Jeremiah 23:1-6 (NRSV)
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Chapter 23Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Verse 2Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Verse 3Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. Verse 4I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord. Verse 5The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. Verse 6In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."
Devotion
The prophet Jeremiah refuses to dampen truth to appease the kings of his day. He declares that for God’s people, knowledge of God means justice in action. If God’s love of righteousness and justice are one in the same, then no one can claim to know God if they do not act with this same righteousness and justice.
Prophet, priest, king, or worker in the vineyard, our relationship to God is not hidden in individual hearts but seen in the mirror of our life together. If we love God, we have no inner, personal justification for hating our neighbor. If we love God, the reflection of God’s love in our lives includes God’s reflection in the face of our neighbors as we seek their good.
When we look in the mirror, do we see God’s love and justice reflected? Do others see a reflection of God with us, or is there room for them?
Prayer
Good and gracious God, help us to hope in you and your healing grace. By your Spirit make love the center of our lives and our lives a reflection of your love. We ask these things trusting that you are at work doing these very things. Amen.
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