Although those who had requested Jeremiah to pray
to the Lord and
seek His guidance on their behalf were insincere, the prophet took
their request seriously. He probably knew what God’s answer would be, yet he
sincerely went to God on their behalf. After ten days, he assembled
them to give them the Lord’s response. Right from the
onset, it was clear that they wanted to go to Egypt. Coming to Jeremiah was to
get his concurrence with their intention. They were neither interested in
hearing what God had to say nor His will for them. Their minds were
already made up.
This is a common error people of God would make and need to be
watchful. When we seek God for guidance, don’t come with a mind made up on how
God should answer us. People are often disappointed concluding that God had not
answered their prayers simply because God didn’t respond as they had
anticipated He should. When we come to God in prayer, don’t expect Him to always
answer the way we want. Remember God has a wholistic revelation, whereas our
revelation is only progressive. Unlike God, our scope and experience are at
best limited. God knows the hearts of His people. The ten days before Jeremiah
got back to them could well be God’s way of giving them the time and latitude to
reflect and think through what they truly wanted and intended to do.
Through
Jeremiah, God first assured them what would happen if they would obey and then
tell them what would happen if they would not. God’s clearcut answer was for
them to stay in their own homeland and submit to the Babylonians. They should
not think of escaping to Egypt. God promised to take care of them,
build them up, and plant them solidly where they were, and would avert the
calamity that they would otherwise justly deserve. Verses 11-12, His assurance
to them was “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you
are now fearing; do not be afraid of him…for I am with
you to save you and deliver you from his hand. I
will also show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and
restore you to your own soil.” How much clearer could God be? Even
a fool in his right sense could understand.
God
knew His people’s propensity. That would be the reason that He added a warning.
He told them that if they chose to disregard His counsel and go to Egypt
thinking they would have been able to find peace there, they had sorely
mistaken. God strongly warned them saying in verses 15-17, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to
reside there, then the sword, which you are
afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about
which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt,
and you will die there. So all the men who set
their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by
famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from
the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”
God warned the
stubborn people that going to Egypt would be a fatal mistake. Simply put, if
they choose to disobey His counsel, everything they had experienced in
Jerusalem would follow them even if they had migrated to Egypt. Jeremiah
rounded with a vehement call to them, sternly warning, “Do not go into
Egypt!” He added, “You should clearly understand that today I
have testified against you. For you have only deceived yourselves.”
In verse 20,
he reminded them that it was they who came to him requesting that he prayed for
them, promising to do whatever guidance God would give.
Following God is a faith
venture. Obeying is our best option in life. We need to know the reality of the
principle of cause and effect. Like obedience, disobedience also has
a consequence. Things that may appeal to the eyes and seem harmless will have a
definite effect. Living for God leads to the abundant life He has promised.
Whereas self-gratification will always lead to spiritual death.
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