Read Jeremiah 42
42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatestapproached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. 3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”
4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lordsays and will keep nothing back from you.”
5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witnessagainst us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. 6 Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”
7 Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10 ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon,whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12 I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’
13 “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. 17 Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem,so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’
19 “Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today 20 that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ 21 I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. 22 So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”
Go Deeper
In this chapter, we read the story of an interaction between a remnant of people who were left as they asked Jeremiah to get a word from the Lord for them. They needed wisdom, unsure of what they should do next and where they should go. Jeremiah heard their request and ensured he would take it before the Lord…and that he would tell them anything and everything God told him in response. He would keep nothing back from them (v. 4). The people then said, regardless of what God said, they would do as He said. But how sincere was that?
Verse 7 tells us that after ten days of waiting, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Think about how long those ten days must have felt! This is a great reminder to us that prophets weren’t like genies who could just spout off prophetic words whenever they felt like it–they had to wait on God to reveal a message to them. In his commentary on the book of Jeremiah Adam Clarke, an 18th and 19th century British scholar, said this:
“It is evident the prophets could not prophesy when they pleased, any more than the disciples of our Lord could work miracles when they wished. The gift of prophecy and the gift of miracles were both dependent on the will of the Most High, and each of them was given only for the moment; and when the necessity was over, the influence ceased.”
The message that God gave to Jeremiah was another example of Jeremiah having to deliver tough news to the people asking to hear from God. If they remained in the land (like He had instructed them to do), they would be shown great mercy. However, if they moved on towards Egypt seeking a false sense of safety and security, they would most certainly die as a result of that. It ultimately came down to a matter of their hearts.
Jeremiah reminded them that they were the ones coming to him asking for next steps, so if they were to go on to Egypt they would be living hypocritically. He knew, based on their track record, that they would be tempted to go their own way and follow their own fleshly desire for comfort. God saw their hearts and He knew their motives. The same is true for us today.
Questions
- What stuck out to you on your first read through this chapter? Why?
- Why were Jeremiah’s own words at the end of this chapter so harsh?
- Do you ever find yourself going before God with your own plan in mind? How can you live today with open hands, asking God to accomplish His will through you?
A Quote
David Guzik in his Enduring Word commentary had this to say about the end of this chapter:
“They acted as if they sought the LORD in sincerity and submission, but it was not true. Many still seek God with pretended sincerity, already determined to do what they want to do, and only hoping that God will affirm them in so doing. This teaches the importance of seeking God with a truly submitted heart that will do whatever He tells us to do.”
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6 thoughts on “Jeremiah 42”
I felt hopeful yet suspicious at the beginning of the chapter. Was the remnant who had witnessed the deportation of their people now coming to their senses? Sadly, no. They had predetermined their course of action and merely wanted God’s stamp of approval. How often have I done the same when my stubborn, rebellious heart demands its own way? 2 Timothy 3:5 instructs us to flee from “having a form of godliness that denies the power thereof.” Not then, not now will God be mocked, we reap what we sow.
Every thought captive. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. We have to bring every right or wrong thought to God and ask Him to give us wisdom and understanding to know how, who, what, when and where these thoughts. When we are told it is hard not to waver, especially when that is not what we wanted to do.
Whether it pleases us or not, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are asking you to pray. All will go well with us if we obey him.” Jeremiah 42:6 GNB
Quiet time/chair time with God. Seeking Him, listening to Him, reading about what His word says BUT obedience is the key. We can know what to do but do we do it? Is it going to cost us?
God thank You for Your Word. God there are so much instruction in Your book/library. God thank You for me, my obedience to Your word and will. Thank You that I do not lean in on my own understanding but I acknowledge You in all my ways for You to direct my path. God in Col 1:9- You say I can be filled with knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that I can walk worthy of You. That I can fully please You, and bear much fruit, increasing in the knowledge of You being strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might with all endurance and patience with JOY!!! God show me in these minutes of this day Your people to love, Your words to speak, and Your actions for me to put my hands and feet to in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!
Ten days waiting for an answer and I often don’t wait 10 minutes until I’ve determined how God should answer my dilemma. In yesterday’s message we heard that every sin begins with a thought and then we feed that thought until it blossoms. In step with that thinking, every healing, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, begins with a thought. What are we picturing in our minds, wholeness made available from God through the works of Jesus Christ or pink elephants. God desires every one of us to be whole and hear His voice. Are we listening and obeying?
So, they waited around for ten days to hear from the Lord and then the message was simply “stay as captives”?! I can understand their desire to run off to Egypt!
Lord, help me to wait for your instruction AND to obey your instruction!
This link at https://youtu.be/8kLqbBlJeBw?si=EHo8XfotJXsOMR9c helps understand what Jesus meant by using the word hypocrite… Lord, have mercy on us,.
Are we seeking God with a truly submitted heart that will do whatever He tells us to do? It’s in the waiting that I am impatient. I DO NOT want to go against the will of God for my life, yet I ponder my own solutions to the problems in front of me. Lord, give me strength and patience to seek Your wisdom. In Jesus name, Amen!