John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 3:15

"and I will give you shepherds according to my heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." — Jeremiah 3:15 (ASV)

Here God promises that he would so provide for the salvation of his people after their return from exile, that they would not perish again. But the cause of God’s vengeance should be observed, which is expressed in Isaiah 5, “My people,” he says, “have been led captive, because they had no knowledge; therefore the grave has widened its soul or its throat.” He then says that the cause of the people’s ruin was because instruction had ceased among them, and pastors had become mute dogs or robbers. Here, on the other hand, God declares that he would give them faithful pastors, who would appropriately discharge their office. I indeed acknowledge that under this term, faithful and wise magistrates are included; but he especially refers to prophets and priests, whose particular office it is to reform idolatry.

From this we learn that the Church cannot continue without faithful pastors to show the way of salvation. The well-being of the Church, then, is secured when God raises up true and faithful teachers to proclaim his truth; but when the Church is deprived of sound teachers, all things soon fall into ruin.

For God, no doubt, intimates by this promise that he would not only be the deliverer of his people, so as to restore them from exile, but that he would also be their perpetual guardian after the people had returned to their own country. It follows from this that the Church of God is not only begotten by means of holy and godly pastors, but its life is also cherished, nourished, and confirmed by them until the end.

Just as it is not enough for civil order to be established once, unless the magistrates continue in their office, so nothing is more ruinous to the Church than for God to take away faithful pastors.

Indeed, people cannot return to God unless prophets are first sent. But God speaks here of a continued course of instruction and of a well-regulated government in the Church, as though he had said, “I will not only give you prophets to lead you from your wanderings to me, and to restore you to the way of salvation, but I will also continually set over you sound and faithful teachers.”

But we must notice that those who preside cannot rightly discharge their office unless they are endowed with wisdom. God also intimates his paternal love when he says that good pastors would be dear to him.