The "pastors (shepherds) that destroy and scatter the sheep of Jehovah's pasture" (verses 1-2) were the kings of Judah; David (see, for example, 1 Chronicles 21:1717And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued. (1 Chronicles 21:17)) was a true shepherd of God's flock, though he sinned deeply (and suffered at God's hand all his later days for it). Hezekiah and Josiah, too, were shepherds who cared for the sheep, but the greater number of the kings of Judah were untrue to their responsibility; among these, and, sad to say, among the worst of them, were the sons of Hezekiah and Josiah. God will deal with every one according to the responsibility each has carried.
But grace will work in the scenes of judgment; He will gather the remnant of His flock out of all countries whither He has driven them, and will bring them again to their pastures, and they shall be fruitful and shall multiply (verse 3). Thus does our God look beyond all of the record of man's failure, self-will, ingratitude, and sin of deepest dye, to the day when He will bring back to Himself His wayward earthly people. That day is not far distant now, surely; we believe it is near.
Then there will be shepherds of Israel who will care for them true-heartedly (verse 4); but this introduces the Shepherd, the Branch (see Isaiah 11). Prophecy is never complete without the key to it all, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Observe that the promised one is plainly shown, as in Isaiah repeatedly, to be Jehovah in His own Person. Such, in fact, is the meaning of His name as Man, Jesus meaning "Jehovah the Saviour."
Verses 7-8; Ever since the Exodus, Israel has recalled the Passover, memory of their deliverance out of Egypt; in the coming day they will observe the Passover, but a new, deep sense of God's love will be upon them then because of His!:ringing them back after their many sins caused Him to disown them as His people.
From verse 9, the prophets of Judah, unfaithful men who prophesied falsely in Jehovah's name, are denounced unsparingly. We see in verse 9, as earlier, that Jeremiah entered deeply, on God's account, into the sorrow of his people's sins; would that there were more such servants of the Lord in our days! we again say.
And how dreadful was the state of God's earthly people, still professing His name! Immorality was everywhere, swearing was common; both prophet and priest were ungodly; even in the house of God their wickedness went on. Turning to Ezekiel 8 we find, in a vision given to that prophet while among the captives in Babylonia, what was actually going on in the temple at Jerusalem at this very time; no wonder the judgment of God was about to burst on the guilty city.
The prophets of Samaria (verse 13) were gone,—swept away in the captivity of the ten tribes of the kingdom of Israel those prophesied by the false god Baal, but the prophets of Judah professed to speak for the true God, yet knew Him not. These committed adultery, walked in falsehood, strengthened the hands of evildoers so that none returned from his wickedness. All were become, before a holy, sin-hating God, as Sodom and as Gomorrah, the cities of the plain destroyed in. Abraham's day (Genesis 18:20-19:2020And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. 22And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord. 23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 30And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake. 32And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. 33And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. 1And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat. 4But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter: 5And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. 6And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, 7And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. 8Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof. 9And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. 10But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. 11And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door. 12And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. 16And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. 17And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. 18And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord: 19Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast showed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die: 20Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live. (Genesis 18:20‑19)). \A/hat should the end be of such, who were more degraded than the sinners of the nations who knew nothing of the Word of God?
Satan has been able also in our times, to provide prophets of lies; as in the days of Jeremiah, their word is to everyone that walks in the stubbornness of his heart "No evil shall come upon you" (verse 17). But they have not stood in the council of the Lord, and perceived and heard His word (verse 18), should have caused His words to be and should have turned their hearers from their evil way, and from the wickedness of their doings (verse 22).
The false prophets of Judah had perverted the words of the living God (verse 36) while they professed to know His mind so as to tell, if asked, what was the burden of Jehovah (i.e., the message He had for them).
They would then be cast off, far from His face, far from the city of Jerusalem, bearing everlasting reproach, everlasting shame. It is eternal judgment that is here spoken of—an awful prospect, to spend eternity with their dupes.