Thus saith Jehovah Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,
God sends Jeremiah away from the temple courts and down to the royal palace. There he must speak God's word straight to the man on the throne, and the whole chapter turns on how that king answers it.
Jeremiah had already named the sin of the priests, the prophets and the people. One office was left: the throne God had tied His promise to.
The king was always the last support of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But now not only had they gone astray; the king himself led the way in the wickedness. So it was impossible to hold on to them, and it was Jeremiah's sorrowful task to announce this decision from God.
Jeremiah must stand before the most powerful man in the land. He does not soften the message.
On another occasion he speaks to King Jehoiakim himself (22:1, 18). He does not hold back. He points out the king's pride and hardness, his selfishness, his empty boasting, and his lack of concern for the good of his people (vv. 13-17).
The message at the palace is not a final sentence yet. It sets terms the king could still meet.
What a sight Jeremiah was as he stood before the royal palace, obeying God's command, to deliver the message God had given him! The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin. The nations, astonished at the destruction and overthrow of the city, will hear the answer: it is "because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."
What God asks of the throne is fair dealing with the weakest people in the kingdom.
The chapter lines up one king of Judah after another, and not in the order they reigned.
The kings are named out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. The moral aim is to show that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be a little more marked in their violence and open evil, but they were all faithless and godless. So the LORD spoke the solemn sentence: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah." What is implied is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.
after-note: extends the same source paragraph
Much more hangs on David's line than the survival of one royal family.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no Gospel for us today! The Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David. And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, for the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must be of David's line! These chapters, however, show that that day will come.
So the whole hope rests on one Person, and Scripture names Him:
Where, then, is this longed-for King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? Scripture answers these questions in 2 Timothy 2:8: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."
- Sent. God does not wait for the king to come to Him; He sends His servant down to the palace with a word the king did not ask for.
- Tested. The throne was the last support of blessing left standing. When the king himself led the wickedness, nothing remained to hold the nation up.
- Offered. The door of mercy was still open, and the test was concrete: justice for the stranger, the orphan, the widow, and no innocent blood.
- Refused. The chapter groups king after king together to make one point: there was almost no difference between them. All were faithless and godless.
- Kept. One king's line was cut off, but David's line was not. The King is Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David.
and say, Hear the word of Jehovah, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people who enter in through these gates.
Judah is failing under its last kings, and God sends His prophet from the temple to the royal palace. The word names the king, his officials, and the people at the gates — so who carries the blame when a nation falls?
A prophet stands outside the king's palace with a word from God. It sets two outcomes before the royal house, and everything turns on how that house treats the weak.
What a figure Jeremiah was! He stood before the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God gave him. The door of mercy still is open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans. Let them stop shedding innocent blood. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.
The word could have gone to the priests or the crowds. It goes to the throne.
Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, though the people and the prophets were ever so wrong, God would still send blessing to Israel. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have chastised the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held to them for His servant David's sake. But they went astray, and the king himself was the leader of the wickedness. Then it was utterly impossible to hold to them, and Jeremiah had the sorrowful task of announcing this decision from God.
The king has no personal name in this verse. God addresses him by the seat he sits on, and that title keeps returning through these chapters.
The recurring expressions "house of David" and "throne of David" (Jer. 21:12; 22:2, 4, 30), and "to David" (Jer. 23:5) show us emphatically what is in the mind of the Spirit.
That repetition reaches far past Jeremiah's day. The same writer shows what would be lost if David's line had failed for good.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the most momentous importance. If David's seed has failed forever, then there is no gospel for us today, because the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because He who rules and reigns to that end must be of David's line!
Chapter 21 has already announced the sentence on king Zedekiah. Yet chapter 22 still holds out an appeal, set between two rounds of judgment.
God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). Then, as we have seen, He declared that the door was always open to repentance and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). After that comes judgment again, and a sentence from God on the different kings.
"Hear the word of the LORD" puts a condition in front of the king. God's promise to David stands behind him. Both hold at the same time.
God holds firmly to the certainty of His purpose of grace. He holds just as firmly to the certainty of His judgments, if the king fails to meet the demands of His holiness. These two streams, grace and responsibility, keep running side by side and never blend into one.
That is why the failure of the man on the throne in Jeremiah's day settles nothing about the throne itself.
God guarantees David's throne, not to Solomon or to any other unfaithful man, but to Christ. Jeremiah 33:15-17 makes this clear: "In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land… For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel." Enemies tried to destroy the royal line and to put another man's son in David's place, but the purpose of God still stands.
- Throne, not name. God addresses the man by the seat he occupies, and "the throne of David" is the phrase that governs these chapters.
- Throne carries the nation. If the king was right, blessing could still reach Israel. When the king led the wickedness, God had nothing left to hold to.
- Throne under condition. God sends the prophet while the door of mercy is still open. Do justice and the house stands; refuse and it becomes a ruin.
- Throne includes everyone. God names the officials and the people at the gates alongside the king. Responsibility runs down as well as up.
- Throne secured. Grace and responsibility run side by side. David's failing sons come to an end, but God keeps the throne itself for Christ — and with it the gospel and the age of blessing to come.
Thus saith Jehovah Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place.
God sends Jeremiah to the royal palace to give His terms to the king himself. The demand is plain: justice for people who cannot defend themselves. The future of David's line hangs on the answer.
The message was still an offer, not yet a sentence. What the verse commands is what Judah's kings had to start doing to turn the ruin aside.
What a figure Jeremiah was! He stood before the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God gave him. The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the stranger, the widows and orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will be left desolate.
The message goes to the king first because the throne was the last thing holding the nation up. God had put up with faithless priests, prophets and people. A corrupt king left nothing to hold on to.
The king was always the last support of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended on the king, David's descendant. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would still have held to them for His servant David's sake. But now they had gone astray, and the king himself led the wickedness. So it was impossible to hold to them. It was Jeremiah's sorrowful task to announce this decision from God.
The verse names three people who cannot fight back: the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. Israel's own past explains why the first is on the list, and God's care explains the rest.
The stranger comes first, and the memory of what they had been in the land of Egypt was to govern how they treated such people. Next, the helpless are commended to their care. Of all the helpless people who appeal to our compassion, the widow and the fatherless have the first claim. So God surrounds them here with the powerful defence of His own arm... All through Scripture these two groups are marked out as the special object of God's care, and so they should be the objects of our compassionate concern. James says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world" (James 1:27).
Later in the same chapter Jeremiah looks back at king Josiah. God calls the way he treated the poor by a surprising name: knowing Him.
In his early days Josiah was a beautiful picture of the Messiah in this. Jeremiah refers to it with feeling: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of deep practical value for those who see how important it is to truly know God: "Was not this to know Me? says the Lord."
Verse 3 comes with an "if" and an "if not." One king in David's line doing this would have kept the chariots rolling through those gates. God backed the other outcome with an oath on Himself.
If one of that family had been found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then kings of this house would have sat for David on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses — he, his servants and his people (Jer. 22:4). But if not, God swore by Himself that this house would be left waste (v. 5).
No king met the terms. The chapters that follow sentence them one by one. Yet the story does not end in the palace ruins.
God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). He had shown that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always followed a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). Then judgment is pronounced again, a sentence from God on the different kings. At the end (Jer. 23), the LORD's anger against these evil shepherds leads to the promise that He will raise up a Shepherd after His own heart: the true Son of David, the Messiah.
- Command — Jeremiah brings God's terms to the palace: do justice, rescue the robbed, shed no innocent blood.
- Care — God has made the stranger, the fatherless and the widow the special object of His care. His people must share it.
- Knowledge — Josiah judged the cause of the poor and needy. God calls that knowing Him.
- Condition — obedience would have kept kings riding through those gates. Refusal brought God's oath that the house would be left waste.
- King — no son of David met the terms. So the line of judged kings ends in a promise: God will raise up His own Shepherd, the true Son of David.
For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in through the gates of this house kings sitting in the place of David upon his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, -- he, and his servants, and his people.
God sends Jeremiah to the royal palace with a message that hangs on one word: if. The throne of David, the busy palace gates, the chariots and horses of a working court — the king can keep it all on one condition, and the rest of the chapter shows what happened when he refused.
God sends this message to the throne, not to the priests or the people. The reason lies in what the royal line meant for Israel.
Royalty was always the last remaining channel of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still send blessing to Israel, no matter how wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray, and the king himself led the wickedness. Then it became completely impossible to hold on to them.
The message is not only a warning. It comes with a real offer.
What a figure Jeremiah was as he stood before the royal palace, obeying God's command, to deliver the message God gave him! The door of mercy still is open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and the orphans. Let them shed no more innocent blood. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.
The promise in this verse comes with a matching threat in the next verse.
If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people" (Jer. 22:4). But if not, "I have sworn by Myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become waste" (v. 5). Later, those who saw the ruins would know why: they had abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods.
God had acted this way before. He gave a gift freely, then made keeping it depend on obedience.
Grace had brought them this far… But grace had set them in the land, just as God in His goodness had once set Adam in the Garden. Now they had to hold it on the terms of their own covenant, on condition of obedience. The same was true later with the throne of David. In grace God chose David and lifted him high… He set his throne in peaceful glory in his son Solomon. But then David's family had to keep David's throne on terms of obedience. And we know they lost the throne, just as the tribes of Israel lost the land, and Adam lost the Garden.
The chapter then lists king after king. Not one of them met the terms of this verse.
The kings are not named in the order they reigned. The separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah are gathered into one cluster, to show that there was no real difference between them. Some were more marked in their violence and open sin, but they were all faithless and godless… What this implies is not that David's line would fail, but that this man's line would.
If the story ended with the last of those kings, much more than one royal family would fall with it.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's seed has failed forever, then there is no Gospel for us today! For the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it must be of David's line!
So where is that King now?
Where, then, is this long-awaited King, this One on Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions comes in 2 Timothy 2:8, "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."
- Condition. God offered the promise on terms: do justice, and the house of David keeps its throne.
- Mercy. Jeremiah stood at the palace door with an offer, not only a threat. The door of mercy was still open.
- Collapse. Not one king in the chapter met the terms. They differed in degree of violence, not in character, and the house became a ruin.
- Limit. The failure ended one man's line, not David's line. God's promise held.
- Fulfilment. What no king of Judah could earn, God secured in Jesus Christ, of David's seed, raised from the dead. So the Gospel stands, and the coming age of blessing stands with it.
But if ye will not hear these words, I have sworn by myself, saith Jehovah, that this house shall become a waste.
God sends Jeremiah down from the temple to the palace, with one choice for the king, his officials, and everyone who walks through those gates. Will the house of David listen? Blessing or ruin hangs on the answer, and God seals the darker half of it with an oath sworn on His own name.
The word comes to the royal house, not to the priests or the prophets. One writer shows why the throne decided everything.
In Israel's history, the throne was always the last support that blessing rested on. If only the king had been right, then however wrong the people and the prophets were, God would still have sent blessing to Israel. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have disciplined the prophets and priests and people, but He would have kept His hold on them for the sake of His servant David. But when not only they went astray, but the king himself led the way in the wickedness, it was impossible to keep hold of them. Jeremiah had the sorrowful task of announcing this decision from God.
God ties the whole future of the palace to one test.
If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people" (Jer. 22:4); but if not, "I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation" (v. 5). Those who later saw the ruin would know it came because they had forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and served other gods.
The same writer points to a verse later in the chapter that ties this justice to knowing God.
Most striking is verse 16, which tells us, "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD." For anyone who values the true knowledge of God, this is a notable verse. Every believer should weigh it well.
God had already sentenced Zedekiah one chapter earlier. The offer of terms still came.
God had already pronounced judgment on Zedekiah (Jer. 21). Then, as we have seen, He declared that the door was always open to repentance, and that blessing always went with a godly walk (Jer. 21:12; Jer. 22:1-5). After that He pronounces judgment again, and passes sentence on the different kings.
"I swear by Myself" sounds strange until you ask who else God could appeal to.
God cannot swear by one higher than Himself, so He swears by Himself… No word can add to God's trustworthiness. His word is His bond. It is immutable, unchangeable, divine.
Centuries later the same sentence was pronounced again, and one writer traces the line directly.
References are found… in Luke 13:35 and Matthew 23:38 to Jeremiah 22:5.
That later desolation came the same way this one did — by conditions offered and not kept.
Solomon himself never fulfilled the conditions God set down, and neither did his family or his subjects. So in the end God withdrew from the temple… God did bear long with Israel's disobedience, but in the end, as the Lord Jesus said, "See, your house is left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:38). The rejection and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, the Son over God's house, settled this for good. What could the temple be without its Lord?
If the oath of ruin were the last word about David's line, the loss would reach much further than one burned palace.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" carries the greatest weight. If David's seed has failed for ever, then there is no gospel for us today! For the gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! Nor is there any coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth, for the One who rules and reigns to that end must be of David's line! These four chapters, however, show that that day will come.
- The house heard — God sent the word to the throne, because everything hung on the king. While the king was right, blessing held. When he led the wickedness, nothing could hold.
- The house was offered — God set plain terms. Do justice, and kings keep coming through these gates. The door to repentance stayed open even after He had sentenced Zedekiah.
- The house was warned — God swore by Himself, because there is no one higher to swear by. No oath can add to His trustworthiness; His word was already unchangeable.
- The house was emptied — the same sentence fell on the temple after people rejected and crucified the Son. A house without its Lord is nothing but a building.
- The house will yet stand — the fall of these kings is not the end of David's line. The gospel today and the coming age of blessing both rest on a King from that line.
For thus saith Jehovah concerning the house of the king of Judah Thou art a Gilead unto me, the summit of Lebanon verily I will make thee a wilderness, cities not inhabited.
Jeremiah stands at the royal palace with a message that hangs on one word: if. God prizes this royal house, yet He is ready to leave it empty — and if David's line is ruined, what happens to the promises tied to it?
God addresses a royal house, not a private man. One writer explains why so much depended on the throne.
Royalty was always the last stem of blessing in the history of Israel. If only the king had been right, God would still have sent blessing to Israel, however wrong the people and the prophets were. Everything depended upon the king, the seed of David. God might have punished the prophets and priests and people, but He would have held on to them for the sake of His servant David. But the people went astray and the king himself led the wickedness. Then it was completely impossible to hold on to them, and Jeremiah had the sad task of announcing this decision from God.
Two things made Gilead's name famous.
It is a mountainous district... Pasture is plentiful in Gilead, and that is why Gad and the others chose it for their cattle... The Ishmaelites who bought Joseph were travelling with balm and myrrh from Gilead (Gen. 37:25). The balm of Gilead was famous for its healing power (Jer. 8:22; Jer. 46:11).
Rich pasture and healing balm — that is what the royal house was worth to God.
The second image points to height and rank. One writer explains what the cedar of Lebanon stands for.
The cedar on Lebanon stands for royalty in Israel, held by the house of David — a royalty that was now, because of its sins, in servitude to the head of the Gentile powers.
Another writer traces the cedar through Scripture.
In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or high position, if not pride... When judgment falls on the great of the earth, Isaiah calls it the day of the LORD upon the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These examples mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.
God's sentence followed an open offer. One writer sets out that offer, and the reason the nations would be given.
The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice. Let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and the orphans. Let them shed innocent blood no longer. Then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a desolation. The nations will be astonished at the destruction and overthrow of the city. They will hear the answer: it is "because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them."
Being precious to God settled nothing by itself. One writer puts the two halves of the verse side by side.
If even one of that family could be found doing righteous judgment and mercy, then God would give "kings who sit on the throne of David" (v. 4). But if not: "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation" (v. 5). Those who later saw the ruin would know the reason: they had forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (vv. 6-9)... And though this royal house was like Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord, it would still be laid waste.
If this house is cut down, is David's line finished? One writer shows how much hangs on that.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the most momentous importance. If David's seed has failed for ever then there is no Gospel for us today! for the Gospel makes known the sure mercies of David! And there is no coming age of world-wide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must be of David's line!
The same writer answers where that King is now.
Where, then, is this long-desired King, this One upon Whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? 2 Timothy 2:8 gives the answer: "Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David."
- Valued — God calls the royal house Gilead and the summit of Lebanon: rich pasture, healing balm, cedars of dignity and power.
- Trusted — everything for Israel hung on the king. God would bear with failing priests, prophets and people for David's sake. He would not bear with a king who led the wickedness.
- Offered — the sentence came after a real offer: do justice, protect the weak, shed no innocent blood, and the throne stands.
- Wasted — being valued gave no immunity. The prized cedar became a desert, a city with no people. The nations passing by learned the reason: Judah had abandoned the covenant and served other gods.
- Preserved — the royal house fell; the promise stood. Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, is the offspring of David — so the ruin of this house is not the end of the story.
And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons; and they shall cut down the choice of thy cedars, and cast [them] into the fire.
God sends Jeremiah to the palace door, and the sentence on the royal house ends with woodcutters: armed men God Himself gets ready to fell the best cedars and burn them. So who is really behind the invading army, and why is the land's most privileged house the one marked for the axe?
Verse 7 is the second half of an offer. God sent Jeremiah to stand in front of the king's house while there was still a way back.
What a figure Jeremiah was as he stood in front of the royal palace, obedient to God's command, to deliver the message God had given him! The door of mercy is still open. Let them do justice, let them stop oppressing the foreigner, the widows and orphans, let them shed no more innocent blood — then the house of David will prosper. If not, the house will become a ruin.
The verse before calls this house Gilead and the summit of Lebanon. Standing that high with God did not put it beyond judgment.
Those who later saw the ruin were to know it was because they had abandoned the covenant of the Lord their God and served other gods (vv. 6-9). The kings Shallum (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim (v. 18) and Coniah (Jehoiachin, v. 24) all alike come under the judgment of God. And though this royal house was as Gilead and the summit of Lebanon to the Lord, it would still be laid waste.
These trees are more than timber. Throughout Scripture the cedar carries a settled meaning.
In Scripture the cedar always stands for power or high position, if not pride. When the king of Israel wanted to pour contempt on the king of Judah, he compared himself to a cedar and Judah's king to a thistle (2 Kings 14:9). When judgment comes on the great of the earth, Isaiah says it is the day of the LORD against the cedars of Lebanon (2:13). These mark the cedar as the symbol of dignity and power.
One writer applies the picture to Israel's leading men: "Lebanon, where the cedars come from, would speak of the glory of men; the eminent men of Israel are spoken of as cedars of Lebanon" (George Davison).
God says He will make the destroyers ready. The armies that came never guessed whose work they were doing.
God put power into the hand of the Gentile nations. He gave their armies success, even against the nation of His choice, and even to the overthrow of Zion, which He loved. Yet He does not overlook the pride of heart, the lust for power, the self-will and the violence of the rod that He uses to correct His erring people. The nations that invaded His land again and again, destroying life and property without restraint, were His instruments for correcting His stubborn and stiff-necked people. But doing the will of God was far from the thought of any one of them.
Being used by God does not make the tool safe. In time the woodcutters meet the fate of the cedars.
When He has done with His rod, He can break it or burn it. "Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who uses it?"
Later in the chapter Jeremiah turns to king Jehoiakim. He panelled his new rooms with cedar and never paid the men who built them. The fire of this verse falls on the thing he prized.
"Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages… Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?"… Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame?
William Kelly (Scripture given here in ESV; Kelly quoted an older version.)
The dynasty was written off, yet commentators insist the promise to David was not.
This whole question of "the house of David" and "the throne of David" is of the greatest importance. If David's line has failed forever, then there is no gospel for us today! The gospel makes known the sure mercies promised to David! And there is no coming age of worldwide blessing for this earth either, because the One who rules and reigns to bring it in must come from David's line!
- Privilege — To God the royal house was Gilead and the summit of Lebanon. That honour did not save it from being laid waste.
- Warning — Jeremiah preached at the palace door while the door of mercy was still open. Do justice, stop the oppression and the innocent blood, and the house would stand.
- Axe — God Himself makes the destroyers ready. The invading nations were His instruments, though doing His will never entered their minds.
- Ash — In the Bible the cedar stands for dignity and power. So felling and burning the cedars means the great men themselves brought low. Jehoiakim panelled his rooms with cedar and paid no wages, and he lost the very thing he prized.
- Root — Everything hangs on David's line. If it had failed forever, commentators say, there would be no gospel and no coming age of blessing for the earth.
And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath Jehovah done thus unto this great city?
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.
And they shall say, Because they have forsaken the covenant of Jehovah their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.
Jeremiah 22 opens with foreign travellers passing the ruins of Jerusalem and asking why the city fell. Verse 9 gives them the answer in one sentence.
Jeremiah did not invent this question-and-answer. He was quoting Deuteronomy, as one writer points out:
Jeremiah's quotations and references from the Book of the Covenant are too many to mention. ... Notice "Covenant of the Lord," Jeremiah 22:8-9 and Deuteronomy 29:24-26.
Deuteronomy warned that strangers from far away would ask why the land was ruined. One writer says travellers have done exactly that:
First comes an earnest appeal to enter into the covenant, including the little ones, the stranger, the woodcutter and the water-carrier. Then the curse appears once more, as the result of turning away from the Lord. Such evil is to come on them and on the land that travellers from a far land will ask about it. They will see the plagues of that land, and the sickness which the LORD has laid on it. And "all nations shall say, Why has the LORD done this to this land? What does the heat of this great anger mean?" Strangers from far lands, tourists and pilgrims, have visited Palestine, just as this prediction said. Seeing the sad condition of that land, they have often asked these questions and known their answer.
(This quotes Deuteronomy 29 in an older translation.)
Verse 9 names the two sins in order. Israel left the covenant first; then they worshipped other gods. One writer shows why the second always follows the first, using an earlier king who thought he had found a middle position:
To forsake the worship of the true God is to fall into idolatry, whatever form this may take. In religion there is no middle ground. No doubt Jeroboam thought he had found such a middle ground: he did not adopt the false gods of the surrounding nations; he only wanted to set up a common religion for Israel.
The chapter names several kings, but not in the order they reigned. That arrangement has a purpose:
The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster. The moral point is that there was really no difference between them. Some were a little more open in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.
It can seem harsh that God made an example of His own city. One writer defends the principle behind it:
Nothing could be more fair than this principle. God could not appear to excuse the failings of the people of His favour. Men of the world often do this, but God's ways are always righteous. If He were to be lenient toward His own people, how could He judge the world?
The chapter ends with a sentence on one king's descendants. One writer marks its limit:
The meaning is not that the line of David would fail, but that this one king's line would.
So a King of David's line was still to come. Another writer asks where He is now:
The shepherds, who should have cared for the sheep of His pasture, were to be punished too, because they had destroyed and scattered the flock (Jer. 23:1-3). Yet God will gather them again in His grace and supply them with abundance of blessing. But this long-awaited day needs a King of David's royal line to bring it in. We know that from many other Scriptures. Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? 2 Timothy 2:8 gives the answer: "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."
- Forsaking — the first sin is leaving the covenant. Idols only fill the space left behind, and there is no middle ground.
- Spreading — the failure ran through a whole line of kings, grouped together to show there was no real difference between them.
- Warned — the verse repeats a warning from Deuteronomy, so Israel had heard this sentence long before the city fell.
- Published — foreigners passing by ask the question and hear the answer, so the whole world learns why the city fell.
- Restored — the sentence ended one king's family, not David's line; the King of that line is Jesus Christ, raised from among the dead.
Weep not for the dead, neither bemoan him; [but] weep sore for him that goeth away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.
Jeremiah tells a grieving nation to move its tears from the dead king to the living one. The dead king is Josiah; the one led away alive is his son — so why does the living king deserve the louder grief?
The nation had already spent its tears once, and Jeremiah himself had led the mourning.
The land never heard a louder wail than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Scripture tells us plainly that Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and that "all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel." But here, long after, the same Jeremiah speaks of Josiah's son. A people who lost so godly a king, cut off before his time, had every right to mourn him. But the lot of his son was far sadder: Pharaoh Necho deposed him and carried him away into Egypt.
Josiah's early death was not the loss it seemed. God took him away before the disaster arrived.
The time had come when God would take the righteous and the merciful away from among them. It might look as though these people were under His judgment. In fact it was better for them to die than to live and share the judgment that would fall. A striking example came later. God took God-fearing Josiah away so that his eyes would not see the disasters coming. Of him it could then be said: "he enters into peace."
The one to weep for is Josiah's son Jehoahaz, whom Jeremiah calls Shallum. Egypt's king removed him, and he died abroad. His sentence was heavier than the exile other kings faced.
The verse suggests that something worse than mere deportation was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. Another king, a few years later, went into easy captivity, but no such portion awaited Shallum. Perhaps Necho did to him what he would have liked to do to the man who blocked his march to Carchemish. Shallum's short reign was cruel, according to Ezekiel 19:1-4.
Josiah's last military move came back on his son.
Pharaoh Necho takes revenge on him for what Josiah had done. Josiah had foolishly supported the Assyrian, trying to block the march of the Egyptian army. Bound with chains, Jehoahaz is led to Egypt and dies there. Pharaoh takes no account of this kingship set up by the people.
The next verse names him, but not with the name he was given at birth. The switch carries a message.
Jeremiah spoke of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin under changed names. Why was this? Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold." But he calls him Shallum, meaning "Recompensed": judgment was to fall upon him.
He also came to the throne by the wrong route.
Jehoahaz was not the eldest son of the late king… The people made him king: it was the choice of the crowd, not the appointment of God… He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
Jeremiah says this to the king then on the throne, Jehoiakim.
It is too late to mourn his predecessors. Good King Josiah was dead (v.10). Jehoahaz had been captured and would never see his native land again (vv.10-12). As for Jehoiakim himself, he will die violently, and no one will mourn him… The king hears this frightening prophecy and still refuses to listen.
- Redirect. The verse does not forbid grief; it moves it. The buried king is beyond harm, the exiled one is not.
- Rest. God took Josiah away before the disaster came, so his eyes would not see it. His death was mercy, not judgment.
- Recompense. Jeremiah renames Jehoahaz "Shallum," which means recompensed. Judgment was going to fall on him.
- Removal. He went out and never came back. Egypt deposed him, bound him, and he died there — a fate worse than plain deportation.
- Refusal. The people wept over yesterday and missed the warning about tomorrow. The king on the throne refused to listen.
For thus saith Jehovah concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went forth out of this place He shall not return thither any more;
Jeremiah names the king the people should weep for. Shallum was a son of Josiah. He held the throne for only a few months, and then a foreign ruler took him out of the land. The verse asks us to weigh two griefs against each other — the death of a good father, and the living exile of his son.
The king in this verse also goes by another name, which is why he is easy to miss.
Son and successor of Josiah king of Judah: he reigned only three months, B.C. 610. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and was deposed by Pharaoh-Necho, who sent him in chains to Egypt, where he died. 2 Kings 23:30-34; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4. He is called SHALLUM in 1 Chronicles 3:15; Jeremiah 22:11. In the parable of the lion's cubs in Ezekiel 19:1-9, this king is the one carried in chains to Egypt.
Jeremiah swaps the king's name for a different one. The new name tells you what is coming.
Jeremiah spoke of Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin under changed names. Why was this? Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold"; but he calls him Shallum (Jer. 22:11), meaning "Recompensed"; judgment was to fall upon him.
The verse says he reigned in his father's place. But the crowd, not God, put him there, and Christ's family line leaves his name out.
The normal line of succession to Judah's throne ended with Josiah, the king the nation mourned. Jehoahaz was not the eldest son of the late king. Johanan and Jehoiakim were both older than he (1 Chron. 3:15). The people made him king. It was the crowd's choice, not God's appointment… In Jeremiah 22:11 he has a telling name, Shallum, which means "the one who is paid back". The royal family list of Judah records him under that name (1 Chron. 3:15). His name is left out of the list of our Lord's ancestors in Matthew 1.
The nation had wept hard for Josiah. Long after, Jeremiah tells them to save their tears for someone else.
The land had never heard a louder cry of grief than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah… But here, long after, the same Jeremiah says of Josiah's son, "Weep not for the dead, neither mourn for him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country."… The people had good reason to mourn Josiah, a godly king cut off early. But his son's lot was far worse. Pharaoh-Necho removed him from the throne and carried him away into Egypt.
The words "he shall return here no more" point to more than being sent away.
This suggests that something worse than being sent away was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. A later king of Judah went into an easy captivity a few years afterwards, but Shallum had no such share. Perhaps Necho did to him what he would have liked to do to the man who blocked his march to Carchemish. Shallum's short reign was cruel according to Ezekiel 19:1-4.
Notice where he ends up. Egypt is not just any country in Israel's story.
The people of the land placed his son Jehoahaz on the throne. But the king of Egypt would not let him rule. He carried him off to Egypt, where he died a prisoner. Long ago the Lord had rescued His people Israel out of that same land and power, with a mighty arm and wonderful signs.
Josiah's influence reached the whole nation. It did not reach his own home.
For a time Josiah's godly influence shaped the priests, the Levites and the people. But his own sons do not seem to have been moved by their father's life and deeds… The evil ways of the sons of Aaron, of Eli, of Samuel and of Josiah give a solemn warning to every godly father. He must give special attention to his own house, in case the evils he hates and condemns in others show up in his own family.
- Named — Jeremiah calls him Shallum, "Recompensed", not Jehoahaz, "The Lord shall hold". The name gives the verdict before the story is told.
- Chosen — The crowd put him on the throne, not God. He was not the eldest son, and Matthew 1 leaves his name out of Christ's line.
- Deposed — Three months of evil ended when Pharaoh-Necho removed him. He died in Egypt, the land the Lord once rescued Israel from.
- Mourned — The nation wept for Josiah, who was dead. Jeremiah says the sadder case is the living son who will never see home again.
- Warning — Josiah's godliness did not pass to his sons. Every godly father must watch his own house.
for he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
Verse 11 names the king in view: Shallum, the son of Josiah, already carried out of his own land. This verse closes his case — he dies where his captors took him, and he never comes home.
Jeremiah does not call this king by his throne name. He calls him Shallum, and the name itself matches the verdict.
Ezekiel 19:1-4 compares him to "a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men." That is the only hint we get about the character of his sin... Jeremiah 22:11 pointedly calls him Shallum, which means "to whom it is requited," and the royal genealogy of Judah records him under that name (1 Chronicles 3:15). Matthew 1 leaves his name out of the list of our Lord's ancestors.
His birth name had carried a promise. The new one carries a judgment:
Jehoahaz meant "The Lord shall hold"; but Jeremiah calls him Shallum (Jeremiah 22:11), meaning "Recompensed"; judgment was to fall on him.
The verse completes a startling instruction: stop mourning the king who died, and weep hard for the one going away.
The land never heard a louder wail than when all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah... The people mourned Josiah justly, for they had lost so godly a king, cut off early. But the lot of his son was far more to be pitied: Pharaoh-Necho removed him from the throne and carried him away into Egypt.
The sentence fits the man. He had taken a throne that was not his, and God stood behind the king who took it from him.
He never returned from Egypt. Jehoahaz — the name means "Jehovah-seized" — had seized a throne that was not his by right. In turn Necho, God's instrument, seized him and carried him to a land of exile, to find a grave far from the tombs of his fathers.
One writer weighs Shallum's exile against a later king's:
The call to weep for him suggests that something worse than mere deportation was in store for Josiah's worthless successor. Jehoiachin, a few years later, went into an easy captivity, but no such portion awaited Shallum. Possibly Necho inflicted on him what he would have liked to inflict on the man who opposed his march to Carchemish.
Shallum was the son of Josiah, a godly king. Writers draw a warning for every father from what became of Josiah's sons:
For a time Josiah's godly influence shaped the priests, the Levites and the people. But his own sons do not seem to have taken in the life and deeds of their father... The evil ways of the sons of Aaron, the sons of Eli, the sons of Samuel, and the sons of Josiah give a solemn warning to every godly father. He must give special attention to his own house, in case the evils he hates and condemns in others spring up in his own family.
Jeremiah's words here were not vague. Writers trace the same precision through what he said about the kings after Shallum:
The word about Jehoahaz, or rather "Shallum" (Jeremiah 22:11-12), came to pass with solemn precision, and so did the word about Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:17-19). His son, whom his father called Jehoiachin and the prophet called Coniah, became another witness to the truth of God's holy word.
Shallum is the first in a group of kings this chapter puts together.
The kings named here are out of date order. The purpose is to gather the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah into one cluster, to show, as a moral lesson, that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be more open in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.
If this line gave Judah no fit ruler, one writer points to where the true King is found:
Where, then, is this deeply desired King, this One on whom so much depends? Is He living today? What is His Name? The answer to these questions is given in 2 Timothy 2:8, "Jesus Christ of the seed of David raised from among the dead."
- Named — Jeremiah calls him Shallum, "Recompensed." His birth name had promised that the Lord would hold him.
- Requited — he had seized a throne that was not his; he was seized in turn and buried far from his fathers' tombs.
- Wept — mourning is redirected from Josiah's grave to his living son, whose exile was the sadder loss of the two.
- Warned — Josiah's godly influence never reached his own sons. Every father who hates evil in others should watch his own house.
- Replaced — not one king in this line was better than the rest. The throne belongs to Jesus Christ, of David's line, raised from the dead.
Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his upper chambers by injustice; that taketh his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not his earning;
A woe falls here on a king who built a fine palace with labour he refused to pay for. That king is Jehoiakim, son of the godly Josiah, and his crime is wages held back from working men.
These verses sit in a series of verdicts on the kings who watched Judah fall:
The Spirit of God has gathered the testimonies given about all the members of David's family. They presided, so to speak, over the ruin of Jerusalem — Jehoahaz (Jer. 22:10), Jehoiakim (vv. 13-19), Jeconiah (vv. 20-30).
One commentator weighs his life and his death:
The king of Egypt set up another son of Josiah and changed his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. But Nebuchadnezzar bound the guilty king in chains and carried him to Babylon… Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No lamentation for him, but a donkey's burial — that is, shameful exposure — beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
One writer traces the burdens Jehoiakim piled on his people:
Pharaoh Neco laid a heavy war payment on Judah, and Jehoiakim had to raise it from the people. As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep… The moral greatness of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. Yet Jehoiakim would still put on material splendour. Let God's people today beware. Do not try to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.
One writer shows how far God's word on wages reaches into ordinary business:
He forbids dishonesty and untruthfulness, above all when His name is profaned. He also condemns oppressing your neighbour — even holding back for one night the pay owed to a poor labourer. The employment of labour is often carried on in a hard spirit, grinding the faces of the poor. Some masters give freely to so-called Christian or charitable causes what is wrung out of tears and curses. That is no compensation. In God's eyes it makes the wrong worse.
The debt does not stay silent:
Their very wealth tempts the rich to withhold wages from the poor. Only their own affairs matter to them. They put off to a convenient time the claims of those who live from hand to mouth. But the debt cries aloud to Him who always feels for the poor… The cries of the reapers may not have reached the rich. They did reach the ears of the Lord of hosts, and His blow would fall when least expected.
Jeremiah answers the son by pointing to his father Josiah, whose care for the poor pictured the coming King:
It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this. Jeremiah touchingly refers to it: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical importance for those who understand how much the true knowledge of God matters: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."
One writer links his shameful end to his contempt for God's word:
He was a cruel despot, who built his palaces by forced labour; covetousness, shedding of innocent blood, oppression and violence marked his reign. Then his shameful burial, the burial of a donkey, is predicted. It means that a donkey has no burial, and so Jehoiakim would have no burial. He is the only king of Judah whose burial is not recorded… This specially shameful end was most likely announced because he had cut the Word of God to pieces and thrown it into the fire.
The same charge falls on anyone who builds his safety on unrighteous gain, and the same "woe" answers it. One writer sets the believer's ambition against it:
Here the enemy is accused of making unrighteous gain, so as to build himself a safe house with nothing to fear… It was in vain. The disaster, the "woe," would fall on him anyway… In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his own house. His joy and his honour consist in this, that he, like David, gathers the building materials for the house of his God.
- Build — Jehoiakim built a splendid palace with labour he refused to pay for, on top of taxes he had already squeezed out of the people.
- Wages — God calls a wage held back even one night oppression. Giving freely to good causes does not cancel money wrung from other people's tears.
- Cries — the unpaid worker cannot force payment. His cry still reaches the Lord of hosts, and the blow falls when least expected.
- Know — Josiah judged the cause of the poor and needy, and God calls that knowing Him. The test of knowing God is how you treat the weakest person near you.
- End — the man who built himself a house got no burial of his own. The believer's aim is not to enlarge his own house but to gather materials for God's.
that saith, I will build me a wide house, and spacious upper chambers; and he cutteth out for himself windows; and it is wainscoted with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
These are the words of King Jehoiakim, dreaming of a palace while the nation he ruled slid toward ruin. The prophet writes his boast down as evidence in the case God is bringing against him.
Chapter 22 gathers several kings of Judah into one short space, and not in the order they reigned. One writer explains how much hung on the king, and why the prophecies are grouped:
Everything depended on the king. God might have chastised the prophets and priests and people, but He would have stood by them for His servant David's sake. But when the people went astray and the king himself led the wickedness, it was utterly impossible to stand by them… The kings named are out of chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah all into one cluster, to show that in practice there was no difference between them. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.
The verse ends with cedar panelling and vermilion, a red pigment. A Bible dictionary traces where else Scripture uses the word "painted":
Only once applied to a house: "painted with vermilion," Jeremiah 22:14. Jezebel "painted her eyes," as 2 Kings 9:30 should read. Israel is compared to an immoral woman who painted her eyes, Ezekiel 23:40. They painted the eyelids and eyebrows with antimony or some other pigment, which made the eyes look larger.
A word used for eye make-up is here used of a house. The king was putting make-up on his palace.
The boast follows straight on from the charge just before it: the king built by unrighteousness and used his neighbour's work without paying for it. That was the character of the whole reign:
It was a wretched government, marked by public wrong, violence, oppression and covetousness. The land grew poor while the king indulged in luxury. He built magnificent palaces, or decorated towns, by forced labour that he never paid for. It cost the lives of a miserable enslaved people.
The end matched the life. Nebuchadnezzar bound Jehoiakim in chains and carried him to Babylon:
Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No mourning for him, only a donkey's burial — that is, shameful exposure — outside the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
The next verses answer the boast by pointing Jehoiakim to his own father, Josiah:
Jeremiah refers with feeling to Josiah in his early days: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jeremiah 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical importance for everyone who values the true knowledge of God: "Was not this to know Me? says the Lord."
(ESV: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me? declares the LORD.")
The pattern is wider than one king of Judah. Writers apply the same charge to rulers through history:
In history we see again and again that government leaders invade the land of other nations by force. They conquer it to enlarge their power. They build the greatness of their own house out of what they have taken from others. They build their nest high… In the end all such plans have no other result than the downfall and shame of these ambitious rulers… Ambition and pride founded this fine building on deceit. Every stone and beam of it became a living testimony against the oppressor. In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his own house.
One writer puts the personal cost in a single line:
How many have pulled down their souls to build up their houses.
- Boast. Jehoiakim's own building plans convict him. The prophet writes them down as evidence against the king.
- Bill. Unpaid forced labour built the splendour while the land grew poor — luxury at the top, misery underneath.
- Blind spot. God's reply points to Josiah: he judged the cause of the poor and needy, and God calls that knowing Him.
- Burial. The king with the least conscience died with the most shame — no mourners, and a donkey's burial outside the gates.
- Blueprint. Rulers still build their nest high on what they take from others. Every stone of such a house testifies against the builder. The one who serves God builds for God's house instead of his own.
Shalt thou reign, because thou viest with the cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice? Then it was well with him.
King Jehoiakim was busy building himself a grand house in cedar. This verse asks him two questions: does fine cedar make a man a king, and what made his father Josiah's reign go well?
These words are for Jehoiakim, son of Josiah. He taxed the land heavily to pay Pharaoh, then went further and made the people build for him for nothing.
As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim compelled them to build palaces for himself without wages. Even though the people were evil, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep. The contrast between this monster and his father is noted by God Himself in Jer. 22:13-17.
Fine building materials do not prove a man fit to rule. One writer draws a warning from Jehoiakim for readers today.
The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had departed; but Jehoiakim would still put on material splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.
The woe in the verses just before this one falls on a man who makes himself secure by taking from others. One writer sees the same pattern in ambitious rulers, and sets beside it what a servant of God builds instead.
They build up the greatness of their own house out of what they have extorted from others. They build their nest high… In the end all such plans lead only to the downfall and shame of these ambitious rulers. They found that they had sinned against their own soul. Ambition and pride founded this beautiful building on deceit. Every stone and every beam of it became a living testimony against the oppressor. In contrast, the believer who wants to serve God never thinks of enlarging his house. His joy and his honour consist in this, that he, like David, gathers the building materials for the house of his God.
Josiah did justice and righteousness, and things went well for him. One writer ties that "well" to the character of the king, and shows why it could not continue under his son.
Under Josiah, there was an outward restraint of evil. The king's godliness affected the nation, and God blessed it. But when his son Jehoiakim was on the throne, God found no moral ground among the people for His favour.
This chapter condemns the last kings of Judah, Josiah's sons among them. One writer notes why Josiah himself gets a mention.
Shallum's father, Josiah, is spoken of also (vv. 11 and 16); but only to contrast him with the wickedness of his sons.
In the next verse, God calls the defence of the poor a true knowledge of Him. The same writer sees in Josiah a picture of the King still to come.
It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this respect. Jeremiah refers to it with feeling: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him." The prophet then adds a word of great practical importance for those who understand how much it matters to truly know God: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."
- Cedar. Fine building does not make a king. Jehoiakim kept up outward splendour after the moral greatness of David's house had gone.
- Cost. He built on unpaid labour. Every beam of that house became a witness against the man who raised it.
- Contrast. Jeremiah names Josiah for one reason: his record exposes the wickedness of his sons.
- Consequence. Josiah's godliness restrained evil and brought blessing on the nation. Under Jehoiakim, God found no moral ground for His favour.
- Care. Judging the cause of the poor and needy is what God calls knowing Him. It points forward to the King who will deliver the needy.
He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.
Jeremiah compares two kings: a father who did justice, and a son who built his palace on unpaid labour. The verse ends with a question that ties the knowledge of God to how a man treats the poor.
The verse just before points to Josiah, who "ate and drank." One writer reads that as a note on his lifestyle, not his appetite. The quotes below follow older translations, which read "then it was well with him," where the ESV has "then it was well."
His wicked life was a sad contrast to that of his righteous father. Jeremiah asked, "Did not your father eat and drink" (lived plainly), "and do justice and judgment, and then it was well with him?" He went on: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know Me? says the Lord" (Jer. 22:15-16). Necho changed his name, but could not change his nature.
The people were already suffering under Jehoiakim. What he did next made God speak in indignation.
That was not all the suffering people had to bear. Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep. … Israel and David's royal house had lost their moral greatness. Jehoiakim still wanted material splendour. God's people today should take care. Do not try to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.
Josiah's care for the poor made him a picture of the King the Psalms promise. The question that closes the verse carries practical weight.
It is foretold of Him in that day: "He shall judge the poor of the people… He shall deliver the needy" (Ps. 72:4, 12). Josiah in his early days was a beautiful picture of Him in this respect. Jeremiah touchingly refers to it: "He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him" (Jer. 22:16). The prophet adds a word of great practical weight. It is for those who understand how important the true knowledge of God is: "Was not this to KNOW ME? says the Lord."
Why should defending the poor count as knowing God? Because God had already shown Israel what He was like, and expected them to reproduce it.
They knew God in His wonderful work for them. They also knew Him in the commandments, which showed His character. God called them to imitate Him. If He cared for the fatherless and widows, and for the stranger, they too must care. And had they not known what it was to be strangers in that land? God multiplied them wonderfully through all their suffering, and then delivered them with an outstretched arm.
The same passage praises the father's justice. It then tells the son what is coming, for he chose covetousness, innocent blood and violence.
"But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, and for shedding innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence… He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem." (vv. 13-19.) Which of the kings had lived with less conscience? Which had died with more shame? There was no mourning for him. He got a donkey's burial — shameful exposure outside the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
- Know — God ties the knowledge of Himself to a deed, not a claim. Josiah judged the cause of the poor and needy, and God calls that knowing Him.
- Copy — that knowledge works by imitation. God cares for the fatherless, the widow and the stranger, so He called His people to care as He does.
- Contrast — Josiah lived plainly and did justice. His son wanted splendour and took his neighbour's work without wages. God resented the cruelty and pronounced woe on it.
- Reality — keeping up appearances after spiritual power has gone fools nobody. God wants reality at all times.
- Result — God said of the father, "then it was well." The son had less conscience than any king and died with more shame. No one mourned him, and God would not pardon the innocent blood he shed.
But thine eyes and thy heart are only on thine extortion, and on the blood of the innocent, to shed it, and on oppression and on violence, to do it.
Jeremiah 22:17 is God's verdict on the inner life of Jehoiakim, a king of Judah. He built himself fine palaces, and the people paid for them. Behind the royal display God saw three things: greed, blood, and force. He names them as the real business of the king's eyes and heart.
One commentator weighs this king's life against the way it ended.
Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No lamentation for him, but an ass's burial (that is, shameful exposure) beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
The oppression here was concrete. One writer sets out how it worked, and what God thinks of a ruler like this.
Egypt's Pharaoh Necho laid a heavy war payment on Judah, and Jehoiakim had to raise it. He taxed the land and took silver and gold from the people. As if this was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep… The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. But Jehoiakim still put on a show of material splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.
The charge of shedding innocent blood was not a figure of speech.
Jeremiah and other prophets pour out the Lord's warnings on him (Jer. 22:13-19), but he pays no attention. He kills Urijah, a prophet who prophesied against Jerusalem and against Judah. Urijah had no faith when he faced the king's murderous plans, so he fled to Egypt (Jer. 26:20-23). Jeremiah also runs the same dangers, but this man of God trusts in the word of the Lord… In his unbelief the king cut up the roll of Jeremiah's prophecy with a penknife and threw it into the fire. Then he tried to seize the prophet and his faithful companion, Baruch. But we are told that "the Lord hid them."
The verse points at the king's eyes and heart. Scripture has a name for a heart owned that way.
Whatever commands the heart is an idol. Giving your heart to that thing is idolatry, and the person who gives it is an idolater… Take that one great, crying, universal sin of "covetousness." What does the inspired apostle call it? He calls it idolatry. How many hearts are commanded by money! How many worshippers bow down before the idol of gold! What is covetousness? Either a desire to get more, or the love of what we have.
Withholding a workman's pay looks small next to murder. God does not treat it that way.
God, who lives in eternity, takes notice of the thoughts and feelings that rise in a poor labourer's heart. He knows what such a man expects from his day's work. The labourer's heart counts on those wages; the family meal depends on them… Nothing can be more painful to a tender heart than the lack of kindly consideration for the poor, so often shown by the rich… Do you want to know what God thinks of such behaviour? Then listen to these words of holy indignation: "Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts" (James 5:4).
Jehoiakim did not keep what he grabbed.
Even the covetous King Jehoiakim becomes an individual example. From his ill-gotten goods he was cut off in the middle of his years (at 36), as a partridge might be taken from her many eggs. Like Nabal, at his end he was a fool; and so is every man who follows the promptings of his own heart and forsakes the Lord.
The loss reached beyond his lifetime, into the royal family record.
We need only refer to Jeremiah 22:13-19 to find ample reasons why the name of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah and father of Jeconiah, is left out of Matthew 1:11. "Those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
- Eyes — God judges what the heart is fixed on, not what the palace looks like; the king's greed was his real religion.
- Hands — What the eyes fixed on, the hands did: unpaid workers, a murdered prophet, force to get more.
- Cry — The wages held back by fraud reach the ears of the Lord of hosts; God takes the side of people no one else defends.
- Reality — God refuses a show kept up after spiritual power has gone. He wants reality at all times.
- End — Cut off at 36, denied mourning, dropped from the royal record. That is how the Lord answers those who despise Him.
Therefore thus saith Jehovah concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah They shall not lament for him, Ah, my brother! or, Ah, sister! They shall not lament for him, Ah, lord! or Ah, his glory!
God has already named Jehoiakim's crimes. Now He passes sentence on the king's death. No one will raise the cries that ring out at a royal funeral. Two questions follow. What are these four cries? And why does a son of godly Josiah lose every one of them?
Jehoiakim is not condemned alone. Chapter 22 gathers several kings of Judah together, and one writer explains why they are not in date order.
The kings named are out of their chronological order. The purpose is to bring the separate prophecies against the separate kings of Judah all into one cluster. The moral object is to show that there was almost no difference between them. Some might be a little more pronounced in their violence and gross wickedness, but they were all faithless and godless.
The two pairs of cries are not repetition. One writer labels each pair, and reads the whole sentence as payment in kind for what Jehoiakim had done to a dead body himself.
"They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah my sister!" (as in family mourning): "they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!" (public mourning.)
That same writer traces the sentence back to something Jehoiakim had done to a corpse himself. He hunted down the prophet Urijah, killed him, and dumped his body among the common graves — refusing him burial among the prophets.
His bitter hatred of God and His truth vented itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant, denying it the right of burial among the tombs of the prophets. See Jer. 26:20-24. In just retribution God repaid him in kind for his murder and insult.
The refusal of mourning answers the way Jehoiakim lived. One writer sets his life and his death side by side.
Which of the kings had lived with less conscience? Which had died with more shame? No mourning for him, but the burial of a donkey — that is, shameful exposure beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
Another writer shows what that reign cost ordinary people, and turns it into a warning for readers today.
As if the heavy war tax was not enough for the suffering people to bear, Jehoiakim forced them to build palaces for himself without wages. Evil as the people were, the Lord resented this tyrannical cruelty. "Woe to him," He said in His indignation. The Lord loves to see a shepherd leading the flock, but Jehoiakim was a wolf, ravaging the sheep... The moral grandeur of Israel and of David's royal house had gone. But Jehoiakim still wanted to put on a show of splendour. Let God's people today beware of trying to keep up outward appearances when spiritual power has gone. God wants reality at all times.
Commentators draw one more link. Jehoiakim is the king who destroyed the scroll of Jeremiah's words.
Next comes his shameful burial, the burial of a donkey. It means that a donkey has no burial, and so Jehoiakim would have no burial. He is the only king of Judah whose burial is not recorded... Most likely God announced this special shameful end because he had done that wicked work of cutting the Word of God to pieces and throwing it into the fire. Beware, you cutters of the Bible, you mutilators of the Word of God — your end, too, will be a shameful end!
One writer sets him against his own father.
When we remember Josiah's great reverence for the Word of God, the behaviour of his son appears the more terrible. The whole nation mourned when Josiah died; but the Lord decreed that there should be no mourning for Jehoiakim.
God did not treat every guilty king alike. Zedekiah was judged too, yet God promised him a king's funeral with mourners at it.
Zedekiah would have a funeral suited to his dignity as a king, in the usual Jewish way — a bed of spices prepared to burn the king's body, and mourning over him. The reason for this is that God, even in His judgment, is careful to remember whatever good there may have been... Zedekiah had acted wickedly. Still, his heart was towards the prophet, and he would have been glad to spare him. But others more wicked than himself pushed him on. So when the final moment came, God shows mercy to him. He stands in full contrast with Jehoiakim, who had only the burial of a donkey.
None of this stayed as words on a page. Writers point to this chapter as a case study in a prophecy landing exactly where it was aimed.
Of individuals: what was said about Jehoahaz, or rather "Shallum" (Jer. 22:11-12), came to pass with solemn precision, as did the word concerning Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:17-19).
- Cluster. Jehoiakim is judged with the other kings of Judah, grouped to show that none of them was faithful to God.
- Cause. The sentence answers a life: unpaid workers, grand palaces, innocent blood — and the prophet Urijah killed and thrown into a common grave.
- Measure. What he refused another, God refused him. The four cries cover family grief and public grief, and God cancels both.
- Warning. He cut up God's word and burned it, and he is the one king of Judah whose burial is never recorded.
- Mercy. Zedekiah was guilty too, yet God gave him mourners. God remembers any good there is, which makes the silence over Jehoiakim louder still.
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, dragged along and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
This sentence falls on Jehoiakim, a son of good king Josiah. How does a king of David's line end up denied even the dignity of a funeral?
One writer weighs this king's life against his end, and says plainly what the phrase pictures:
Who of the kings had lived with less conscience? Who had died with more shame? No mourning for him, only a donkey's burial (that is, base exposure) beyond the gates of Jerusalem. For the innocent blood he shed, the Lord would not pardon.
Another writer sets him beside his father, and follows the change of his name:
His wicked life was a sad contrast to that of his righteous father. "Did not your father eat and drink" (lived plainly), "and do justice and judgment, and then it was well with him?" asked Jeremiah… Necho changed his name, but could not change his nature.
The picture works by what is missing. One writer makes the point from ordinary life:
Why was this king buried without any ceremony, just like a dead donkey? I have never seen the funeral of a donkey, and never expect to see one. No one thinks of mourning over a dead donkey. Why, then, was no one to grieve for this king or give him a royal burial? Because he was so wicked.
The sentence matches what he had already done. He had killed one of God's prophets and refused the body an honourable grave:
His bitter hatred of God and His truth showed itself even on the body of His slaughtered servant. He denied it the right of burial among the graves of the prophets… As just repayment, God paid him back in kind for his murder and insult. "They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah my sister!" (as in family mourning); "they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!" (public mourning).
Scripture records the prediction, but not the death scene. Elsewhere it even says Jehoiakim "slept with his fathers." Commentators differ on how the two fit together. One reads those words to mean he was laid at first in the royal tombs:
As Jeremiah prophesied, Jehoiakim died a violent death. His body was dragged and thrown out beyond the walls of Jerusalem. There it lay exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night, "buried with the burial of a donkey." Still, it is said that he "slept with his fathers" — words that seem to imply he was placed at first in the tombs of the kings.
Another writer says the missing record changes nothing, and reads those words as a statement of death only:
We do not need the history of it, for prophecy in Scripture is only history written ahead of time — its advance pages, we might say. It is enough to know what God had foretold; the fulfilment is certain… "So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers" simply expresses his death. In Scripture that is a distinct expression from "buried with his fathers."
Judgment here is measured, not blanket. One writer compares Jehoiakim with another guilty king, Zedekiah:
He would have a funeral suited to his dignity as a king… The reason is that God, even in His judgment, carefully remembers whatever good there may have been… Zedekiah had acted wickedly. Still, his heart was towards the prophet, and he would gladly have spared him… He stands in full contrast with Jehoiakim, who had only the burial of a donkey.
The loss reaches past the grave. His name is missing from the family record of the Messiah:
We simply need to refer to Jeremiah 22:13-19 as furnishing ample reasons why the name of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah and father of Jeconiah, is left out of Matthew 1:11. "Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed."
Where the body ends up carries the point, and one writer turns it toward the reader:
He was cast out of God's dwelling place as unclean. Of the new Jerusalem it is written: "nothing unclean will ever enter it" (Revelation 21:27). Far happier to take the donkey's place here and accept redemption by the blood of the Lamb than to be thrust into the donkey's outside place for ever.
- Conscience — No king lived with less conscience, and none died with more shame. A donkey's burial means base exposure, not a grave.
- Contrast — his father lived plainly and did justice. A new name could not give the son a new nature.
- Repayment — he denied a murdered prophet an honourable grave. God repaid him in kind: no family mourning, no public mourning.
- Measure — Zedekiah was wicked too, yet God promised him a king's funeral. Even in judgment God remembers whatever good there was.
- Reach — the sentence outlived the man. His name is missing from the Messiah's family record, and being cast outside the gates points to the city where nothing unclean enters.