God's Command Jeremiah 22:8-10

God's verdict to punish the royal house of Judah and make the beautiful city a desolate place was so severe that He swore an oath to perform it (v. 5). The destruction would be ruthless to the point that people from many other nations who would pass through the city would ask one another, 'Why has the LORD done such thing to this great city?' The response of those that knew the history and the beauty of the city would be "Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and have worshipped and served other gods." (v. 9) Ultimately, God sounded a note of warning in verse 10. He said, "Do not weep for the dead king or mourn his loss; rather, weep bitterly for him who is exiled, (probably Jehoahaz) because he would never return to his native land again." The dead king for whom the people were not to weep was King Josiah who was killed in a battle. They were only encouraged to weep for his wicked son Jehoahaz who was also known as Shallum (Jeremiah 22:1). Even though his father was a fearful and godly king, his son did not follow his footsteps

God is compassionate but He will not fail to punish every sinful act. The punishment upon Judah was as a result of their sin. They did not maintain a cordial relationship with God, despite His faithfulness to them. They forsook His covenant relationship with them and deliberately ignored the several warnings to return to Him through His prophets. They forgot that God's decision to destroy any wicked nation that had failed to repent and return to Him was not negotiable. This is a reminder that Christians should exhibit exemplary leadership lifestyle so that the upcoming generation will follow their examples and be able to maintain justice, peace and demonstrate total obedience to God's laws. Any attempt by any individual or nation to dishonour God by disobeying His laws will surely attract His wrath, like the case of the people of Judah.