A General Plea To The House Of David Not To Be Presumptious But To Exercise Justice and Mercy If They Would Escape Judgment (Jeremiah 21:11-14).
Jeremiah now makes a general plea to ‘the house of David' to cease being presumptious and to fulfil its responsibilities as the house of David with regards to justice and fair play, (an idea which will be continued in Jeremiah 22:1-4). Had it done so the present troubles could have been avoided. This new emphasis on ‘the house of David' (Jeremiah 21:12) and ‘the throne of David' (Jeremiah 22:2; Jeremiah 22:4; Jeremiah 22:29) demonstrates that he is seeking to establish the standard of righteous kingship which alone could have safeguarded the house of Josiah from its fate. It was because no representative of the house of David could be found who fitted his description that Shallum (Jehoahaz) would be left in Egypt and Jehoiachin (Coniah) would be left in Babylon, while Jehoiakim and Zedekiah were seen as totally unworthy. That was why in the end Jerusalem's fate would come upon it. It would be because the house of David had failed in its responsibility. And, as we have seen earlier, this was because YHWH would fill them with drunkenness along with the priests, prophets and inhabitants of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 13:13). On the other hand had they responded to YHWH by obeying the covenant, especially as focused in restraining themselves from trade on the Sabbath Day, which might also have affected the numbers attending the Temple for idolatrous worship, the house of David would have gone forward in triumph and have been established for ever (Jeremiah 17:25). This emphasis on the house of David, and what was required of it, is preparing the way for the fact that one day a representative of the house of David called ‘the righteous Branch (or Shoot)' would arise who would rule righteously and truly (Jeremiah 23:5). It is, however, stressed that the Righteous Branch (or Shoot) will not be a direct descendant of Jehoiachin. (Compare how Immanuel was not to be a direct descendant of Ahaz, being born of a virgin - Isaiah 7:14 - there also spoken to ‘the house of David' - Isaiah 7:2; Isaiah 7:13). His coming will only occur ‘in coming days' after the Exile.
“And touching the house of the king of Judah, hear you the word of YHWH,”
Note that this word is spoken to the whole house of Josiah, ‘the house of the King of Judah', and not to just one member of it. It is a word for all of them from YHWH.
Some see this as a continuation of the words spoken to Zedekiah, but the plea here would in that case come too late because the house of Zedekiah was doomed and his fate was sealed. Others see it for that reason as spoken to the house of Jehoiakim. But in seeing it as spoken to all the house of Josiah we include all, and have an explanation as to why no name is given. We should note in this regard that before being replaced each member had had their opportunity to consider their ways, however short, but sufficient to be seen as having ‘done evil in the eyes of YHWH' (2 Kings 23:32; 2Ki 23:37; 2 Kings 24:9; 2 Kings 24:19).
“O house of David, thus says YHWH, Execute justice in the morning, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn so that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”
The general plea is to ‘the house of David' and it was that they should fulfil the requirements of that house and faithfully execute justice, and deliver the oppressed, with the warning that if they failed to do so YHWH's wrath would go forth like an unquenchable fire, because of the evil of their doings. Jehoiakim had palpably failed to do so, as had Zedekiah, whilst Jehoahaz (Shallum) and Jehoiachin (Coniah) had seemingly equally clearly demonstrated their intentions as soon as they had received the throne, thus also disqualifying themselves.
‘Execute judgment in the morning' indicates the action of a king who is diligent in respect of justice, who rises early before the heat of the day in order to hear cases and listen to the pleas and complaints of his people before the heat of the day rendered it impossible. This was something that even David had grown lax in, which had resulted in Absalom taking advantage of it (2 Samuel 15:2-4). It was by doing this that Solomon had established his reputation for wisdom (1 Kings 3:28). It was the sign of a righteous king, and will be what the righteous Branch will do (Jeremiah 23:5). The deliverance of the oppressed and the ensuring of fair justice for all were parallel requirements. The implication is that had the house of David done this there would have been no problems from Babylon, for then they would have been powerful in their own right (Jeremiah 22:4). The following expression of YHWH's severe anger (which was shortly to be fulfilled) demonstrates how crucial YHWH saw it to be.
“Behold, I am against you, O inhabitress of the valley, and of the rock of the plain, the word of YHWH, you who say, ‘Who will come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations?' ”
The truth was that instead of Jerusalem having become a bastion of justice and fairplay it had, under the successors to Josiah, become the home of presumption and arrogance with the people having the sense that they could do what they liked without having to face the consequences. They were so certain of their inviolability that they dismissed the possibility that Jerusalem could be taken. Such a statement would have been somewhat shaken by the events of 597 BC when Jerusalem had had to surrender to Nebuchadrezzar, but once things continued reasonably smoothly they could soon have rationalised themselves into thinking that after all he had not ‘taken it'. They had simply re-negotiated their vassalship. Certainly, as we saw in Jeremiah 21:2, Zedekiah still hoped for inviolability.
The application of these words to Jerusalem rests on the use of the feminine ‘inhabitress' signifying the daughter of Zion. The description depicts the twofold level of Jerusalem with the upper citadel being situated on the ‘rock of the plain', the level part of the mountain on which it was built (compare the ‘rock of the field' in Jeremiah 18:14 which referred to the higher part of Mount Lebanon), with the remainder of Jerusalem being built on the lower slopes in ‘the Valley' (the part occupied by Judah and Benjamin when the upper citadel had been occupied by the Jebusites). And it was because of this highly defensible position, combined with a superstitious faith in YHWH, that they argued that no one could come down against them or enter their habitations.
Alternately it is suggested that the picture is of Jerusalem with its citadel on the rock rising above the surrounding ‘plain', nevertheless being in a valley because it was surrounded by mountains higher than itself (Psalms 125:2 - which would be why the enemy ‘came down' against them). This would explain the enemy ‘coming down'. But either way Jerusalem is indicated.
“And I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, the word of YHWH, and I will kindle a fire in her forest, and it will devour all that is round about her.”
However their arguments would all have been very well if they had judged righteously, delivered the oppressed, and walked in obedience to the covenant. But the arguments did not stand up when they perpetrated injustice, themselves were the cause of oppression, and had forsaken the covenant. In other words the fruit of their doings had cancelled out their inviolability. Thus they could be sure that YHWH, rather than defending them, would punish them in accordance with their behaviour. And this was the sure and certain ‘word of YHWH' (neum YHWH). For He would kindle a fire in her forest, and would devour all that was round about her, leaving her totally desolate.
The reference to forest may have been because at that stage (unlike later) Jerusalem was surrounded by forest so that its conflagration would have destroyed Jerusalem, or may indicate ‘the house of the forest of Lebanon', the description of part of the king's palace which was built of so many tall cedars that it was called by the name and contained his treasures (1 Kings 7:2; 1 Kings 10:17; 1 Kings 10:21), or may be seeing the great houses of Jerusalem as like a forest of trees (many would be constructed partly using oak or cedar). Some compare Jeremiah 22:6 where Jerusalem is (according to them) described as ‘the head of Lebanon', that is, is as though covered with trees.