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Bible Study
Saturday October 22nd 2022
6:00 p.m.
Passage for study: Jeremiah 22

Judgment Against Wicked Kings

22 This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and proclaim this
message there: 2 ‘Hear the word of the LORD to you, king of Judah, you who sit on David’s
throne—you, your officials and your people who come through these gates. 3 This is what
the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who
has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and
do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you are careful to carry out these commands,
then kings who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this palace, riding in
chariots and on horses, accompanied by their officials and their people. 5 But if you do not
obey these commands, declares the LORD, I swear by myself that this palace will become a
ruin.’”
6 
For this is what the LORD says about the palace of the king of Judah:

“Though you are like Gilead to me,

    like the summit of Lebanon,
I will surely make you like a wasteland,
    like towns not inhabited.
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I will send destroyers against you,
    each man with his weapons,
and they will cut up your fine cedar beams
    and throw them into the fire.
8 
“People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has
the LORD done such a thing to this great city?’ 9 And the answer will be: ‘Because they have
forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshiped and served other gods.’”
10 
Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss;
    rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled,
because he will never return
    nor see his native land again.
11 
For this is what the LORD says about Shallum[a] son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as
king of Judah but has gone from this place: “He will never return. 12 He will die in the place
where they have led him captive; he will not see this land again.”
13 
“Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness,
    his upper rooms by injustice,
making his own people work for nothing,
    not paying them for their labor.
14 
He says, ‘I will build myself a great palace
    with spacious upper rooms.’
So he makes large windows in it,
    panels it with cedar
    and decorates it in red.
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15 
“Does it make you a king
    to have more and more cedar?
Did not your father have food and drink?
    He did what was right and just,
    so all went well with him.
16 
He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
    and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
    declares the LORD.
17 
“But your eyes and your heart
    are set only on dishonest gain,
on shedding innocent blood
    and on oppression and extortion.”
18 
Therefore this is what the LORD says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah:

“They will not mourn for him:

    ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’
They will not mourn for him:
    ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’
19 
He will have the burial of a donkey—
    dragged away and thrown
    outside the gates of Jerusalem.”
20 
“Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
    let your voice be heard in Bashan,
cry out from Abarim,
    for all your allies are crushed.
21 
I warned you when you felt secure,
    but you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your way from your youth;
    you have not obeyed me.
22 
The wind will drive all your shepherds away,
    and your allies will go into exile.
Then you will be ashamed and disgraced
    because of all your wickedness.
23 
You who live in ‘Lebanon,[b]’
    who are nestled in cedar buildings,
how you will groan when pangs come upon you,
    pain like that of a woman in labor!
24 
“As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin[c] son of Jehoiakim king
of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver you
into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon and the Babylonians.[d] 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into
another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never
come back to the land you long to return to.”
28 
Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot,
    an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled out,
    cast into a land they do not know?
29 
O land, land, land,
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    hear the word of the LORD!

30 
This is what the LORD says:
“Record this man as if childless,
    a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
    none will sit on the throne of David
    or rule anymore in Judah.”

https://youtu.be/gyQywLaPZ7o

A Review as per Shmoops

 God tells Jeremiah to go to the King of Judah and bring him a message.

 Jeremiah is supposed to go through the usual repentance speech: change your ways
and stop oppressing widows and orphans, do not shed innocent blood, and make sure
you punish robbers.

 If they heed this advice, they will have righteous kings in the future. But if they do
not, the city will be demolished.
 Right now, things in the palace might seem well. But God will turn the land into a
desolate waste if the rulers do not pay attention.

 The destroyers will cut down their best cedars and burn them.

 All the nations will see Judah's destruction and gossip about how they were destroyed
for disobeying God.

 Do not weep for the dead, says God—weep for the people being sent into exile.

 God says that King Shallum will die in exile and never see Jerusalem again.
 God says that rulers who exploit their workers to build fancy palaces for themselves
will end up suffering.

 A bigger palace does not make someone a true king—ruling righteously does.

 Regarding King Jehoiakim, God says that people will not lament his death and he will
be buried like a donkey.

 The people should go cry in Lebanon and other places since their allies have been
crushed.
 The people have never obeyed God; it has been like this since they were children.

 So they will all get taken into captivity along with their allies.
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 As for the next king after Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, God says that even if Jehoiachin
were the signet ring on his hand, he would tear him off. He and his mother will both
be sent into exile in Babylon, where they will eventually die.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1-5 There is not a specific time frame given for this chapter, but the message is proclaimed
during Jehoiakim’s reign (v. 18). Kings are to judge in righteousness. If they do so, their
lines will continue. Failure to obey this command means that the king is judging as wicked,
thus incurring the wrath of God. (II Chro. 7:17-22)

6-9 Gilead is the grandson of Mannasseh. It is also the place where Gad, Rueben, and the
half tribe of Manasseh settled when Moses brought Israel out of Egypt and represents a place
to be desired in the eyes of the people. The forest of Lebanon has the oldest, largest trees and
is used in Scripture to represent splendor. Therefore, the point is that despite the allure and
splendor of Jerusalem, because of their sins God will destroy the city.

10 God commands one to not weep over the judgment of God on the wicked. While one is
to have compassion on those lost to sin, one is not to side with them by thinking they have
been treated unfairly or harshly by God. The Lord is righteous and as such He will enact
vengeance on the wicked. One is therefore to praise the ways of God rather than consider the
plight of man.

11-12 Josiah’s sons were, in order of birth, Johanan (Jehoahaz), Jehoiakim (Eliakim),
Zedekiah, and Shallum (I Chro. 3:15). Shallum will be taken away to Babylon and die there
in judgment for his sins.

13-14 One can gain riches in this life, but if they are gained by wicked means, then they will
heap up wrath for the day of judgment. Noteworthy is that God views cheating a worker out
of his wages as sin. Cedar is the most expensive and most desired wood with which to build
and vermillion is a red pigment.

15-16 The riches of this would are not a shelter from the wrath of God. If one has gained
one’s material wealth through unrighteous means, then even if one appears to be the
wealthiest, most splendid person outwardly, God has the authority to strip one of one’s power
in this life. On the other hand, if one humbles oneself and seeks after righteousness, then
God will allow one to maintain one’s authority in this life as well as receive the blessings of
material goods. The point is, one should attain power and wealth by righteous means with a
heart which desires to draw closer to God.

17-19 Jehoiakim has failed to live by God’s standard. He has attained his wealth by
shedding innocent blood, oppressing the poor, and violently pursuing his lusts. Therefore,
when he dies, no one will mourn for him (see also II Ki. 24:4). Jehoiakim may have enjoyed
his abuse of power, but it also makes him devoid of friends and sympathizers. When he dies,
no one will respect him enough to give him a proper burial. According to II Chronicles,
Jehoiakim is taken by Nebuchadnezzar to Babylon in the first deportation and therefore dies
beyond the gates of Jerusalem (36:5-7).
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20 God tells the Jews to lament for their lovers. These are the idols they have worshipped as
well as the nations they have looked to for prosperity (such as Egypt). Whatever one puts
before God is an idol and, in the eyes of God, a lover you have chosen over Himself. That is,
instead of being filled with a love for God, one is filled with a love for riches, pleasure,
and/or false gods. In the end, these other “lovers” will be destroyed; only the love for God
endures.

21 This verse is applicable to Jehoiakim, individual Jews, and the Jewish nation. From the
origins of the nation when God brought them out of Egypt, God has given Israel instruction
through the Law and prophets. Nonetheless, they have continually rebelled (Num. 16:1-3,
42, Jdg. 2:10-19, II Ki. 17:19-23). Furthermore, Jeremiah began preaching during Josiah’s
thirteenth year, making Jehoiakim seven years old at the time (Jer. 1:2, II Ki. 22:1, 23:36).
The point is that the Jews have rebelled from their childhood upwards, always refusing to
submit to the righteousness of God.

22 The people refused to listen to God when they were blessed by Him, so He is going to
allow them to reap the consequences for wickedness which is destruction. When they realize
that the path they have chosen brings them harm, then they will be ashamed of their choices.

23 Despite all the sins and destruction that comes as a result of sin, the people still view
themselves as lofty. The trouble that God will send to them is not to bring them to complete
destruction; the pain they will endure is temporary to bring forth a new child. A new
generation of believers will emerge from the tribulations and trials.

24-26 One’s rank or social status will not spare one from the judgment of God. Noteworthy
is that this includes divinely ordained offices; a signet was worn as an emblem of authority or
position. Even those who have been divinely placed by God can be “plucked up” (or caste
away) because of sin.

27 Even when the Jews desire to return, they will not be able to do so. God has decreed that
they will be in captivity for seventy years (Jer. 25:11), and they will not return one year
sooner.

28 As a prince, Coniah should have received great honor. Nonetheless, because of his sins,
he will be cast out. This is reminiscent of Jeremiah’s sermon concerning the potter and the
clay (Jer. 18:1-10).

29-30 God wants the Jews and all the earth to hear His prophecies so that when they are
fulfilled, all may acknowledge that He is the true God. This is an extension of grace; God is
giving all humans the chance to know Him by the spreading of His word. This specific
prophecy is fulfilled in that the normal line of kings is broken after Jehoahaz; the rightful
heirs from that point onward are taken captive, first to Egypt and then to Babylon. Instead of
sons, brothers are left to rule in Judah until the final destruction of the city.

Lessons from the text

What Can We Learn from Rulers?
Jesus tells us that to whom much is given, of him much is required (Lk. 12:48). While we are
all called to live righteously, those who have authority have an extra burden to make
righteous judgment and defend the defenseless. Those who rule, make laws, and enforce the
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laws have the divine task of taking care of the general public and leading their people into
righteousness.

God says that the rulers who do this will be blessed by God on two fronts; they will maintain
their authority on earth and will be blessed with splendor (Jer. 22:4). If they fail to do this,
then they will loose their earthly authority and be subject to destruction (Jer. 22:5-7).

Consider history. Rulers like Nero, Adolf Hitler, and Stalin, even if they had glory within
their own nations, piled up against themselves adversaries, destroyers, and ruin. Their choice
to rule in wickedness ultimately led to their downfall. If Adolf Hitler had taken his charisma
and the unique social and economic opportunity of his time to perform good, Germany may
have become a beautiful, desirable nation instead of acquiring a blemish in its history called
Nazi Germany. He could have been hailed as the greatest leader of Europe for being able to
restore and magnify a country decimated by World War I. Instead, he pursued selfish, sinful
ways that caused the world to turn against him.

Like our rulers, if you want to succeed, do it by righteous means. If you are an employer or
even a parent, treat those under your charge with justice, dignity, and grace. This will spur
them to respect and even love you. In addition, such a life style is one which God can bless.
So, if you want to be loved, praised, and respected, simply rule in righteousness and you will
gain favor both with man and God.