Jeremiah 42:1-2. In yesterday’s reading the happy life of the remnant (people left behind) in Judah quickly turned into junk. That is what we do best as humans (see “The Old Testament Connection”). We just cant seem to honor God with our lives and since we were made to have a relationship with God when we turn our back on him everything goes bad. The loss of Gedalaih was sad but God cold work it out if the people had listened to him. Nebuchadnezzar would have been angry about the dead soldiers but he was the “servant” of Yahweh and there fore was under God’s control. We left of with Johanan and the other commanders planning to run to Egypt. There they would live in peace away from war and the sword (Jeremiah 42:14).
We left off yesterday with the commanders (military leaders) gatherning the people in Geruth Chimham. That name means the “place where Kimham stays” and it was a piece of land that David gave to a guy named Kimham (or Chimham). It was probably near Bethlehem about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. The people were planning on going to Egypt where they though they would be safe from the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar.
In verses 1-3 the commanders come to Jeremiah and ask him to pray and find out where God wants them to go. I think it is interesting that Johanan asks Jeremiah to talk to the “LORD (Yahweh) your God”; not “our God” or “my God”. Jeremiah does use the term ”my God” once in Jeremiah 31:18 and later in this chapter, when he is talking to the commanders and all the people, He quotes their request and uses the words “our God”, so maybe Johanan’s words aren’t what they seem to be in verse 3.
In verses 4-6 Jeremiah accepts the request and informs them that he is going to tell it like it is; whatever God says he is going to repeat it to them. The leaders basically said, “Right on brother, tell it like it is and we will do it. May God be our witness!”
In verses 7-12 Jeremiah gets the message from God and delivers it. God told them that if they stayed in the land that he would take care of them. They didn’t need to worry about Nebuchadnezzar at all.
IN verses 13-17 Jeremiah tells them that if they say no to the idea of staying behind in the land and insist on going to Egypt because there they will not have to be afraid of the “sword, famine and disease” that they will be in for a surprise. If they go to Egypt every man among them will die there, and they will have no remnant to come back; their women and children will die too. Basically if they go to Egypt their family lines will cease to exist. In verse 18 God tells the people that they will be an example to the world of what happens when you don’t obey God.
Verses 19-22 are Jeremiah’s words to the people. “Do not go to Egypt!” He could not be any clearer. They had lied to Jeremiah and they were lying to themselves. They had promised to do whatever Jeremiah told them but now they had rejected what e told them from God. Although they had not left yet they were going to (and did) and so Jeremiah told them that they were disobedient already and as a result they were going to suffer the very fate they were trying to escape. They would die in Egypt by the swore, famine, and disease; war was going to follow them there.
“Talk is cheap”, that is how the saying goes. These guys promised to listen but then didn’t. They had their minds made up before they even asked Jeremiah. You have to wonder why they even asked. They were military commanders and their experience told them that Nebuchadnezzar would be mad about the soldiers that had been killed by Ishmael and would probably get some new guards in the area and cause a little pain. The best tactical move was to leave. But that is not what God told them to do. God doesn’t need a tactical advantage he can work out any situation and make it end up his way. James told the early believers that they asked for things from God but didn’t get them because they were asking with wrong motives. Jesus told his followers that when the asked God for things that they needed to do it in his name (John 16:24). That didn’t mean they needed to say, “In Jesus name. Amen.” The idea of a name is the idea of who the person is and what they are like; basically it means asking for things that Jesus would want you to ask for. The name stands for who the person is and what they are about. If these guys were going to ask they needed to be ready to follow through and do what God told them. It’s a good idea to ask God what he wants us to do with our lives each day, but we need to be ready to follow through, we need to not already have our minds made up. It doesn’t matte if you pray before you don’t listen or you just don’t listen, if you don’t follow God’s path for you the end result is disaster.
God help me listen. Help me understand what to ask for. Help my prayers always consider what you want. Let me honor you, avoid disaster, and be a good example to the world around me. Help me not confuse my “wisdom” and feelings with your truth.