Be a Living Example

We open Jeremiah 22:1–10 and trace its sharp demands for leaders and communities to execute judgment, stop violence, protect the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. No abstractions here; Scripture anchors righteousness in public choices that either uphold people or exploit them.

When Judah treats power as a shield for the few, God names the stakes with clarity.  There will be prosperity if they turn, desolation if they refuse. Even the cedar beams, symbols of wealth and stability, are at risk when a society normalizes harm.

We unpack how reputation and witness work; neighboring nations in the text today read Judah’s conduct as a window into God’s character. And the same is true of us. When churches, families, and institutions practice fairness, generosity, and courage, the world glimpses a God who defends the vulnerable. When we don’t, our worship rings hollow and our example harms those watching us by giving them an incorrect view of who God is. Legacy is more than sentiment; our children learn what they see us live. A just house is taught in budgets and calendars, hiring and housing, advocacy and hospitality.

The passage turns tender at the end: grieve for those who survive judgment yet lose home and future. Exile is what happens when we ignore warnings and treat people as expendable. If we found ourelves in need, would we want to be treated as we have treated others?

The answer is action founded in faith; choose policies and personal practices that protect the weak, pay fairly, resist exploitation, and make mercy ordinary.

Join us as we wrestle with a text that still cuts, still heals, and still invites a better way.

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Jeremiah 22:1-10  -  King James Version
22 Thus saith the Lord; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word,

2 And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

3 Thus saith the Lord; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

4 For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

5 But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.

6 For thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon: yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited.

7 And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into

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Chapters

• 0:08 Welcome And Purpose
• 0:38 Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 22:1–10
• 2:37 Opening Prayer
• 3:20 Family Analogy Of Rebellion
• 5:29 Call To Justice And Leadership Accountability
• 7:37 Blessing Or Desolation: The Stakes
• 10:58 Exile And Consequences
• 11:49 Closing Exhortation And Lord’s Prayer

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:08

Welcome to the Christ Court. Thank you for being here with me to take 15 minutes of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today we will read a section of Scripture and discuss what it means and how it applies to our lives. It is my hope that God will speak to you through these words and bring you closer to Him. I am blessed to have this opportunity to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. Today's scripture selection is Jeremiah twenty two, verses one through ten. The King James Version reads as follows Thus saith the Lord, go down to the house of the King of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates. Thus saith the Lord, Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah, thou art Jalad unto me, in the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make thee a wilderness and cities which are not inhabited, and I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons, and they shall cut down thy short cedars, and cast them into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshiped other gods, and served them. Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him, but weep sore for him that goeth away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you will use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. We ask that each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word, that each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The verses for today are instructive. Today we are looking at how a group of people loved by God abuse that love by disrespecting God in a very blatant way. The story today is similar to a family that has a very well-known and respected father who loves his family and wants the best for them. In spite of the fact that he has taught his children well and they know how to carry themselves in the world, the children have begun to take his strength, support, and love for granted. They have begun to do all the things that he taught them not to do, and are not only disrespecting him and themselves, but are also destroying their future and risking their lives in ways that they don't even understand. This father has tried to talk to his children many times and they have not listened to him at all. While his children were younger, they had time to straighten up and fly right. But as they have become older and are now moving into full adulthood, the time for patience has ended and more drastic measures must be taken. In this example, perhaps the father takes away their financial support so that they have to fend for themselves, or makes them get an apartment and pay for their own utilities, groceries, etc. In our scriptures today, God leaves no room for misunderstanding. Some of the wrath and fear of God is shown, and she takes away much more than access to a house and some finances. The Judeans in our scriptures today have become lazy, callous, and crooked. Not only that, but they are known by the people of the surrounding areas as representatives of God and of the character of God. God has been patient with them and given them multiple prophets to warn them and prompt them to straighten up. Unfortunately, they have refused. The time for patience has ended and more drastic measures must be taken. Let's get right to it. The first section of today's text, verses one, two, and three, reads, Thus saith the Lord, go down to the house of the King of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates, thus saith the Lord. Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, and do no wrong. Do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. In these verses God is telling Jeremiah to go to the house of the king of Judah and deliver a message. By saying the house of the king of Judah, God is emphasizing that this message is for all the people there, not just for the king. While the message itself is for everyone, the leaders who have failed are to pay special attention to it. The command from God is that all execute judgment and righteousness. The leaders are not doing this and are actually doing the opposite. They are supposed to follow God's laws and be examples to the people. By executing judgment, justice, and righteousness, the leaders should be developing and maintaining honest, healthy, productive, and respectful relationships. By doing the opposite, they are not only disobeying God, but are giving the neighboring people an inaccurate idea of who God is. The people of the surrounding areas worship many false gods. They view the people of Judah as representatives of who their God is, what he is like, and what he will tolerate. Then, like today, we Christians are supposed to represent God to those who do not know him. The end of this verse specifically mentions three of the most vulnerable groups of that time strangers, those without fathers, and widows. Who are the most vulnerable groups of our time? The second section of today's text, verses four through nine, reads, For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he and his servants and his people. But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation. For thus saith the Lord unto the king's house of Judah, thou art Jalod unto me, and the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities which are not inhabited, and I will prepare destroyers against thee, every one with his weapons, and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast them into the fire, and many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say, every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city? Then they shall answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worship other gods and serve them. This section begins with the good stuff. God says that this is how things will be if the leaders change their bad behavior and begin to behave as they know that they should. These promises are not just for the current leadership. When the verse here refers to this house of kings sitting upon the throne of David, it is referring to David's royal descendants. This part stands out to me because it infers, in my opinion, that if the current adults follow God's example, execute justice, and love one another, their children will learn from their example and do the same once they become adults. The Lord is promising prosperity and success to David, to his descendants, and to his people. However, the Lord is also saying through Jeremiah, that if they do not listen and change their ways, the resulting punishment will be thorough. God swears by himself that if they continue on their current path, their house will become a desolation. The leaders will not only lose their positions and their power, but will also lose their homes. In verse six, God says that they are Jalad to him. Jalad was an area just east of the Jordan River and was known for its balm. God is saying that they are a balm to him. Even so, he will punish them if they do not correct their behavior. God is saying that he will prepare armed destroyers, the Chaldeans, who will cut down their expensive cedars and burn them. This probably applies not only to the trees in the woods, but also to the cedars which have been used to build the kingdom of Judah. Verse 18 refers to the people of the surrounding areas. They will see the destruction and desolation as an act of Judah's God. They will correctly see the destruction as God punishing them for their behavior. Had the leaders changed their ways, they could have continued to endure their prosperity and comfortable lives, and been good representatives of God to the people of the area. But because they did not, they can now be an example of God's wrath, fury, and intolerance toward justice. The last section of today's text, verse 10, reads, Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him, but weep sore for him that goeth away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country. This verse refers to those who have survived the destruction but have nowhere to go. It is a sad picture of a wandering, homeless person, made worse by the fact that they had been warned against his path many times and had ignored all the warnings. They have suddenly found themselves at the mercies of those who they likely did not show mercy to just a few days earlier. If we suddenly found ourselves in a bad situation and had to rely on those around us, would we want them to treat us the way we had treated others? I hope so. Let us always treat others with the love of God, not because we may need them someday or that it is the best way to live our lives, but because it is what God requires of us. That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debt towards. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Forever. Amen.