8 Sins Of A Sinful Shepherd
Isaiah 56:9-12
September 8, 2024
If you’ve been with us over the course of the last 3 services
You know we’ve been asking a very important question.
Are you ready for salvation?
WE SAW
1. The announcement of the LORD in verse 1 of this chapter that His salvation is about to come.
2. God then outlined for us the specific requirement for what it means to be ready and if we summed it up, we’d say it was righteousness.
3. God had us examine our pursuits, our priorities, and our purity as He continually asked us if we were ready to stand before Him.
Well, I certainly hope as we studied those first 8 verses
You were able to confidently answer that
“Yes” you are ready for the return of the Lord.
Well you might be able to answer “Yes”
But Isaiah’s congregation most certainly could not.
And, as we have said repeatedly,
Since this final segment of Isaiah is really prophetically addressing the Israel of our day (namely the Israel that rejected the cross)
We know that there is NO WAY
In which they can answer “Yes” to that question either.
Israel today has rejected the Lord.
• They are in no way ready for Him to return.
• They are in no way ready for the day of salvation.
AND ISAIAH IS ABOUT TO EXPOSE THAT.
Particularly when we get into chapters 57 & 58
We will see precisely why the nation of Israel is not ready for the return of Christ.
But before we talk about the nation,
As God routinely does, He first desires to address the leaders.
And that is what occurs here at the end of chapter 56.
Before God reveals a nation that is headed for judgment,
God addresses the leaders who are carry most of the blame.
To put it simply, in reading these 4 verses you spotted THE ANALOGY.
The spiritual leaders of Israel are compared to lousy shepherds.
• They are not aware of any dangers.
• They are not looking for dangers.
• They are not warning of dangers.
• They are only concerned about their own comforts.
• And their flock is extremely vulnerable to judgment.
THAT IS THE POINT.
Certainly we do not wish to let the spiritual leaders of Israel off the hook.
Certainly the spiritual leaders of Jesus’ day (men like the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the Chief Priests and the Lawyers) failed the nation miserably.
They led their people to reject salvation.
Jesus said it correctly about them in Matthew 15 when He said:
Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
And again later:
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Peter summed them up later in Jerusalem:
Acts 3:17 “And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.”
There is no way of sugar-coating it.
Israel’s spiritual leaders failed her.
And they continue to fail her to this day.
• Every rabbi, every spiritual leader with the Jewish religion that continues to
reject Christ
• And point the Jewish people to some sort of legalistic set of ordinances for
salvation is failing their people miserably.
They have done nothing for 2,000 years
But lead the Jewish people into sin and judgment.
They are guilty.
They remain guilty.
They will be held guilty.
And certainly that would be thrust of these 4 verses.
HOWEVER, WE ARE A GENTILE CONGREGATION,
AND BEYOND THAT,
We are a congregation that believes in Jesus Christ
And trusts in His work.
So I don’t see the benefit to you to spend an hour
Bashing Jewish leaders for their miserable failings.
I DO HOWEVER see great benefit to learning from their mistakes.
Certainly we understand the existence of spiritual leadership.
My views regarding the structure of leadership are certainly not unknown to you.
• You know that my personal conviction is that the Bible lays out a blueprint for a plurality of elders in the congregation to corporately shepherd God’s flock.
Our current structure in our church is that we have 1 pastor
And a group of deacons who serve in a type of leadership role.
This sermon is NOT about challenging the structure or promoting a different one.
I merely wish to point out that leadership is present in our church, regardless of the structure we adopt.
I AM THE PASTOR.
• Scripture calls me an overseer or a shepherd.
WE HAVE DEACONS,
• The word means servant,
• But no one could argue that in the Baptist structure deacons function more like
leaders than servants.
WE EVEN HAVE A GROUP OF MEN
• Who are currently studying and training to be in a leadership position,
• Whatever that position may be titled.
So I should think that these 4 verses
Should be of incredible interest to several in our church.
CERTAINLY I AM INTERESTED,
But if you are a deacon you should also be very interested.
If you are a man in training for leadership, you should be very interested.
And certainly even for the entire congregation,
Knowing what is expected of men in leadership is valuable information.
THIS IS IMPORTANT STUFF.
AND TONIGHT, as we look at the failed leadership of Israel,
Let me just show you what becomes easily visible.
Namely: “The 8 Sins of a Sinful Shepherd”
• Scripture speaks so thoroughly to each of these sins that we could likely make a sermon out of each one of them,
• And perhaps the men who are currently in leadership or training should concern themselves with each of these more deeply.
FOR THESE 8 SINS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR
Israel’s rejection of Christ and her current position under God’s wrath
THESE FAILURES ARE CATASTROPHIC.
I’m reminded of what Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
Salvation hangs in the balance here.
It certainly did for Israel and it still does today.
But tonight I have elected to cover all 8 of these,
• Because I think a big picture is also vitally important.
• Because I want all 8 of these in one sermon as a resource for later use among leaders in training.
Just know that there is a lot of ammo left on the counter here.
Scripture is not brief about any of these shepherding blunders.
But let me show you the 8 great sins of a sinful shepherd,
Then I’ll show you why they are so dangerous for the flock.
#1 BLINDNESS
Isaiah 56:10a
“His watchmen are blind,”
Now I know we just skipped verse 9,
Don’t worry, we will come back to it in a moment.
But the first sin listed here is that “His watchmen are blind”
Now I want to give you the second one too,
Because they really work together.
#2 DEAFNESS
Isaiah 56:10b
“All of them know nothing.”
So let’s stop a moment and talk about
The first two major sins of the shepherd
And that is blindness and deafness.
Now, you could make the argument
• That we are here referring to spiritual blindness and spiritual deafness,
Certainly these words can be understood in that way.
The word for “know” as in “know nothing” is the word YAW-DAH.
Isaiah has already used it to refer to spiritual blindness:
Isaiah 6:9 “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’”
• There the same word is translated “understand”
• These people do not understand or “know” spiritual things.
Isaiah 19:12 “Well then, where are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them understand what the LORD of hosts Has purposed against Egypt.”
• There again it is rendered “understand”
So we could call it a spiritual blindness
And perhaps say that these shepherds aren’t even saved at all.
And especially regarding Israel’s current shepherds that is not a stretch.
They do not know the Lord and that is a major problem.
But that is NOT the problem being addressed here.
The problem being addressed here
Can even be found in redeemed shepherds.
You can be saved, with a genuine and true relationship with Jesus Christ
And still make this shepherding blunder.
The key is in going back now to verse 9.
• Here we actually have God calling out to the agents of judgment
• And telling them that His flock is an easy target.
(9) “All you beasts of the field, All you beasts of the forest, Come to eat.”
God is actually sending out an announcement
To the lions and hyenas and wolves and every other predator
And He’s telling them to go and eat the flock.
Now, the natural hesitancy of those predators
Is that THERE IS A RISK in it for them.
We have read the story of David
• And how he took the lion by the mane and killed him
• Or how David also slew the bear.
The lion may attack the flock, but if they’ve got a David for a shepherd
The lion is taking his life in his own hands by attempting it.
But here God assures the predator
That there will be no difficulty in eating this flock because:
“His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing.”
That is to say,
• They won’t see you coming.
• They won’t hear you coming.
They see no threats
They hear no threats
They are totally unalert to the dangers that are present for their flock.
And what a terrible sin for a shepherd to commit,
To fail to recognize the pack of wolves
That is descending upon his flock.
Scripture teaches us:
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Do those of us who are leaders in the congregation
Not realize that this congregation is being hunted?
Do you want to know how thorough the hunting party is?
• Remember when Satan approached God looking for someone to devour and
God asked if he had considered Job?
Do you remember what Satan said to God?
Job 1:10 “Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
• God said, “Have you considered My servant Job..?”
• And Satan said, “Yes, and You’ve got him well fortified.”
• Satan had checked Job, his house, his possessions on every side.
Do not suppose that he is any less thorough with us.
He is at work to tempt and to deceive, to still and to kill and to destroy
And it is the job of the shepherd
To see him and hear him long before the sheep do.
Acts 20:28-31 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.”
• It is the duty of the shepherd to “Be on guard…for all the flock”
• “Savage wolves” are coming.
• We must “be on the alert”.
Failure to do that is a sin against God and a sin against His flock.
WHAT ARE DANGERS TODAY?
What are the deceptions today that threaten the flock?
How about:
• A worldly pressure to tolerate sin?
• A temptation to love the world and all its treasures and pleasures?
• Good Ole Boyism?
• A propensity to make idols out of politics and worldly leaders?
• A growing freedom to grumble and gossip and slander when you’re unhappy?
• The age old temptations of legalism?
• Obvious ones like pornography or gambling or drinking?
We see Satan attacking God’s people with such temptations.
We hear his subtle calls even to God’s people to embrace such errors.
If a shepherd does not see or hear such Satanic attacks on his congregation he is committing a grave error.
WE DON’T HAVE TIME,
• But go read the epistles or go read Jude or 2 Peter
• Listen to Paul and Jude and Peter continually warn the flocks about dangers
that threaten them.
• Paul warning the Galatians about legalism.
• Jude warning the church about the hidden reefs in their love feasts.
• Peter warning the church about the false teachers making merchandise of
them with their sensual teachings.
• John warning about the dangers of Gnosticism.
That’s the bulk of the information in most of those letters.
It was shepherds with open eyes and open ears
Helping the sheep spot the wolves around them.
IT IS THE JOB OF SHEPHERDS.
Blindness, Deafness
#3 SILENCE
Isaiah 56:10c
“All of them are mute dogs unable to bark”
This means that even in those instances when they spot the danger,
They are unwilling to sound the alarm about it.
This is perhaps even worse.
• It is bad enough that the shepherd can’t recognize the signs of the wolf,
• But to see the wolf and still not bark is even worse.
Again, go and read 1 & 2 Timothy or Titus
And make note of how many times Paul says something like:
• “In pointing out these things…” (1 Tim 4:6)
• “Prescribe and teach these things…” (1 Tim 4:11; 5:7)
• “Remind them of these things…” (2 Tim 2:14) (Titus 3:1)
• “These things speak and exhort and reprove, let no one disregard you” (Titus 2:15)
Those books are full of commands for the shepherd to sound the alarm!
Titus 1:10-11 “For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”
2 Timothy 4:1-5 “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
The point is obvious.
• It’s bad enough not to see the rattlesnake.
• It’s bad enough not to hear the rattlesnake.
• But to see it and hear and not warn about it is a terrible sin.
How many times in the gospels do we hear Jesus say:
• “Beware..?”
• Or “Be on the alert…?”
He was not just observing danger,
But He was constantly pointing it out to the flock.
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”
Matthew 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 16:6 “And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
That’s what a good shepherd does.
He warns the flock.
A silent shepherd is a failing shepherd.
If you are in a position of leadership in the church,
Not only is it your duty to spot the danger, but to warn about it.
When the Lord was calling me into the ministry,
• There were many passages He used to sort of shape and mold me,
• But one passage certainly thumped me harder than all the rest.
Ezekiel 3:16-21 “At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me. “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. “However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”
Don’t be a shepherd with bloody hands.
That is what Paul told the Ephesian elders too.
Acts 20:26-27 “Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”
Don’t commit the sin of silence.
The threat must be detected and the threat must be exposed.
Let’s keep moving.
Blindness, Deafness, Silence
#4 LAZINESS
Isaiah 56:10d
“Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;”
And now we get to the root of the problem.
• They didn’t see the wolf because they were sleepy.
• They didn’t hear the wolf because they were napping.
• They didn’t warn the flock because they were dosed off.
Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?
Matthew 13:24-25 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”
Sleepy servants will get you every time.
These are men who are lazy.
They’re not doing the work of a shepherd because they’re too lazy.
• They don’t want to stay awake.
• They don’t want to deprive themselves of sleep.
• They don’t want to be vigilant.
It is hard work to keep watch, nobody particularly relishes the job.
It would be much better if the sheep were in a secure pasture
Where no predators could attack, but that is not where we are.
Shepherds who will stay awake and spot the dangers
And warn the sheep are essential to the health of the flock.
Shepherds must be willing to follow the command of Paul:
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
Satan is launching all kinds of assaults on the church of God,
And it is the shepherds who must be vigilant to spot them.
A failure to do that is a failure to the flock.
Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise, Which, having no chief, Officer or ruler, Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest. How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? “A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest”— Your poverty will come in like a vagabond And your need like an armed man.”
That’s not only true for making money.
It is required for successful shepherding too.
#5 STUPIDITY
Isaiah 56:11b
We are talking here about a good old fashion LACK OF DISCERNMENT.
And it is massive problem.
First in verse 11 we see a second reminder of the threat.
“And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied.”
• That is a reminder that the threat we face is real.
• Those dogs kill for the pleasure of killing and they will never get tired of it.
I had a fox getting in my backyard and killing my chickens.
He wasn’t eating them, he was just killing them
And dragging them up into the tree.
We face a cruel and relentless threat.
The flock faces an enemy who will show no mercy.
And the problem:
“And they are shepherds who have no understanding;”
In verse 10 he said they “know nothing”
Here he says they “have no understanding”
This is a different word.
“understanding” translates BEAN
It means “to separate” or “to distinguish”
1 Kings 3:9 “So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”
There it is translated “discern”
This speaks of a shepherd who saw the wolf and heard the wolf
But didn’t warn the flock
Because he didn’t think the wolf was dangerous.
He thought that wolf just wanted to befriend the sheep,
He had no idea that the wolf’s heart was bent on destruction.
How could a shepherd be so stupid to not know that the wolf will kill the sheep?
WELL how could a shepherd be so stupid to not know that
• Worldly ideology
• Legalism
• Word/Faith theology
• Man-centered theology
• Psychology
And things like that will kill the sheep too?
Jeremiah 10:21 “For the shepherds have become stupid And have not sought the LORD; Therefore they have not prospered, And all their flock is scattered.”
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Do you see the danger?
Who is it that teaches a toddler not to drink Drano?
And who is it that teaches a new believer about destructive heresies?
An undiscerning shepherd is sinning against his people.
If he thinks the biggest threats are
physical safety or financial security or personal comfort,
But he is totally oblivious to the spiritual threats
His flock faces he is failing miserably.
THAT IS A SINNING SHEPHERD.
Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
Salvation hangs in the balance, the shepherd must get it right.
Being blind, deaf, silent, lazy, or undiscerning is a sin in a shepherd.
#6 WORLDLINESS
Isaiah 56:11c
“They have all turned their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.”
Now we find out even more to explain their bad shepherding.
They don’t care about the sheep.
• They only care about their own comforts and gain.
• They are exploiting the sheep for their own benefit.
• They are using the sheep for their own worldly gain.
• Maybe they tickle the ears because sheep with itching ears pay more.
• Maybe they avoid offending sheep because unoffended sheep pay more.
• Maybe they overlook the sinful sheep because that keeps me popular among wayward sheep.
• Or maybe they just flat out lie and tell the sheep to give money to sow a spiritual blessing in their lives like the prosperity guys.
No matter how subtle or grandiose they do it,
They exploit the sheep for their own personal gain.
They look away from the attack of the wolf
Because it is in their best financial interest to do so.
This is strictly forbidden.
1 Timothy 3:3b “free from the love of money.”
Acts 20:29-30 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
This is why Paul also said:
Acts 20:33-34 “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. “You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.
It should go without saying, but sadly it is a massive problem.
But the ministry is not something you do for money.
Yes, the Bible commands churches to compensate their leaders,
But those that wouldn’t do it at their own expense should not do it at all.
And this isn’t just about a paycheck.
There are plenty of men who are in the church
To help their business, or to get elected, or to earn community favor, etc.
That is not a concern for the flock
That is a concern for your own benefit and that is a sin against the flock.
The shepherd cares for the flock out of love for God and for His flock.
Loving the world and using the flock to obtain it is a sinful shepherd.
#7 DRUNKENNESS
Isaiah 56:12a
“Come,” they say, “let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink;”
You’d think this would be obvious too,
But Isaiah isn’t the only one who felt the need to mention it.
1 Timothy 3:3a “not addicted to wine…”
• Paul warned against it too.
In Isaiah’s day this was also a problem.
Isaiah 28:1 “Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim, And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley Of those who are overcome with wine!”
We find out later that
• The drunkards in Isaiah 28 where the prophets
• And Isaiah compared their preaching to the vomit they left on the tables in their
drunken stupor.
Isaiah 28:7-8 “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”
You can argue all you want about whether or not a Christian
Can drink a beer if they don’t get drunk, but that is not the issue here.
The issue here is that a shepherd has to stay away from it.
WHY? Because he has to be alert!
You are “on duty” and you never come off.
If you can’t sleep then you sure can’t get drunk.
These shepherds love the flesh too much.
#8 COMPLACENCY
Isaiah 56:12b
“And tomorrow will be like today, only more so.”
They have no sense or fear of a coming judgment.
• Instead of warning the flock of the dangers yet to come…
• Instead of warning the flock of the judgment of God…
• Instead of warning the flock of the coming salvation…
They are busy assuring the flock that they are fine where they are.
• Nothing will get you here (as the wolf approaches)
• You are perfectly safe (as sheep after sheep are carried off)
They are the epitome of the false prophets Jeremiah warned of:
Jeremiah 8:10b-11 “Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit. “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.”
They assure their listeners that
They are fine in their sin and have nothing to worry about.
TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION
One thing God continually promises is that
If you accept a position of leadership among God’s people
You will most certainly give an account.
1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
James 3:1 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”
Jesus is coming and His under-shepherds will answer to Him.
A shepherd who lives without that understanding is a sinful shepherd.
AND I KNOW THAT IS A QUICK LOOK, and certainly those of you in leadership can search those out even more, and probably should.
But understanding the 8 great sins of a sinful shepherd.
Understand the 8 sins that led to the demise of Israel.
Blindness, Deafness, Silence, Laziness, No Discernment, Worldliness, Drunkenness, and Complacency.
NOW:
WHY ARE THOSE SINS SO DANGEROUS IN A SHEPHERD?
Because dogs are real.
Dogs are hungry.
Dogs are greedy.
(9) “All you beasts of the field, All you beasts of the forest, Come to eat.”
(11) “And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied.”
Shepherds are called to spot them, expose them,
And protect the flock from them.
And if you want to know the one characteristic
That seems to right all of those wrongs mentioned, it is this:
BE SOBER
(as in not drunk, as in not asleep, as in not naïve)
(as in be alert, as in be serious, as in be aware of the coming judgment)
Israel’s shepherds were not sober
And their flock has wandered in judgment for 2,000 years.
These shepherds sinned greatly against God and against their flocks
And as God begins to explain the sin that led to the judgment of Israel,
The shepherds get exposed first.
As a shepherd, I would tell the other shepherds of this flock
And to those in training, BE SOBER.
The flock depends on it.
