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Jeremiah 22 (ESV)

1 Thus says 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, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. ³ Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. ⁵ But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall 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 surely I will make you a desert,
an uninhabited city.
⁷ I will prepare destroyers against you,
each with his weapons,
and they shall cut down your choicest cedars
and cast them into the fire.

⁸ “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” ⁹ And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”

REFLECTION:

God told the king of Judah through the mouth of Jeremiah that the foundation of making the country strong is to stay away from sin and practice fairness and justice. To uphold justice is not only to believe in the correct doctrine of God, but also to show it in practical actions. Although good deeds cannot save us, they can express our faith concretely. As the Book of James said, faith without works is like body without spirit, it is faith of death (see James 2:17-26). Such faith will not make us stand before God’s judgment. Reflect if our faith is expressed in practical actions? If our faith cannot bring out our good deeds, and if “justification by faith” has become an excuse for our inaction, we should be vigilant whether we have deviated from the new covenant that God established with us through the blood of Christ, and turned to serve all kinds of tangible and intangible idols?

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly and ask God to examine your heart to see if it contains pollution from the world? Pray for God to cleanse you, make you more holy, and be willing to fully dedicate yourself to God to please Him. Pray for God to give you the strength to actively participate in the church’s various ministries, and follow the Lord Jesus’ Great Commandment “love your neighbour as yourself” with practical actions to commensurate with your faith.

HYMN:

Upper Room – youtu.be/X32DtGdCCi4