The Hopes and Fears of All the Years…

In 1868 Phillip Brooks penned the lyrics, “the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight”.  Of all the years that I have been singing “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, these lyrics leapt off the score this year like never before.  I wonder what might have been on Brooks’ mind as he penned these lyrics? 

Was it Mary- who was expecting a child, and not just any child but the Son of God, when she was a child herself AND in what seemed to be a fearful predicament for which women were disgraced (Lk. 1:26-35; Mt. 1:18-19)?

Was it Joseph- to whom Mary was pledge to be married and who feared what to do and what might be done to Mary (Mt. 1:18-20)?

Was it King Herod- who was troubled with fear at the news of not just the appearance of any other king but the Rightful Messiah King (Mt. 2:1-7, 12)?

Maybe it was the people- who, along with Herod, were fearfully distressed- perhaps they were not prepared to be in the physical presence of their God and Savior (Mt. 2:3, 3:2; Luke 3:3-8a)?

Or possibly it was the fear of a reverent expectant awe and amazement, like of the Shepherds and those whom they told, which Brooks had in mind (Luke 2:15-17)?

And what about THE HOPES OF ALL THE YEARS…

Victoria

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Check back next week to read about THE HOPES OF ALL THE YEARS!

The Lord Our Righteousness

““¹ Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” says the Lord. ² Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel against the shepherds who feed My people: “You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your doings,” says the Lord. ³ “But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. ⁴ I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the Lord.

⁵ “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. ⁶ In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called:

THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

– Jeremiah 23:1-6, NKJV

Verses 1-2:  Jeremiah opens his prophecy with a rebuke from the Lord.  He continues by warning the “bad shepherds”, those who were ruling Israel at the time, of the judgments that would befall them if they continued leading God’s people astray.  These evil leaders were leading the people of Israel, but instead of leading them in the direction God wanted, they were taking them down in the opposite direction.

Who are the people God has placed in your life to lead?  Are you being the role model that God wants you to be?  Let us make sure that we are leading God’s flock in the right direction, while remembering that we are accountable to God for our actions.  Because if we do not attended to His flock, He will attend to us for our evil actions!

Verses 3-4: Jeremiah continues his prophecy by stating that God will gather His remnant to Himself, will lead them, comfort them, and bring them into a time of blessing where they will, “Be fruitful and increase.”

The Lord knows what He is doing─ He knows what we need, He will take care of us, and He will bring peace to our souls.  So we have nothing to worry about or to fear in those times of testing because the Lord WILL take care of His Sheep.  In verse four, the Lord says that He will set up good shepherds in place of the evil ones.  Shepherds who will love on us, feed us the word of God, and lead us in the right direction.

Verses 5-6: Verses five and six add a new layer (or theme): Messianic prophecy.  We are shown the difference between the corrupt leaders and the coming Messiah who IS Loving and Powerful.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd who will do away with the corrupt leaders once and for all.  Jesus will rule as the Most High King of Kings and His name IS, “The Lord our Righteousness.”

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