Jeremiah 13:18-22

18 Say to the king and to the queen mother,
“Humble yourselves;
Sit down,
For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.”
19 The cities of the South shall be shut up,
And no one shall open them;
Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it;
It shall be wholly carried away captive.
20 Lift up your eyes and see
Those who come from the north.
Where is the flock that was given to you,
Your beautiful sheep?
21 What will you say when He punishes you?
For you have taught them
To be chieftains, to be head over you.
Will not pangs seize you,
Like a woman in labor?
22 And if you say in your heart,
“Why have these things come upon me?”
For the greatness of your iniquity
Your skirts have been uncovered,
Your heels made bare.
Jeremiah 13:18-22

The leaders of God's people have a greater responsibility to do what is right than those who follow them. The individual in His congregation is ultimately responsible for their relationship with God, God has given all of us the knowledge we need to choose Him or to choose against Him. When leaders are corrupt and work against God, there are many who follow them who will be encouraged to be corrupt and fight against God. It is human nature. The rulers of Judah could have led in such a way as to encourage the people to follow God. Some did, and the nation was blessed. Most rulers did what they wanted and did not trust in God. Their lack of integrity helped their subjects make poor decisions also. Those of weak character are further weakened by weak leadership, while many of weak character will be strengthened by strong leadership for what is right. The rulers of Judah after Josiah were proud, thinking that because of their beautiful houses and the riches that remained in their land, they were somehow deserving of praise. With each passing year they became weaker in relation to the powerful nations like Babylon and Egypt. They were forced to surrender at different times to Babylon and Egypt and give them tribute. Still, they somehow thought they were special and deserving of the deference that their subjects gave them. They held the lives of their people in their hand, able with just a word to have them thrown in the muddy dungeon where they would die unless someone intervened to save them. The nation is drawing nearer to destruction because of the iniquities of Judah and her rulers. God sends Jeremiah and Ezekiel and others to warn them, but they refuse to listen to the words of life and instead continue on the path toward death. God asks the king and queen mother where was the flock, the beautiful sheep, that had been given to them. They would have no answer. The greatness of their unfaithfulness to God had encouraged the people of Judah to walk in paths that led away from Him who wanted to save them. The Jews walked away from God, turned their backs on Him, and refused to heed His calls to come back to the special relationship with Him that would have led to life for Judah.

Lord,
Help me today to follow You and rely on You. When leaders lead in a way that is faithful to You, help me to follow them and be an encouragement to them. When I see leaders that are being unfaithful to You and to Your word, help me to follow You and be faithful to You. I am weak and tend to want to walk on the path that seems smoothest. Help me to walk on the path that You set before me, and give me the wisdom to recognize it when You lead me to it.