God did not relent in His effort to make the people of Jerusalem realise their acts of injustice and repent. According to this passage, the call to do justice was specifically directed to the royal house of Judah. God commanded Prophet Jeremiah to go to the palace of the King of Judah, the descendants of David and make a proclamation to the king, the officials and the people.
They were commanded to:
• Do what was right and just. In other words, they were expected to practise justice and fairness without discrimination, tribe, status, and gender notwithstanding.
• Rescue the oppressed from their oppressors.
• Stop violence against foreigners, the fatherless and the widows.
• Stop the shedding of innocent blood.
The other aspect of Jeremiah's message to the people was the reward that goes with strict adherence of the command to practise justice. God confirmed His reward for those who would obey the commands in verse 4. He said, David's descendants would continue to be kings. Furthermore, they, their officials and the people would continually pass through the gates of the palace in chariots and horses.
God's call to the people of Jerusalem to repent of their injustice is also applicable to the contemporary society because of the high level of injustice. There is oppression, favouritism, cheating, incessant killing, and corruption. Many are denied their rights, especially the defenceless. Worse still, the judiciary, which used to be the last hope of the poor is no longer affordable by the commoners. Nevertheless, the same message God gave to the people through Prophet Jeremiah is suitable for present-day believers. Specifically, God's command to act rightly was to the leaders of Jerusalem because if leaders are right and just, it will spread to their subordinates. There will be no oppression, cheating and injustice in the society. Therefore, leaders at various levels should embrace fair treatment to all and shun any form of prejudice so that there will be peace, equity and harmony among the people, irrespective of their status, tribe or gender.
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