22 Thus says the Lord, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and there speak this word 2 and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne, you and your servants and your people who enter these gates. 3 Thus says the Lord, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. 4 For if you men will indeed perform this thing, then kings will enter the gates of this house, sitting [a]in David’s place on his throne, riding in chariots and on horses, even the king himself and his servants and his people. 5 But if you will not obey these words, I swear by Myself,” declares the Lord, “that this house will become a desolation.”’” 6 For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:
“You are like Gilead to Me,
Like the summit of Lebanon;
Yet most assuredly I will make you like a wilderness,
Like cities which are not inhabited.
7 “For I will set apart destroyers against you,
Each with his weapons;
And they will cut down your choicest cedars
And throw them on the fire.8 “Many nations will pass by this city; and they will say to one another, ‘Why has the Lord done thus to this great city?’ 9 Then they will [b]answer, ‘Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord their God and bowed down to other gods and served them.’”
10 Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him,
But weep continually for the one who goes away;
For he will never return
Or see his native land.11 For thus says the Lord in regard to [c]Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in the place of Josiah his father, who went forth from this place, “He will never return there; 12 but in the place where they led him captive, there he will die and not see this land again.
As a little backstory, Shallum was the oldest son of Josiah, also known as Jehoahaz. He reigned a mere three months before Pharaoh Neco attacked, having previously killed his father Josiah. Pharaoh took Shallum captive to Egypt, and there he spent the rest of his days until he died. So in this passage, Shallum isn’t the current king of Judah, it is one of his brothers, probably Zedekiah, the third oldest at this point.
This makes Judah’s refusal to listen to Jeremiah all the more puzzling, because there was no peace in Judah, and hadn’t been since the days of Josiah. They were tributary to Egypt for a few years, and then Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylon) had carried away the second son of Josiah. From then on, it seems the land was effectively conquered by Babylon, though at first they were content to exact more tribute, just as Egypt had done.
Perhaps they were content to pay tribute in exchange for being able to stay right where they were. And indeed, they seemed bent on not changing anything else about their lives, as God once more calls the king and his officials to rule justly. He wants to treasure them (v. 6) but if they do not obey his commands (v. 5), though they were like the mighty cedar forests of Lebanon, they will become a barren wilderness (v. 7).
Instead, the king, and all the people, were content to believe in an illusion of peace, rather than embrace God’s way that would have led to real peace. There are a lot of things in this world, and a lot of people, who promise to bring peace. We can put our trust in many of these, but we see even more today that whenever people promise peace and security, it does not last.
Rather, the only real peace in this life comes from God, who is calling each of us to himself. This is no passing fad or illusion, but the real deal. God gives us peace that passes understanding, because it isn’t just for this lifetime, or a few months, but for all eternity. How can He do such an amazing thing? Because God is in control, and when we put our trust in that solid rock, it is a foundation that cannot be shaken.
Ultimately, the temple and the the walls of Jerusalem would fall, but God had not forgotten His people, and continued His plan to redeem them, and us, once and for all. Put your faith in Him, let His peace fill you up, no matter what is going crazy in this world. Fix your eyes on His plan, His hope, and His incredible love for you. He will never let you down.