Woe to him who
builds his palace by unrighteousness (Jeremiah 22:13).
What condemnation
for the rich and powerful of Judah, who had exploited the poor and the weak to
build their fortunes. And it wasn’t that the exploiters were just scratching
out a meager existence, trying to feed their own families. They were driven by
a lust for luxurious living and lost no sleep about bleeding the poor to
maintain their own comfort.
It’s probably no
surprise that the throne did not make one immune to this materialism sickness:
Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? (v. 15). The prophet reminded Jehoiakim that better kings before him had been
content with having enough to eat and drink, and were not driven by the hunger
for conspicuous consumption.
Are we any
different? Does it matter to us where the clothes we wear or the toys we play
with are manufactured? …and under what conditions? Does getting a shirt for a
few dollars less make exploiting God’s children okay? And if we don’t pay close
enough attention to know for sure, can we claim plausible deniability? My
kids are warm and well-fed. I’m not responsible for other people’s kids. But would we want them to say the same about
our kids if the roles were reversed?
When I build my
palace on the backs of others less fortunate than myself, Woe to me.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Why is it the more I have
the more I want? How much is enough? Are you your brother’s keeper?
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