John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 22:13

"Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his neighbor`s service without wages, and giveth him not his hire;" — Jeremiah 22:13 (ASV)

The Prophet begins here to show that it was inevitable that the king’s palace, as well as Jerusalem, must be destroyed, for their wickedness had reached the highest pitch; but he now, as will soon appear, rebukes the father of Jeconiah.

He then says that the city was full of robberies, and especially the palace of the king. Yet I do not think that the Prophet speaks only of the king, but also of the courtiers and leading men. We must also bear in mind what I said yesterday: that the common people were not absolved while the king was condemned.

But since dignity and honor among the people belonged to both the king and the princes, the Prophet exposes them publicly, so that it might be made evident how deplorable the state of things was throughout the whole community. We must also add that the leaders among them were first summoned to judgment, not only because each one had privately offended, but because they had corrupted the entire body of the people by their bad examples, and also because they had taken more liberty, as they feared nothing. Indeed, we know that the rich exercise tyranny because they deem themselves exempt from all laws. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet here specifically denounces a curse on the king and the leading men.

He says that they built unjustly; his words are: with no justice and with no judgment, by which he designates cruelty, fraud, and robberies; in short, he includes under these words all kinds of iniquity. The way these things were done is stated: they wronged their neighbors by demanding and extorting labor without rewarding them.

Here, indeed, the Prophet only refers to one kind of injustice; but it may therefore be easily concluded how unjustly and wickedly those then in authority ruled, for they employed their neighbors as though they were slaves in building houses and palaces, because they denied them their wages.

But nothing can be more cruel than to deprive the poor of the fruit of their labor, from which they derive their daily support. It is indeed commanded in the Law that the wages of the laborer should not sleep with us (Leviticus 19:13), for that would be the same as killing him.

There is also another indignity: when a robber kills a man, his object is plunder; but he who extorts labor from a poor man and, so to speak, sucks his blood, afterwards sends him away naked and needy. This is more atrocious than killing him by violence. We now perceive the Prophet's meaning. But as he continues this same subject, I will defer any further remarks until tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since you continue both by chastising us and by kindly alluring us to yourself, to deal with us in such a way as to ascertain whether we are healable—O grant, that we may not be hardened either against your threatenings or your promises, but follow in a teachable spirit what you show is pleasing to you, progress in holy living, and daily become more watchful and diligent, until we finally reach the goal which is set before us, and receive the reward of our faith in your celestial kingdom, which has been obtained for us by the blood of your only-begotten Son.—Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

In the last lecture we began to explain the reproof the Prophet gave to King Jehoiakim for his cruelty and oppression; for in building his splendid palaces, he constrained the people to labor for nothing. This was the crime which the Prophet pointed out when he said, He! he builds unjustly, and his chambers by iniquity; literally, “not in judgment.”

As Jehoiakim might have objected and said that this was lawful for him—for kings think that the whole world has been created for their sake—the Prophet called his attention to the common rights of men, because all the Israelites were his relations; as though he had said, “Though you excel in dignity, yet you are one of the race of Abraham, and taken from the midst of your brethren; there is, therefore, no reason for you to take so much liberty as though they were to be your vassals.” Therefore, we see the Prophet's design when he condemned the cruelty of King Jehoiakim, who in building magnificent palaces treated the people arbitrarily and unjustly, and extorted more labor than was right.