Jeremiah 22:1-5
- Do what is just and right.
- Ethical treatment towards both God and man.
- Rescue those who've been robbed by the oppressor.
- Use authority and power to protect and not abuse or oppress.
- Protect justice of the foreigner, fatherless and window
- These are the most vulnerable, those without representation by clan or family.
- Don't shed innocent blood.
- You wouldn't have to go back very far to find King Manasseh sacrificing children to foreign gods.
Two things could happen from this instruction.
- They would be received. The commands followed and the kings would continue to sit on David's throne and the city would thrive.
- They would not be received. In this case the palace, by God's promise, would become a heap of ruin.
Jeremiah 22:6-9
Gilead was fertile and desirable land. Lebanon was a beautiful mountainous area that was heavily forested. Its beauty was also profitable and desirous. Jerusalem was also beautiful and desirous to God, but He promised it would become a wasteland. The cedars the enemy would cut up and burn came from Lebanon.
Most would consider the city untouchable because it represented David's throne, so they would ask, "Why?" It will then be widely known and understood that God would not tolerate His people living with His promises after they broke covenant in rebellion and resorted to idolatry.
Jeremiah 22:10-12
The 'dead king' in reference is King Josiah who died in battle. They would weep because Josiah was attempting to restore a nationalism, reunite Israel and remove any foreign domination. Their weeping should be toward the exile who would never return to the land.
Shallum was the personal name of Jehoahaz, the son of Josiah. This king would not return. He would die in a foreign place, he would not rest with his fathers in Jerusalem. A disturbing thought for them and a sad ending for a king.
Jeremiah 22:13-14
This passage refers to Jehoiakim who engaged in lavish building projects using forced labor. He thought of himself as a Solomon, except he was without wisdom, without humility. He built the palace for himself to exalt himself.
Jeremiah 22:15-17
The questions were rhetorical and mocking. One became a more fitting and worthy king by character, not by accumulation of cedar. Knowledge of God resulted in the emulation of Him. This led to humility, justice and righteousness, defending the vulnerable. A king had his eye on the Lord and on the people, not himself. By contrast, Jehoiakim's eyes were elsewhere seeking gain and willing to oppress, extort and murder for gain.
Jeremiah 22:18-19
Because of his selfish heart, Jehoiakim gets a specific word from the Lord. Instead of a burial fit for a king, he would receive a dishonorable burial fit for a donkey, dragged off and thrown away. There would be no mourning for him.
Jeremiah 22:20-23
The royal palace was so full of cedar it was likened to living in Lebanon. This is an oracle against Jerusalem, like an disgraced and shamed widow. She used to be so confident and sure, so secure in her setting. All the leaders (shepherds) would be driven away. All the allies will disappear into exile. All it took for granted would be gone, lost and the city would groan in pain.
Jeremiah 22:24-30
This oracle returns to the kings of Judah. Jehoiachin was only king for three months before Nebuchadnezzar took him into exile in 597B.C. The signet ring was the seal and identity of a person, it marked ownership and authority. The Lord would deliver the king to his greatest fear, Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. The fears of this king were central to what could be seen in this world, he failed to fear the Lord first, to seek Him. The king is pictured as a ball thrown over the fence, never to be found and returned.
There would be no descendants on the throne. He might as well have died childless, his offspring would not prosper in any way. This is a sad thought to those who sought the Lord and His ways. They would not know what to do with this. It was an overwhelming thought that would have to drive them closer to the Lord in the dark times to come.
©2018 Doug Ford
Facebook