For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: ‘He shall not return here anymore…’ Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 22:11,15–16)
In this chapter, God was comparing the actions of the different kings of Judah. He points out that King Josiah, who was the father of Shallum, had been a good man. He was content with food and drink. He wasn’t insistent or focused on accumulating things like cedar, which was an expensive building material. Neither was he interested in making a name or standing out. This was right and just in the eyes of God. The result of this is that all went well with him.
When you see people and things don’t go well with them constantly—I’m not talking about persecution for the sake of Christ or because of being godly— it is likely they are not doing what is right and just.
What is Right and Just?
Is it something you just know? No. You learn, and you do it. Don’t extort people. Don’t owe a person and plan not to pay them. Don’t pull schemes. Don’t be dishonest or look for dishonest gain; rather, look for honest gain because “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” (Proverbs 14:23) So you labour to profit, but only honestly. Don’t let your eyes go to what is not yours.
To know God means to be content with what you have. It is to be satisfied with the basics — food and drink, and defend the cause of the poor and needy. That’s the person who knows God because that’s how God is. So if someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t have caring for others as a focus, that person doesn’t know Him.
“I Never Knew You!”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’“ Matthew 7:21–23
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:33-46
Despite the prophecies, deliverances, and miracles the people in Matthew 7 carried out, Jesus still said He did not know them. They were not allowed to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Does this mean that all the things mentioned above were not the will of His Father in heaven?
Very likely, they were doing miracles and working wonders while not defending the cause of the poor. They were not looking out for ways to help and support the needy. They didn’t do good to those they ought to.
So we have a choice before our face, in the time we have on the earth, to choose to live a life that is contented and spend our energies on defending the poor and the needy, because that is how God wants us to serve Him.
What do you Defend the Poor and Needy From?
- Need
- Lack
- Oppression
- Poverty
- Harm
Picture a scenario where someone throws another person into prison, or gets them arrested, to make them a scapegoat and to appear powerful. Then someone else shows up and fights for them, saves them, protects them, and bails them out. This is how to defend the poor.
Let’s consider another case where someone is suffering because another person, who has many other properties, took their property from them. Many people have had things taken from them in this manner. God permits us and expects us to step in and help deliver them based on the resources available to us.
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3–4
Suppose you notice someone around you always dressed poorly and looking tattered because they do not have good clothes to put on, how should you respond to such a situation? Do you ignore and wish them well? Or do you take practical steps to meet the obvious need?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:15-17
Many times, we do not have enough to give because we have been wasteful. We must be careful not to be wasteful. When you have two clothes, don’t throw one away, saying, “I didn’t need it anymore.” Instead, keep it safely because someone will show up who needs it.
Don’t be happy to say, “If I had, I would give you.”
Why don’t you have one? You don’t have it because you threw it away. Why did you throw it away? Because you did not care about the poor and needy. If you cared about the poor and needy, you’d wash it well and keep it. God sees our hearts, and He will judge us according to what we do. He saw when we could have saved that money, and we went and splurged it so much. We lived large, we ate pizza every day—when that money could have fed people for a week.
So even though you enjoy the blessings God has given you, don’t live luxuriously all the time, because there is so much need around. If you are unaware of those needs completely, find someone, somewhere, who needs support, and send help. Or look for trustworthy individuals or groups that have proven to be good stewards of God’s resources, and give to them. Knowing that they will reach out to the poor and needy.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” 1 John 3:17
At the end of the day, knowing God isn’t only about how much we preach, pray, or even perform miracles. It’s about how we treat people, especially those in need. God wants us to live with contentment, not constantly chasing more. He wants us to care for the poor, help the vulnerable, and be mindful of how we use what He’s given us.
It’s not enough to say “God bless you” to someone hungry or cold. We’re meant to step in and do something. That’s what it means to live out our faith. So instead of living large all the time, let’s learn to live, watching out for the needs around us, and doing what we can to help. Because that’s what God is looking for, and that’s what it means to really know Him.
Ita Udoh
29th May 2025
