Jeremiah 22:11-17: a reflection

11For the LORD says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He won’t return there any more. 12But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more.” 13“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and doesn’t give him his hire; 14who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself, with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red. 15“Should you reign because you strive to excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16He judged the cause of the poor and needy; so then it was well. Wasn’t this to know me?” says the LORD. 17But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”

Jeremiah brings a word against a king of Judah who is obsessed with building himself a grand palace, using forced, unpaid labor, giving himself spacious rooms and cedar paneling, while caring nothing for justice. And God draws a pointed contrast with the king's own father, Josiah: Did not your father do justice and righteousness? He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. And God adds a striking line: Was not this to know me? To know God, God says, is shown in doing justice and caring for the poor.

Notice how God defines knowing him: Josiah judged the cause of the poor and needy, and God says, was not this to know me? Knowing God is not, in the end, a matter of religious profession or grand building projects; it is shown in doing justice, in caring for the poor and needy, in righteousness lived out. The son built a fine palace but oppressed his workers and neglected justice; the father did justice for the poor, and that, God says, was to know him.

That is a searching measure of whether we truly know God. We may profess to know God, may build impressive religious lives, and yet neglect justice and care for the poor and needy; but God ties the knowledge of himself to how we treat the vulnerable. To know God is to do justice and to care for the poor, for that is his own heart. Examine whether your knowledge of God shows itself in justice and compassion toward the poor and needy, or whether it is only words. To truly know God is to share his concern for the vulnerable and to act on it; let your knowledge of him be shown, as Josiah's was, in doing justice and defending the cause of the poor.

Lord, you contrasted a king obsessed with his grand palace and careless of justice with his father Josiah, who judged the cause of the poor and needy, and you said, was not this to know me? Search me by that measure. Knowing you is not, in the end, a matter of religious profession or impressive projects; it is shown in doing justice, in caring for the poor and needy, in righteousness lived out. I may profess to know you, and yet neglect justice and care for the vulnerable; but you tie the knowledge of yourself to how I treat them. To know you is to do justice and to care for the poor, for that is your own heart. Show me whether my knowledge of you is shown in justice and compassion, or whether it is only words. Help me know you truly, sharing your concern for the vulnerable and acting on it, doing justice and defending the cause of the poor, as Josiah did. Let me know you that way.