The Shepherd's Folly: When Leaders Cease To Seek

Introduction: The Weight of Leadership

Good morning, brothers and sisters.

In the Scriptures, God often uses the simple, earthy image of a shepherd and his sheep to describe the relationship between a leader and their people. A shepherd's task is one of immense responsibility. He must have the vision to find green pastures, the wisdom to find still waters, the courage to fight off wolves, and the tenderness to care for the weakest lamb. The flock's very life and well-being depend entirely on the faithfulness of the shepherd.

The prophet Jeremiah was called by God to a heartbreaking task. He was sent to speak to a nation whose shepherds—whose kings, priests, and leaders—had utterly failed. His words are not soft or comforting; they are a raw, searing diagnosis of a nation in spiritual crisis. And in our text today, he reveals that the rot which was destroying Judah did not begin in the streets with the common people. It began at the top, with the shepherds themselves.

This is a solemn word, a heavy word. It is a warning that echoes from ancient Israel to our modern world, to this very city, and to this very room. Let us therefore come to it with humble and teachable hearts, and examine ourselves, whether we are pastors of a church, parents of a family, or simply the shepherds of our own souls.

I. The Diagnosis: A Brutish Heart

Jeremiah begins with a shocking and blunt assessment of the leaders of his day.

A. The Condition: "For the pastors are become brutish..."

The "pastors" here were the shepherds of the nation: King Jehoiakim, the corrupt priests who served their own appetites, and the false prophets who spoke easy lies instead of hard truths. Jeremiah says they had "become brutish." This word comes from "brute," like a beast of the field. A brute beast acts on instinct, not reason. It is driven by appetite, not wisdom. It is unthinking, unfeeling, and spiritually senseless.

To become brutish is to lose the ability to think and lead with spiritual discernment. It is to become dull of hearing to the voice of God, relying instead on carnal instinct and worldly strategies. It is the tragic condition of a leader who may still look the part, but who has become an empty shell on the inside, devoid of true spiritual life. How does such a terrible transformation happen? The prophet gives us the precise cause.

B. The Cause: "...and have not sought the LORD."

Here is the root of the disease. The shepherds became brutish because they stopped seeking the Lord.

To "seek the LORD" is far more than a quick prayer in the morning or a ritual on Sunday. To seek the Lord is a posture of the heart. It is a deep, continual, and often desperate dependence on God for everything. It is the cry of a leader who says, "God, I do not know the way. You must show me. I do not have the strength. You must provide it. I do not have the wisdom. You must give it."

When a leader—whether in a nation, a church, or a home—ceases to seek the Lord, they inevitably begin to rely on something else. They rely on their own cleverness, their own education, their own charisma. They look to business models, to popular opinion, to what is new and trendy. They stop listening for the voice of the Chief Shepherd and become deafened by the clamor of their own ambition and the applause of the world. This is the sure and certain path to becoming brutish.

II. The Consequence: A Failed Leadership

The second half of our verse details the inevitable and tragic consequences that flow from a brutish heart.

A. The Personal Result: "therefore they shall not prosper."

A leader who does not seek the Lord cannot, in the end, truly prosper. Now, they may have a measure of worldly success. King Jehoiakim built for himself a fine palace with cedar panels. A pastor might build a large building or attract a great crowd. But this is not God's definition of prosperity.

True prosperity is faithfulness to God's calling. It is the spiritual health and growth of the flock. It is the advancement of the eternal Kingdom of God. Any work that is built on human wisdom and brutish instinct, no matter how impressive it looks to men, is a house built on sand. It will not achieve God's purposes, and it will not stand the test of time. In the things that matter for eternity, it will utterly fail.

B. The Corporate Result: "...and all their flocks shall be scattered."

Here is the greatest tragedy of the shepherd's folly. When the leader fails, it is the flock that pays the highest price. When the shepherd is brutish, the sheep are "scattered." They are dispersed, confused, and broken apart. They become vulnerable to the wolves of false doctrine and the dangers of the world.