Speaking of Kings (21:1-23:8) 141MESSAGE AND AUDIENCE
Yahweh in the present oracle says woe to anyone who builds his house, com-
plete with upper rooms, without regard for righteousness or justice. A curse has
not fallen upon this individual, but it may just as well have, for the divine woe
is laden with funerary overtones. Yahweh is talking about someone who makes
others work for nothing, giving them no wages at all. Sounds a bit like forced
labor, although other kings are on record as having used it, notably David and
Solomon, the builder of builders. But Yahweh in the present instance is op-
posed to such exploitation. He is also less than impressed with all the boasting
he hears. An ambitious king wants a palatial residence, spacious upper rooms,
windows, cedar paneling, and vermilion adorning the interior, and Yahweh
says "No."
It soon becomes clear that a royal palace is at issue, for Yahweh now turns to
address the king directly. Does this scion of David think that competing in ce-
dar makes him the king he is? Let him have another look at his father, the good
King Josiah. Did not he wine and dine as king and yet do justice and righteous-
ness? Yes, and it went well for him. What is more, he prosecuted cases of the
poor and the needy, and this too made things go well, as Deuteronomy prom-
ised it would. Yahweh then asks the king rhetorically, "Is not that knowing
me?" The king is left to answer this question for himself. And those listening
will have to do the same.
In its present form, with v 17 as part of the oracle, the concluding words to
the king are explicit and harsh. Yahweh says that this king cares about nothing
except amassing wealth, which could not be said of Solomon, despite the
riches he attained ( 1 Kgs 3: 13 ), nor is he above shedding innocent blood, prac-
ticing oppression, and then running away. This indictment of Jehoiakim was
probably not uttered in the king's presence but before another audience. The
oracle does not name the king, but the audience will know it is Jehoiakim, dis-
liked as he is not only by Jeremiah but by members of the royal house, leading
citizens of Jerusalem, and the population at large, who had to dig deep to pay
the tribute money to Neco.
This oracle is generally dated to the early years of Jehoiakim (Peake; Volz;
Rudolph; Weiser; Holladay; Jones). A date of 606-605 B.C. is about right,
which gives Jehoiakim time to build his new palace, and finds Jeremiah still
walking the streets of Jerusalem, preaching his message unhindered. After 604,
when the prophet's scroll had been read to the king and consigned to the
flames in a burst of unconcealed rage, Jeremiah and his colleague Baruch
were out of public view (36: 19, 26).
President Mobutu Sese Seko of the former Zaire was a tribal chief, basically,
who functioned in a manner reminiscent of antiquity's despotic kings. Like Je-
hoiakim, he lavished wealth on himself, family, and friends, while leaving the
rest of the country in abject poverty. His hometown of Gbado Lite in the north
he made into a modern city equipped with every convenience. It had paved
streets with curbs, hydroelectric power, electric lights, modern hotels, and food