Showing Our Dependence on God (7/13/2025)

“For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, And have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered” (Jeremiah 10:21).

The “shepherds” refers to the civil authorities of Judah and Jerusalem who have not been making wise decisions and who have neglected their civic responsibilities and their religious heritage—that is, their relationship with Jehovah.

Some of their fellow Jews have already been carried away into captivity; and some among those remaining in the land have become over-confident, assuming they are the favored ones and that they are free to live any way they please without consequence.

As a result, God’s decision is that they shall suffer. Since the rulers are not ruling well and leading the people in the right direction, in civil matters as well as in religious ones, “they shall not prosper.” That “their flocks shall be scattered” is the natural result of negligent rulers who have given no guidance to the people, nor have they led by example; thus, they are experiencing civil and spiritual chaos.

To say the least, God is not happy with them. Of course, God is never happy with people who become so overconfident that they lose sight of the need for responsible behavior as well as for spiritual commitment. 

God has blessed us abundantly, and we need Him. Failure to recognize that need and failure to commit to Him will always lead to spiritual disaster. If we want to be with Him in eternity, we must center our devotion on Him and we must actively commit ourselves to the Cause of His Son, not in WORD only but also in DEED.