Follow the template

 This week's verses are Jeremiah 22:15-16:

Does it make you any more of a king
that you outstrip everyone else in building with cedar?
Just think about your father.
He was content that he had food and drink.
He did what was just and right.
So things went well with him.
He upheld the cause of the poor and needy.
So things went well for Judah.’
The Lord says,
‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.

These verses are part of the judgment of God through the prophet Jeremiah against King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim had been hoarding wealth and spending it on himself like a third world dictator, while ignoring the needs of his people. The nation of Israel had become corrupt because of his dereliction of duty and God was about to restore order.

But they're good verses for us too. How do we manage our resources? Do we just spend what we have on building our own comfort and power? Are we not also tyrants sometimes? Mini-dictators building mini-palaces and walling ourselves off from the cries of the less fortunate?

But God says to Jehoiakim (and us) that being content with what we have and upholding the cause of the less fortunate and less powerful is a good example of what it means to know him. He doesn't mean it in the sense of the modern social justice movement, where the primary drive is to judge others and look down on them, while hiding behind the veneer of being interested in the needs of others. He is not telling us to oppress the people we feel are oppressors. He's simply saying we should have our eyes open, and be compassionate, and intervene at our own expense where we see clear cases of abuse.

And contentment is underrated in our modern materialist society. If you were put in a group home tomorrow, and no longer had your own house or apartment, if you could never take another vacation, or watch another TV show, or buy another thing, would you be content? If your status quo was frozen at a level of a college kid living in a dorm, or a prisoner in a large prison, a patient in a rest home, could you find happiness and enjoy the favor of God? Or would you be focused on the "freedoms" you are missing?

The template God points to in these verses is basically a question of whether you are able to put others before yourself. A king has the legal right to do as he sees fit, but he also has responsibilities. We are our brothers' (and sisters') keepers. Are we Christlike and willing to sacrifice to see others become better off? Or are we following in the path of Satan where we want to build our own kingdoms and advance at the expense of others?

There are only a few sections in the Bible where God points out an example of what he wants of us. This is one of them. So look at the template of life he has shown us here and compare yourself against it. Are you content with what God has given you? And are you ready to put yourself out there and spend that blessing if someone needs your help?