{"id":70552,"date":"2020-02-23T09:27:43","date_gmt":"2020-02-23T07:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=70552"},"modified":"2023-10-16T16:19:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T13:19:34","slug":"luxuries-dont-make-a-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/luxuries-dont-make-a-king\/","title":{"rendered":"Luxuries Don\u2019t Make A King"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[415,835,573],"acf":{"old_id":"70552","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34250,"related_cahpter":"422","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Righteousness and justice do\r\n\r\n","content":"

The first part of Jeremiah\u2019s rebuke to \u201che who builds his house without righteousness\u2026 without justice\u201d (13) is pretty clear. The prophet describes designing a house of luxury \u2013 a spacious, airy attic for hot days, cedar paneling, and fancy paint (14) \u2013 without paying the workers who construct it. (As if he literally \u201cbuilds his house\u201d himself, ignoring the existence of those who did the work and require payment.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Verse 18 indicates that the rebuke is not as generic as it seems, but is directed at Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, and with that royal context we can also understand the beginning of verse 15: \u201cDo you think you are more a king because you compete in cedar?\u201d Luxuries don\u2019t make the king; righteousness and justice do.<\/span><\/p>\n

As verse 15 continues, however, the point is not so obvious: \u201cYour father ate and drank And dispensed justice and equity\u2014 Then all went well with him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What do his father\u2019s eating habits have to do with anything?<\/span><\/p>\n

Perhaps \u201cate and drank\u201d signifies the basic necessities of life \u2013 as opposed to the rich grandeur of Jehoiakim\u2019s palace \u2013 and the prophet is implying that he should, like his father, be content with the basics and focus his energies instead on doing his job.<\/span><\/p>\n

Taking this idea even further, Malbim suggests the emphasis is on the juxtaposition of \u201cate and drank\u201d with \u201cperformed justice and righteousness.\u201d He writes, \u201cFor also while he ate and drank \u2013 also then, he did justice and righteousness. He did not eat a royal feast and did not engage in pleasures, for he was involved with justice even at mealtimes.\u201d (As a chronic multitasker, I can appreciate the values implied by this reading). The prophet draws a sharp contrast between one who takes his job so seriously he\u2019ll just have a sandwich at his desk, and one who is too busy indulging in physical pleasures. \u201cThen [therefore] it was well with him\u201d \u2013 Malbim continues, \u201c[Your father\u2019s] heart wasn\u2019t content from the eating, but from the fact that he performed justice for the oppressed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Radak\u2019s approach, however, sees the father\u2019s eating differently and stresses another important value: balance. He writes, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t attack you about your pleasures if you did justice and righteousness, for your father Josiah ate and drank like the way of kings, and enjoyed his good, and since he did justice and righteousness \u2013 then it was good for him. But you enjoy the good of this world on a bad path, for your buildings\u2026 your food and drink and your other pleasures \u2013 they are through injustice.\u201d In another twist, Radak mentions that some commentators suggest Jehoiakim had been fasting, trying to cancel the spiritual effects of his misdeeds, and the prophet says he\u2019s missing the point. Having and enjoying nice things can be perfectly fine \u2013 and denying them won\u2019t undo other things he\u2019s done.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key is keeping justice and righteousness at the forefront of it all.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":70556,"id":70556,"title":"jer22-chateau-chambord","filename":"jer22-chateau-chambord.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/jer22-chateau-chambord.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/luxuries-dont-make-a-king\/jer22-chateau-chambord\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jer22-chateau-chambord","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":70552,"date":"2020-02-23 07:27:23","modified":"2020-02-23 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