What does "without price" in Jeremiah 15:13 reveal about God's justice? Setting the Scene • Jeremiah 15 sits in the heart of a series of oracles announcing judgment on Judah for persistent rebellion. • Verse 13 records God’s verdict: “Your wealth and your treasures I will give up as plunder, without price, for all your sins within all your borders.” (Jeremiah 15:13) Examining the Phrase “without price” • Hebrew: “בְּלֹא מְחִיר” (bĕlō meḥîr) — literally, “without payment” or “without compensation.” • God is declaring that Judah’s riches will be handed over freely to invaders; no bargaining, no ransom, no reimbursement. • The punishment is executed solely on the basis of Judah’s sin, not on any economic transaction. What It Reveals about God’s Justice • No Bribe Is Possible – Psalm 49:7: “No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.” – Wealth cannot sway divine judgment; moral debt cannot be settled by material wealth. • Justice Is Thorough and Uncompromising – Deuteronomy 28:31 foretold that disobedience would lead to enemies consuming goods “and you will have no one to rescue you.” – God’s sentence reaches “within all your borders,” leaving no safe pocket of resistance or hidden treasure. • Justice Operates on Divine Ownership – Haggai 2:8: “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, declares the LORD.” – Since all resources belong to God, He may reallocate them at will to uphold righteousness. • Justice Rejects Negotiated Settlements – Proverbs 11:4: “Riches are worthless in the day of wrath.” – By specifying “without price,” God signals there will be no plea bargain, no reduced sentence, no leniency apart from genuine repentance—something Judah refused. • Justice Highlights Sin’s Real Cost – While the riches are taken “without price,” Judah’s sin carries the highest cost: national humiliation and exile (Jeremiah 25:11). – The irony underscores that sin’s true expense is spiritual and relational, not monetary. Balance with Restoration Truths • God later promises, “You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money” (Isaiah 52:3). • Justice removes ill-gotten wealth without compensation; grace restores without human payment because God Himself will provide the ransom (Isaiah 53:5). • Both truths magnify His holiness—He punishes sin fully and, at the cross, pays the full redemption Himself (Romans 3:25-26). Lessons for Today • Trusting in possessions or status for security is futile; only righteousness in Christ satisfies divine justice. • God’s judgments are never arbitrary; they correspond exactly to sin’s offense. • The same God who strips away “without price” also offers salvation “without money and without cost” (Isaiah 55:1) to all who repent and believe. |
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