Good morning and welcome back. I hope you are enjoying getting to know more about the prophet Jeremiah. Today, we will read chapters 22–24, and they stirred up a surprising connection for me—with a Broadway tune.
A Song in My Head
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a song in my head. I wake up with one—some days it holds on for a long time, other days it changes often. While reading chapter 22, I heard the song “No One Mourns the Wicked” from the Broadway musical Wicked in my head.
This is our favorite Broadway play. We saw it at the Gershwin Theatre in New York, at the Orpheum in San Francisco where the creators developed it, and several times when the traveling production toured in Tucson. We watched the movie, which followed the play well.
Do What Is Just and Right
The first verse that caught my attention is Jeremiah 22:3:
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right.” (NIV)
Sounds easy enough. Even before there was a law that said, “Thou shalt not kill,” Moses knew it was wrong to kill the Egyptian who was beating the slave (Exodus 2:11–15). God gave us the Law to clarify what we already knew in our hearts. Here He lays it out: do what is just and right.
He specifies steps like rescuing those who were robbed, but the principle applies to all areas of life. If everyone of us did what is just and right, there would be no strife, no wars, no need even for law enforcement.
The Sin Nature and Our Choices
Unfortunately, since the days of Adam, sin has been in our world. Though we know what is just and right, we often choose what is convenient to us. Psalm 51:5 says:
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (NIV)
I picture this scene as explaining something to a child or teenager. They nod their heads, but experience has taught me to know when they’re not listening. So God gets more granular. Even though He sees the potential and beauty they possess—saying, “You are like Gilead”—He warns He will make them a wasteland if they don’t change their ways.
Personal Responsibility
We live in a time of unforeseen decadence—at least in the civilized world. Yes, there are starving people, and these verses say we should help them. But it doesn’t say we should give our money to the government so they can help them. Governments are notoriously poor stewards of money.
More importantly, it entices us to ignore God’s commands that we as individuals need to do these things. People often say they can’t afford to help others, but that’s hard to accept when they’re drinking a nine-dollar cup of coffee every day and spending money like a drunken sailor.
The Fate of the Wicked
God continues to call out individuals like Shallum (Jeremiah 22:12), whom Necho II took captive in Egypt, and he never returned. And Jehoiakim remained wicked and suffered dishonor in his death. Jeremiah 22:18 says:
“They will not mourn for him.” (NIV)
This is the fate we all deserve. No one does what is just and right—not all the time. Romans 3:23 says:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (NIV)
We all deserve to be delivered into the hands of our enemy, just as the people of Judah were to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 22:25–27).
Grace Is Not a Wage
Most of us like to wipe that realization from our minds. We act as if grace is owed to us. But if we deserved it—if we had earned it—it would not be grace. We would earn it as a wage. But the only wage we have coming is death. (Rom 6:23)
Because God “raised up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely” (Jeremiah 23:5), we have hope. That King is Jesus, who not only did what is just and right, but gives His righteousness to us in place of our sins. Therefore, He is “The Lord Our Righteous Savior.” (Jeremiah 23:6)
False Prophets
Then we hear how God feels utter disgust towards the prophets who are telling people what they want to hear.They claim to have revelations and dreams which are not from Him. God says those prophets will no longer hear from Him.
After Jesus died on the cross, John received the final prophecies in Revelation from God. Revelation 22:18–19 warns:
“If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the book of life.” (NIV)
We Need More God
We don’t need more prophecy—we just need more God. He has given us His complete, infallible Word. We need to do as He said: do what is just and right.
If not, we’ll keep looking for someone who will tell us the sins we commit are acceptable, and we’ll do so at our own peril. We have time—but not much—to repent and obey this simple command.
Tomorrow, we will read Jeremiah 25-27.
Citation:
Schwartz, Stephen. Wicked: A New Musical. New York: Decca Broadway, 2003.
The Holy Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.