2/11/26

Jeremiah 22:16 NASB95 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.

In our text, the Lord is speaking to the sons of King Josiah. They had seenby experienced the hard work and righteous character of their father yet they did not learn from it. Instead, they felt entitled.

Over the last several days, the Lord has been bringing me into conversations related to the entitled mindset. People have been saying 'you deserve,' 'he or she deserves,' and 'I deserve,' these words are always followed by words of good things.

The fact is, all have sinned and fallen short of God's Glory.

The fact is, the wages of sin is death.

The fact is, none is righteous no not one. Where do we get the idea that we deserve good?

It is a prideful thought initiated by Satan. He thought he deserved to be like God. He with a desire to destroy, shared this sinful pride with Adam and Eve, in Genesis 3:5 when he told them "you will be like God." Then it has been passed along from man to child ever since.

However, God showed us through His examples and especially His Son, that it is not about us. we are to live with a desire for others to know Him. Christ lived and died and lived again forevermore for us.

God tells Josiah's sons look at the righteous example of your father, King Josiah. "He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy." He lived so as to lead others to have their needs fulfilled. The need is a relationship with God. In living for others, he was blessed more than he deserved. The text says "Then it was well."

Josiah didn't work hard to take care of himself. He worked hard to bring others to the Lord. In so doing the Lord blessed him. Josiah was not at all about, I need to be happy, comfortable, recognized, glorified, or fulfilled in life. He was concerned about others. This is living as God desires. It is living in the way of Christ.

God even says in the rest of our text: "Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.

Listen to those words they are so powerful. "Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.

"Is not that what it means to know Me?”

"Is not that what it means to know Me?”

What does it mean to know the Lord?

To plead the cause of the afflicted and needy.

Do you really know the Lord? Because according to this, a person who knows the Lord, will at minimum strive to help the afflicted and the needy. Josiah did this by striving to bring people to the Lord!

However, today it seems like many "Christians" are more concerned with what I think I deserve.

That is fine if you realize you deserve eternal death separated from God and it is only by His Grace that you receive anything above eternal death.

I want to close with what God said about Josiah and then, let's see if He can say that about us?

Jeremiah 22:16 NASB95 “He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy; Then it was well. Is not that what it means to know Me?” Declares the LORD.

He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy. Is not that what it means to know Me?”

Declares the LORD.

Love Bro. Scott