13 “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness
And his [d]upper rooms without justice,
Who uses his neighbor’s services without pay
And does not give him his wages,
14 Who says, ‘I will build myself a roomy house
With spacious [e]upper rooms,
And cut out its windows,
[f]Paneling it with cedar and painting it [g]bright red.’
15 “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?
Did not your father eat and drink
And do justice and righteousness?
Then it was well with him.
16 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy;
Then it was well.
Is not that what it means to know Me?”
Declares the Lord.
17 “But your eyes and your heart
Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain,
And on shedding innocent blood
And on practicing oppression and extortion.”18 Therefore thus says the Lord in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah,
“They will not lament for him:
‘Alas, my brother!’ or, ‘Alas, sister!’
They will not lament for him:
‘Alas for the master!’ or, ‘Alas for his splendor!’
19 “He will be buried with a donkey’s burial,
Dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
20 “Go up to Lebanon and cry out,
And lift up your voice in Bashan;
Cry out also from Abarim,
For all your lovers have been crushed.
21 “I spoke to you in your prosperity;
But you said, ‘I will not listen!’
This has been your practice from your youth,
That you have not obeyed My voice.
22 “The wind will sweep away all your shepherds,
And your lovers will go into captivity;
Then you will surely be ashamed and humiliated
Because of all your wickedness.
23 “You who dwell in Lebanon,
Nested in the cedars,
How you will groan when pangs come upon you,
Pain like a woman in childbirth!
Verse 13 sums up most of the this passage pretty well, “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness…” In vv. 16-17, God contrasts that with the one who knows God. Backing up to v. 15, their fathers ate and drink (well), yet also did justice and righteousness, which included pleading the cause of the afflicted and needy.
On the other hand, Jeremiah’s countrymen were intent upon dishonest gain, shedding innocent blood, oppression and extortion. King of them all was Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, who served God faithfully. How then did his son fall so low? All of the above are reason enough to explain vv. 18-19, where he will not be lamented, and will have a donkey’s burial (none at all, likely left to rot).
Two things stand out: the first in v. 15, where God asks, “Do you become a king because you are competing in cedar?” The second is in v. 21, “This has been your practice from your youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.” Though these were likely directed at King Jehoiakim, they applied to all of Israel, and can apply to us also.
In reverse order then, we dare not wait to serve God until we are done “having fun and living life”. No doubt, Jehoiakim never expected to become king, being third in line to the throne. He had all he could ever need or want (and more), so he indulged anything that tickled his fancy. We may think we’ve got plenty of time, but it is far more difficult to change our behavior and habits as we get older. And then, of course, there is the obvious fact that we are not guaranteed another day on this earth.
All of this goes back to the first thing, which is where we find and place our value. The people of Judah found it in their possessions, wealth and houses, using the expensive cedar as the literal yardstick of their worth. Yet none of that would protect them from the invading Chaldeans. Even those in Lebanon, who traded in cedar, would find themselves groaning under their oppression.
It is far too easy to find our worth in our homes, cars, even our jobs, but that holds no lasting value in God’s eyes. Instead, we would do well to heed God’s words and value knowing Him most of all. When we know God, earthly treasurers become dim and fade. We will find our worth in He who created us, eagerly doing His work, and in sharing His love with others–because they are of immense value, the exact same as we ourselves.
Don’t cheat yourself and settle for earthly measures of your worth, for you are meant to be sons and daughters of the King himself. Your position is far loftier than that of Jehoiakim, not because of anything you or I have done, but because He made you and called you by name. God gave Himself in our place, that we might be redeemed and restored, so take that gift and do the amazing things that He has set before you.