NOTES for Jer 22:1-30

What, then, does the Lord want from His people? “[Josiah] judged the cause of the poor and needy... Is not this what it means to know Me?” Yet we are used to God rebuking them for unfaithfulness, for worshiping other gods, in short, for religious betrayal. To us, living many centuries later, it seems obvious that religion is one thing while ethics and morality are quite another: one may be an unbeliever yet compassionate and kind, or a believer yet a scoundrel. This wording is therefore all the more paradoxical for us: to practice mercy and justice in one's life is to know God. These words give human, brotherly love a fathomless and infinitely vast meaning. It is not merely morality, good conduct, or a set of ethical principles... It is an experiential encounter with the Holy; it means living the life of the Creator.