Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard;In biblical context, "shepherds" often refer to leaders or rulers, both religious and political. In Jeremiah's time, these leaders were responsible for guiding the people of Israel, God's "vineyard," in righteousness. However, they failed in their duties, leading to spiritual and moral decay. The imagery of a vineyard is frequently used in Scripture to symbolize Israel ( Isaiah 5:1-7). The destruction by the shepherds indicates neglect and mismanagement, leading to the nation's downfall. This phrase can also be seen as a warning to leaders in any era about the consequences of failing to uphold God's standards. they have trampled My plot of ground.
The act of trampling suggests a lack of care and respect for what is sacred. In ancient agricultural societies, a plot of ground was a valuable resource, requiring careful cultivation. The leaders' actions are akin to desecrating something holy. This phrase highlights the severity of the leaders' neglect and the resulting damage to the spiritual and social fabric of the nation. It echoes the idea of profaning what God has set apart, similar to the warnings given in Ezekiel 34:2-10 against the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves instead of the flock. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
The transformation from a "pleasant field" to a "desolate wasteland" underscores the complete devastation caused by the leaders' failures. The "pleasant field" represents the potential and blessings God intended for His people, which have been squandered. This imagery is reminiscent of the curses for disobedience outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, where the land suffers due to the people's unfaithfulness. The desolation serves as a physical manifestation of spiritual barrenness. This can also be seen as a type of Christ, who later restores what is broken and desolate, offering redemption and renewal to those who turn back to God. Persons / Places / Events 1. JeremiahA prophet called by God to deliver messages of warning and hope to the people of Judah. He is known for his lamentations over the spiritual state of the nation. 2. ShepherdsIn this context, the term "shepherds" refers metaphorically to the leaders of Israel, including kings, priests, and prophets, who were responsible for guiding the people but failed in their duties. 3. VineyardSymbolically represents the nation of Israel, which God cultivated to be fruitful and faithful to Him. 4. Pleasant FieldAnother metaphor for Israel, indicating the beauty and potential that God intended for His people. 5. Desolate WastelandThe result of the leaders' failure, representing the spiritual and physical ruin of the nation due to neglect and disobedience. Teaching Points Leadership AccountabilityLeaders are accountable to God for the spiritual well-being of those they lead. Neglect and self-interest can lead to ruin. Spiritual StewardshipJust as a vineyard requires care, our spiritual lives need nurturing through prayer, study, and obedience to God's Word. Consequences of NeglectIgnoring God's commands and failing to lead righteously results in spiritual desolation, both personally and communally. God's Expectation of FruitfulnessGod desires His people to be fruitful, reflecting His character and purposes in the world. Hope for RestorationDespite the desolation, God offers hope and restoration through repentance and faithful leadership, as seen in the promise of the Good Shepherd. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the metaphor of the vineyard in Jeremiah 12:10 help us understand God's expectations for His people? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we are not like the negligent shepherds described in this passage? 3. How do the consequences faced by Israel's leaders serve as a warning for leaders today, both in the church and in other areas of life? 4. What steps can we take to cultivate our spiritual lives and avoid becoming a "desolate wasteland"? 5. How does the promise of Jesus as the Good Shepherd provide hope and direction for us in light of the failures of human leadership? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 5:1-7This passage also uses the vineyard metaphor to describe Israel's failure to produce good fruit despite God's care and provision. Ezekiel 34:1-10God condemns the shepherds of Israel for their neglect and exploitation of the flock, similar to the leaders criticized in Jeremiah 12:10. John 10:11-15Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd, contrasting with the unfaithful leaders of Israel, emphasizing His care and sacrifice for His sheep. People JeremiahPlaces Anathoth, Jerusalem, Jordan RiverTopics Crushing, Desirable, Desolate, Desolation, Destroy, Destroyed, Destruction, Fair, Field, Foot, Heritage, Keepers, Pastors, Pleasant, Portion, Ruin, Ruined, Sheep, Shepherds, Trample, Trampled, Trodden, Turn, Unplanted, Vine-garden, Vineyard, Waste, Wasteland, WildernessDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 12:10 4538 vineyard
7786 shepherd, king and leader Library Calms and Crises
'If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and though in a land of peace thou art secure, yet how wilt thou do in the pride of Jordan?'--JER. xii. 5, R.V. The prophet has been complaining of his persecutors. The divine answer is here, reproving his impatience, and giving him to understand that harder trials are in store for him. Both clauses mean substantially the same thing, and are of a parabolic nature. The one adduces the metaphor …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureAre You Prepared to Die?
"There is a land of pure delight, Where saints immortal reign; Infinite day excludes the night, And pleasures banish pain." There everlasting spring abides, And never-withering flowers; Death, like a narrow sea, divides This heavenly land from ours." Taking "the swelling of Jordan" to represent the precise time of death, the question really is, what shall we do when we come to die? "How wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?" I. We notice, in the first place, that this is an EXCEEDINGLY PRACTICAL …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 11: 1865 Synagogues: their Origin, Structure and Outward Arrangements
It was a beautiful saying of Rabbi Jochanan (Jer. Ber. v. 1), that he who prays in his house surrounds and fortifies it, so to speak, with a wall of iron. Nevertheless, it seems immediately contradicted by what follows. For it is explained that this only holds good where a man is alone, but that where there is a community prayer should be offered in the synagogue. We can readily understand how, after the destruction of the Temple, and the cessation of its symbolical worship, the excessive value attached …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Roman Pilgrimage: the Miracles which were Wrought in It.
[Sidenote: 1139] 33. (20). It seemed to him, however, that one could not go on doing these things with sufficient security without the authority of the Apostolic See; and for that reason he determined to set out for Rome, and most of all because the metropolitan see still lacked, and from the beginning had lacked, the use of the pall, which is the fullness of honour.[507] And it seemed good in his eyes[508] that the church for which he had laboured so much[509] should acquire, by his zeal and labour, …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Of the Trinity and a Christian, and of the Law and a Christian.
EDITOR'S ADVERTISEMENT. These two short treatises were found among Mr. Bunyan's papers after his decease. They probably were intended for publication, like his 'Prison Meditations' and his 'Map of Salvation,' on a single page each, in the form of a broadside, or handbill. This was the popular mode in which tracts were distributed; and when posted against a wall, or framed and hung up in a room, they excited notice, and were extensively read. They might also have afforded some trifling profit to aid …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation. …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 12:10 NIVJeremiah 12:10 NLTJeremiah 12:10 ESVJeremiah 12:10 NASBJeremiah 12:10 KJV
Jeremiah 12:10 Commentaries
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