Jeremiah 21:11-14

God cares about the oppressed and He has compassion on the people who are less fortunate. Knowing that we are His hands and feet it is our privilege to love and care for others.

Be careful what you say about them…He watches over them always!

Zedekiah is king, but the oracle is directed against the royal house in a general way, speaking to the injustice of current and prior rulers. One of the basic responsibilities of kingship was defending the weak from oppression. 

Jeremiah urges Zedekiah to repent, rule justly, and live up to the biblical standard for a Davidic king. The messages concerning previous kings are intended to defuse political rhetoric that looks to the past and hopes to restore Judah’s status with support from Egypt. Jeremiah opposes the attitude of the leaders, who believe that Yahweh will save Jerusalem again because of His concern for the Davidic dynasty. For Jeremiah, the presence of a Davidic king is not a sure sign of Yahweh’s favor. The people have mistakenly placed their faith in the institution of kingship instead of in Yahweh. Even a Davidic king cannot expect divine blessing when he oppresses his people. Faithlife Bible.

The king was to be devoted to the commandments of God and was to mete out judgment, or justice. The ultimate test of the king was measured in his judicial response to those who were oppressed and plundered. NKJ Bible.

Jeremiah 21:11-14

11 “And concerning the house of the king of Judah, say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David! Thus says the Lord:

“Execute judgment in the morning;

And deliver him who is plundered

Out of the hand of the oppressor,

Lest My fury go forth like fire

And burn so that no one can quench it,

Because of the evil of your doings.

13 “Behold, I am against you, O inhabitant of the valley,

And rock of the plain,” says the Lord,

“Who say, ‘Who shall come down against us?

Or who shall enter our dwellings?’

14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings,” says the Lord;

“I will kindle a fire in its forest,

And it shall devour all things around it.” ’ ”

2 Samuel 5:6 | And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.”

2 Samuel 5:7 | Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

2 Chronicles 36:19 | Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions.

Psalm 72:1 | Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.

Ezekiel 13:8 | Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord GOD.