Jeremiah 22:6-9 – Don’t be done in by idolatry

From Jeremiah 21:11 to this point, God was dealing with the issue of widespread social injustice in Judah. He was calling for the king, especially the descendant of David who sat on the throne to deal with it. He promised that if he would do it, the throne would always have someone from David’s line. But if he refused, God Himself bring an end to the Davidic dynasty.

In Jeremiah 22:6-10, God spoke concerning the house of the king of Judah, i.e. the palace. Figuratively, God referred to the palace as Gilead, at the summit of Lebanon, a place known for its thick forestry of cedar wood. The place was constructed with cedar wood from Lebanon. Hence it was grand and lofty like Lebanon. Yet God guaranteed that the loft palace, the house of the king would become a desolation due to the king’s disobedience. He had earmarked it for destruction. Destroyers would come and cut down all its pillar of cedar beams, destroying the palace and burning it to the ground,  making it a total desolation.   

 

Verse 8-9 shows how utterly ruined would Jerusalem be that even visitors would inquire about the reason for her destruction. They wondered why Yahweh their covenant Lord would allow that city to become such a devastation. The obvious reply would be that they forsook Him and bowed down to other gods to serve them. When the king pivoted to pursue other gods, the protective hedge of the Lord over him and the nation was removed. Their idolatry led to their destruction.

Here we learn of the danger of failing to make God central in one’s life. The king of Judah became idolatrous because they failed to do so. He forsook Yahweh and went after other gods, bowing to them and serving them. Today our idols may not be in the form of physical images. And anything in our lives that we allow to take the place that should rightly be God’s would be an idol. If we make anything in our lives our focal point and pursuit, anything that takes away our time and energy from God is our idol. Remember craving for anything always begins in the heart. that’s where we must guard. Idolatry will unwittingly incur God’s displeasure, invite divine discipline and bring on destruction in all areas of life eventually. Let us take heed. Be sure to make God central in our lives, stay connected with Him, and live out what He has prescribed in the Bible.