God, through Jeremiah, condemns those who “build palaces by unrighteousness and upper rooms by injustice” and identifies the source of this opulence as the unpaid wages of the workers.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you think God’s condemnation is relevant today? If so, how?
- What is the answer to Jeremiah’s question: “Does it make a person a king if he has more and more cedar?”
- Why then, do we aspire to accumulation of luxury goods and high-end amenities for our homes?
- What actions ensure that it will “go well” with us?
- What does it look like to “defend the cause of the poor and the needy”?
Tongue on Fire 