Good Shepherd’s Kingdom
To those who would ask, “Who is this promised shepherd?” the Gospel of John takes us straight to the answer: Jesus of Nazareth, the one who triumphantly announced, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15). The godly king promised to the nation of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah is none other than the one whom we call the Lord Jesus Christ. From the line of David, living a perfect life, dying a substitutionary death, and rising from the dead, the Son of God came from heaven the first time to redeem. And He will return the second time to rule. Whereas the past kings of Judah abused their position of authority to oppress their people, Jesus used His position of authority to serve His people. His coming kingdom will not be built on the backs of His people, but on the back of His very own whipped and lashed body. What a shepherd!
It is at this point that some some might then be thinking, “Well, that’s great that the nation of Judah was given the promise of a godly king—but I’m a Gentile. What about me?” If that’s your question, you need only continue reading the very next verse in the Gospel of John, because Jesus went on to say, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd” (John 10:16). These “other sheep” are none other than God’s elect people from every other nation, tribe, and tongue (cf. Isa. 42:6, 49:6, John 11:51-52). Hallelujah! All Gentiles who repent of their sins and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ are among His sheep; He came to die for them, and He will bring them safely into His kingdom as well (cf. 2 Tim. 4:18).
And what a kingdom it will be.
The book of Revelation teaches that after God pours out His wrath upon this world during a seven year time of tribulation, Jesus will return to establish this kingdom for a period of one thousand years, in which there will be unparalleled prosperity, peace, and harmony in creation (cf. Dan. 9:27, Rev. 20:4-6, Isa. 65:17-25).[4] During that thousand-year reign, His supremacy over this present realm will put on display the promised Davidic justice and Solomonic wisdom for all the world to see that He is, in fact, Yahweh Tsidkenu. This biblical understanding of the future is the doctrine known as premillennialism—from the Latin terms mille (meaning “thousand”) and annum (meaning “year”), joined to the prefix “pre” (referring to Christ’s return preceding this period of time). Ultimately, premillennialism is the culmination of the prophecy Jeremiah made to physically, emotionally, and spiritually fatigued believers in Judah so long ago.
With these glorious promises in mind, how should Christians respond to injustice in the world today? Sadly, many professing Christians get caught up in partnering with the world for man-made solutions. And they seem to have no problem marching, protesting, lobbying, and fueling the perpetual outrage of the nations—an outrage that will continue into the future up until the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth (cf. Psa. 2:1-2). Despite the fact that Scripture expressly prohibits this (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-17), many have fallen victim to what can only be described as mission drift. Rather than looking to get people off of the sinking ship of this fallen world, some seem to think that rearranging the deck chairs—or providing “equal access” to the deck chairs—is a worthy pursuit. On the other hand, other professing Christians get so caught up in opposing the world’s solutions that they never get around to providing the only solution of true value: the Gospel. Neither rearranging the deck chairs nor criticizing those who are rearranging the deck chairs helps anyone stuck on a capsizing ship.
Thus, when the nations rage, the Christian’s primary duty is not to fight for or against a particular political policy or government legislation. Instead, the Christian’s duty is to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing people to the one who will not only forgive their sins, but will also one day usher them into His kingdom where things are actually made right. It is certainly good and right to help the helpless as opportunities arise, but the reality is that evil men are going to proceed from bad to worse (cf. 2 Tim. 3:13), and income inequality will remain throughout this present age (cf. Matt. 26:11). As the perspective of Solomon and the prophecy of Jeremiah reveal, a true and lasting solution to oppression comes not from social justice, but divine justice. And that is precisely the premillennial hope we have in Christ.
References:
[1] Charles L. Feinberg, Jeremiah: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation, 1982), 161.
[2] Ibid., 162
[3] Ibid., 162
[4] John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, eds., Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 889.