March 14, Jeremiah 42
Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends out to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God." - Jeremiah 42:5-6
Through the years, I've met with many people who had questions about some situation in their life. More than once, they've come wanting to know what God says or what the Bible teaches about a particular subject. Some were genuinely seeking guidance. But a few were looking for someone to agree with them and endorse what they had already decided to do. If what I told them contradicted what they had in mind, they usually moved on to ask another preacher who might see and say it their way.
Johanan and all the people he had rescued from Ishmael came to Jeremiah, who was probably among the captives. They wanted Jeremiah to pray for them. They wanted to know what God said they should do, and they pledged to do whatever Jeremiah's God told them to do. Jeremiah prayed to God on their behalf, and after ten days, God gave his answer. He told them to stay in the land and not be afraid of the king of Babylon. He promised to bless them if they stayed. But if they disobeyed and insisted on going to Egypt, the things they feared from the Babylonians would come upon them in Egypt. They would die there. All the wrath they saw God pour out on Jerusalem would be poured out on the Egyptians and the Judeans in Egypt. He said if they went, it would be at the cost of their lives. They asked and God answered. But God knew they had made up their minds to disobey him and go to Egypt. Jeremiah told them to know for a certainty that they would die in the place they were going.
Was their inquiry and their promise to obey whatever God said sincere? Who are we to judge or doubt? But God knew it was not and told them that doing what they wanted instead of what he told them was going to cost them their lives.
Let's focus on three lessons we all need to learn and remember. As Christians, we have the privilege of praying to God, seeking wisdom from him as we make decisions and take action on them. This chapter teaches us that God is displeased when his people seek his counsel, yet proceed to do exactly what they wanted and planned to do. Let's remember that God knows our hearts. He knows if we talk about seeking God's will, but intend to do what we want regardless of what God's word tells us. Let’s be warned that God will be a true and faithful witness against us if we don't do what he clearly told us to do.
Also, let's contemplate how many times we forfeit blessings when we know better and disobey anyway. God made some big promises to bless these people if they stayed in the land. And he made some strong threats to bring curses and death on them if they didn't obey him. Whatever we think we gain by choosing and doing our will instead of God's will be lost. And we will miss the blessings God has in store for all who genuinely turn to him.
Let's not miss one last thing. Johanan and his people asked Jeremiah to pray to his God for them. Jeremiah corrected them, saying he would pray to their God for them. We must not think of God as someone else’s God. He is our God. He wants us to be his obedient people. He wants to bless his people who look to him as their God. Make sure your relationship with God is with your God, not the preacher's God or somebody else's God.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—March 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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