Jeremiah 42: 1 – 22
Made up your mind?
1 Now all the captains of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), 3 that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.” 4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. 6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” 7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’ 13 “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, 14 saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’— 15 Then hear now the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, 16 then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’ 18 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’ 19 “The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. 20 For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”
Today we are going to look at how people have ‘made up their minds’ about doing or not doing something specific without having done their proper homework. The remnant of the survivors wanted Jeremiah to pray to Father God Yahweh to see if they should flee to Egypt of not. After praying Jeremiah knew that these people would not accept the advice of the ‘All Knowing God’ because they already made up their mind. What they really wanted was for God to tell them they were right.
Living in a world of constant debate and disagreement, evaluating your own position on an issue of special or public importance is sometimes straightforward when based on your beliefs, values, and general knowledge. However, other times it is much harder to make up your mind about an issue because the territory is new to you or to humanity in general, or there are many competing or controversial values and ideas that go into forming the issue under discussion or dispute. When making up your own mind about the issue, it's important to have studied the varied perspectives before reaching your own conclusion. Even then, you are best served by keeping an open mind about future directions and understandings as new information transpires.
If they really wanted to know what to do they could have referred to some of these ideas.
, Ignore your gut instinct. Your gut instinct is founded on your prejudices and personal experiences, and no matter how hard you've aimed to seek balance in how you perceive your experiences, residing within them are your own interpretations of the world. When assessing an issue for the first time, your prejudices and experiences will make it harder to evaluate the issue objectively. As such, always be aware of what your own biases are, where they come from, and what impact they have on the debate before you. Be prepared to try to suspend your biases while working through your understanding of the issue.
. Clarify your value system. Write down your values, going from what you believe to be most important to the least important. Think very carefully about what each value or expression of that value means to you and how it impacts the way in which you view the world and complex or divisive issues such as the one before you. Part of this exercise is to help you understand the importance of trying to justify your decisions as you make them. Here are some examples of values to consider when writing out your list: Justice (personal and societal), life/health (physical and mental health), national/cultural identity, freedom, security, morality, human rights, human responsibilities, and equality/tolerance.
When creating your value system, remember that you are not just considering yourself personally in many issues. For example, while you may be willing to risk your own life for your own freedom, you might not believe that the same should be required of other people. Therefore, in this case you would place "life" before "freedom" in importance.
Think about what personal things have happened to you in life that have cemented your ideas about certain issues. Being aware that you base some of your values in single occurrences that upset, angered, or scared you is important.
. Research the issue in depth. Research will enable you to go beyond simply repeating the media headlines and what your neighbor, spouse, or parents say. While it's helpful to listen to people objectively, it isn't helpful to be swayed by noisy, repetitive, and emotional hubris based solely on other people's comfort zones and hearsay. Listen to what others have to say but be prepared to research the facts hidden under the noise of their agendas or preferences.
. Read arguments from varying perspectives. There are usually at least two perspectives to any discussion or dispute but there are frequently more, and many shades of gray in between. Be prepared to read widely across the varying opinions, both "expert" and "general", and try to see why different people hold differing perspectives, as this will go a long way to enlightening your own understanding of the issue.
. Understand the difference between facts and opinions. While opinions are useful guideposts for you provided you think about them critically, facts are the aspects of the debate on which you should be able to rely objectively. Unfortunately, finding the facts is not as easy as it seems, especially if the facts come from research studies which have been colored by the researcher's own values. This means that you need to read more broadly than simply looking to one or two authors/experts/commentators in any field, to ensure that you're not just being exposed to a biased viewpoint. Read about the issue from a variety of researcher's studies, media news, opinion pieces, blogs, peer reviews, history, etc., in order to get a more balanced view.
Even within those holding your own beliefs and values, you will find varying levels of comprehension and perspectives. Which of those matches most closely to your own and why? Always be very aware that there will often be convergences between differing opinions and it is prudent to look for those to see where compromises can be made successfully. However, keep in mind equally that convergences in extremist views are generally not about compromise positions but are often based on shoring up one societal group's benefits at the expense of anyone else, with little room for debate. Beware anything that claims to represent the absolute truth or understanding of the issue.
. Relate the facts of the issue to your values. After you've done the research and reflected over the matter, draw the threads together to firm up your stance on the issue. Ask yourself which solution or side is closest to reflecting your values and beliefs.
When deciding on an opinion, avoid focusing on blame and instead focus on solutions or change that can be made.
. Go beyond forming your opinion and ask yourself how you would defend your stance on the issue if someone were to question you. Ask yourself the opposite questions to see if your answers "hold water" when questioned.
Ask advice from people you trust, and you know you can have a good conversation with. For the sake of being contrary, question everything that they say about the issue and work through it together in this way. It's probably a good idea to let the other person know that this is what you're up to, or they might think you're being rude or difficult!
Here's a hard but effective method: when you have a strong opinion about an issue, write an essay defending your opinion with as much evidence and actual citations as possible. Then, write another essay defending the other side, again with evidence and citations, considering that side's arguments seriously and being scrupulously honest and putting in as much effort as you did for the first essay. How do you feel at the end of writing both?
. Advocate for your issue. Now that you have a well-thought-out opinion and the knowledge to back it up, participate in the larger discussion. Publish essays, write letters, demonstrate, or maybe create your own organization to make your goals a reality. Even just talking with family, friends, and community members is an important means for getting out your message and understanding.
If you find your emotions keep getting in the way of your delivery of your opinion, go back to the research information. Draw on that to back up your statements and opinions rather than blathering out emotionally charged vitriol. People respect cool-headed, constructive arguing but emotional tirades are soon dismissed as too much effort and a load of hot air.
. Remain open minded. Keep an open mind at every point, even after you've decided on your values and opinions. It's very easy to have made an error or missed something in this process. Moreover, as more information comes to light or as other people argue their cause and perspectives, you may find yourself seeing aspects of their argument that appeal to you that might rightly form a part of your outlook. Being able to accept when your own opinion and ideas need adjustment is a sign of healthy growth and a lively mind, one destined to keep up with events as they unroll rather than remaining mired in a single decision taken once and never budged from again. Ultimately, making up your mind is not a once-in-a-lifetime activity but part of an ongoing process in which your core values continue to hold but your willingness to continue listening and learning informs and updates your opinion.
And for the easiest way of success and to skip all this tiresome advice is to ask our Holy God what you should do. He sits on His Throne in Heaven and if He gives you His answer it will be peaceful than you can know that your decision is right.
That Judah had still not learned its lesson comes out in that on receiving the word of YHWH from Jeremiah they immediately reject it and determine to follow their own inclinations. We have here a reproduction in miniature of the whole history of Israel. They sought to Egypt rather than to YHWH. They were reversing Israel’ previous deliverance. Jeremiah on the other hand promised them that if only they would obey YHWH all that he had prophesied against Judah would be reversed, but they refused to listen. Mighty Egypt appeared to offer a better guarantee of safety than the promises of YHWH. Little were they to know that mighty Egypt would itself be humiliated by Nebuchadnezzar, and that they would be caught up in the repercussions.
Because of what had happened to Jerusalem Jeremiah had now been proved to be a true prophet of YHWH. Thus, on finding him among the captives the people came to him ostensibly in order to receive the word of YHWH. What they really wanted was a religious assurance that the plan which they had formulated was the right one. They wanted God to back up their plans, rather than themselves wanting to fall into line with God’s plans.
1 Now all the captains of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), 3 that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”
It would appear that Johanan was the recognised leader of the military forces, probably by common consent of the commanders, with the son(s) of Hoshaiah possibly being the recognized leaders of the people in general. iI is emphasized here that both they, and all from highest to lowest, were concerned to seek Jeremiah’s support for their venture. This is speaking, of course, of those who were planning the flight to Egypt. Purportedly they wanted YHWH’s guidance. Actually, it would turn out that they simply wanted to be told that they were right. It was not that they were deliberately dishonest. They genuinely wanted God’s will, but only if it conformed to theirs. And we must remember that they lived in a day when turning to the divine about future was looked on as the necessary thing to do. The gods were always consulted before any great enterprise. It is not therefore their religious sincerity which is in doubt but the condition of their hearts.
Outwardly their hopes were very pious. They wanted to know YHWH’s will and to do it. Indeed they claimed that they wanted to walk in the way of YHWH. And so, they asked Jeremiah to pray to YHWH so that He would guide them (as it will turn out, as so often with us today, it was on condition that He said what they wanted Him to say). They were very conscious that their once well populated land was now comparatively sparsely populated, mainly through slaughter, and through death by means of famine and pestilence, and through fleeing as refugees, rather than through exile, for only the cream of the people had been exiled. Isaiah in 6.11-13 had prophesied that Judah would be reduced to a remnant and that even that remnant would need to be purged. Here now was a remnant but it will soon become apparent that they too need to be purged. Outwardly, however, they give the impression of having learned their lesson.
Note that here they speak of ‘YHWH your God’, the idea being that Jeremiah was very much YHWH’s prophet, and that YHWH was the One from Whom he received His prophecies. Other prophets would go to other gods and even many gods, but they knew that Jeremiah had only one God.
4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
Jeremiah then assured them that he had heard their cry for help, and that he would pray to YHWH on their behalf as they had requested. He further promised that he would assuredly tell them what YHWH’s answer to them was and would keep nothing back from them. This emphasis suggests that Jeremiah was already aware that his reply was not likely to please them. He knew that God did not want His people to return to Egypt
Note again the designation ‘YHWH your God’, this time spoken to the people. Jeremiah wants them to recognize in their turn that YHWH is their sole God too, the God to Whom they owe covenant responsibility, and the God Who is interested in their concerns.
5 So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you.
In bold words they asserted their determination to obey YHWH. They called on YHWH to act as a true and faithful prosecuting witness among them if they failed to obey His words which would He would send to them through Jeremiah. In other words, they were indicating that they would be prepared to face up to a searching examination of their obedience. It was a powerfully phrased request. All seemed set well for the future. In this confident declaration we discover a decided similarity with similar declarations in the past.
6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
Indeed, they declared, they would obey the voice of YHWH through Jeremiah whether it spoke good or evil, in other words whatever it spoke, so that it might be well with them. The thought was pious and theologically correct. The problem was that they meant it only if it fitted in with their own ideas of what they should do, something common to many of us in our dealings with God.
Note that taking up Jeremiah’s indication that YHWH was ‘their God’ they now themselves spoke of Him as ‘our God’. By this they were acknowledging their responsibility to look only to Him as their only God and to obey and worship Him.
The break of ten days during which Jeremiah waited on YHWH brings out the importance of what is to be said. The run of false prophets spoke spontaneously, having stirred themselves up into ecstasy, but this was no spontaneous word from Jeremiah. He had to wait on YHWH for the genuine word of YHWH. The wait would meanwhile leave the people feeling uneasy in the light of the impending threat of Nebuchadnezzar. It suggests that God was testing their faith and giving them time to think over their situation. He knew that what He was about to command would be contrary to all their intentions.
We soon discover the reason for the waiting. YHWH’s word was that, rather than fleeing to Egypt, they were to remain in Judah under His own protection. They must trust in Him not in Egypt. He further indicated, in terms reminiscent of Jeremiah’s previous prophecies, that the judgment which Jeremiah had previously pronounced against Judah had now been reversed, and that if they remained in the land, rather than their being delivered up to Nebuchadnezzar, they would be established and would be delivered out of his hand. On the other hand, if they chose to go into Egypt they would find themselves subjected to all the judgments from which they were trying to escape. The choice before them was stark. YHWH or Egypt.
The passage closes with Jeremiah, expressing his awareness in a kind of postscript that their decision has been to disobey YHWH, declaring that they will in fact prove disobedient, and will thus come under God’s renewed judgment. It was not, of course, just the seeking of refuge in Egypt that was the problem. It was that once they had done so they would start to look to other gods, something which is precisely what happened.
7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
The impression we gain (verses 2, 4) is that Jeremiah was to spend much of the time in prayer and supplication. Then at YHWH’s discretion His word came to Jeremiah. The wait should have convinced God’s people that the word which came would be of vital importance. God was doing His best to bring home to them the importance of what He was about to say.
8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
Having received YHWH’s word Jeremiah then solemnly called together the whole leadership, together with all the people who were in the camp, from the commanders and the king’s daughters, to the lowest servants. The whole assembly of the people was to be there to hear YHWH’s command.
9 and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him:
He reminded them that it was they who had sent him to ‘YHWH, the God of Israel’, in other words to ‘their God’, in order that he might pray before Him so that they might receive the true word of YHWH through him.
10 ‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you.
The initial words are a reversal of the trend of Jeremiah’s previous prophecies against Judah and guarantee a fulfilment of His promises. YHWH promises to fulfil in Judah what is also promised to the exiles outside Judah (24.6), their ‘building up and planting’. It was an offer to bring about the fulfilment of the promises concerning the new covenant in 31.27-34. YHWH promises them that if they will remain in the land and put their trust in Him He will ‘build them up and plant them’ because as a result of His judgments He has been able to change His mind about their situation. We should notice in this regard that YHWH’s ‘repentance’ is always as a result of changed circumstances which enable Him to view things differently. He changes His mind because the situation has changed enabling Him to act differently, not because He had previously made the wrong decision or was sorry for what He had done.
Thus if they are willing to truly obey YHWH the beginning of the reversal of the judgments of God can commence, with a future bright in the light of the promises in chapters 30-31. They will be able to enter into a new covenant with YHWH, a covenant that changes the heart, the Davidic king will take his throne, and the whole land will become prosperous. It must not be overlooked that this was a prospective turning point in salvation history. Sadly, it did not come to fruition.
11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the LORD, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand.
YHWH assures the people that if they remain in the land they need not fear Nebuchadnezzar’s revenge because on ‘the word of YHWH’ they can be sure that He, YHWH, will deliver them out of Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. And this even though they are afraid of him. So once more YHWH’s people are called on to look to Him and trust Him to be their Deliverer and Savior, and act accordingly, with the promise that if they are obedient they will enjoy His full protection.
12 And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’
For as a result of YHWH granting them mercy (a word indicating a mother’s tender care and compassion), they can be sure that Nebuchadnezzar will also consequently have mercy on them, the final consequence of this being that they can now return safely to occupy their own land under YHWH’s protection, rather than seeking refuge in Egypt.
By fleeing to Egypt they would in fact be giving Nebuchadnezzar the impression that they were guilty of being involved in Gedaliah’s assassination, and in the murder of the Babylonians who had been stationed in Mizpah. Had they in fact remained and informed Nebuchadnezzar of the efforts that they had made to bring the murderers to justice they may well have been believed. But they were aware of what he had done to Zedekiah and the rulers of Judah, and panicked.
13 “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, 14 saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’—
On the other hand they are warned that if they refuse to take this option of dwelling in the land, thereby flagrantly disobeying YHWH, but rather declare that that they will go into Egypt and dwell there in order to avoid war and the sound of war, and in order to avoid hunger, then they must face the consequences which he is about to pronounce.
15 Then hear now the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus, says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there,
Jeremiah now gives a solemn pronouncement of what will happen to them if they choose Egypt. Returning to Egypt is constantly seen in Scripture as an indication of backsliding. Israel had desired after Egypt in the wilderness (Exodus 16.3), and they had continued to do so ever since even though Egypt had in the end brought them nothing but hurt (Hosea 11). Scripture constantly sees their hearts as being centered on Egypt, even though God had delivered them from it, that was why in the end the One Who represented Israel had to be called out of Egypt (Matthew 2.15). Deliverance from ‘Egypt’ and all that it stood for is essential for salvation.
16 then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.
For what would they find in Egypt? Would they find peace and security and wellbeing and life? No. Rather they would experience being overtaken by the sword and by famine and by death, the very things which they wished to avoid. Egypt could offer them no security.
17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’
This is what it will be like for all who set their faces on Egypt to go there. They will experience the judgments of sword and famine and pestilence (contagious disease), and none of them will escape from them, for YHWH Himself will bring them on them because of their disobedience. Sword, famine and pestilence are regularly described together as the means of God’s judgments
18 “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’
For their returning to Egypt will be as heinous a crime as that of the disobedience of the inhabitants of Jerusalem which brought YHWH’s anger and wrath on them. In the same way will His wrath be poured out on those who enter Egypt. They will experience the Levitical and Deuteronomic curses of being viewed with execration and astonishment (Leviticus 26.32; Deuteronomy 28.37), of being a curse and a reproach. and they will certainly never see their homeland again.
Having been brought down to being a remnant, Judah have now been given the opportunity to re-establish themselves as God’s people and renew God’s kingdom. God’s judgment was over and YHWH was willing to begin again with them. But despite their earlier commitment to obey His voice (which humanly speaking had brought them this offer) it is clear to Jeremiah from their reaction that it is their intention to turn away from the fulfilment of their promise.
This was one of those moments in history when all future history could have been changed, but the stubbornness, hardheartedness and disobedience of the people prevented it from happening. And Jeremiah could only watch in despair and declare to them that because they had made false promises, sword, famine and pestilence would surely come on them in the very place where they had hoped to find safety.
19 “The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day.
Having watched the reactions of the people and their leaders Jeremiah realizes with a sinking heart that they have no intention of obeying YHWH and makes his last hopeless plea to ‘the remnant of Judah’. The ‘remnant of Judah’ were those for whom God had promised so much, but it was essential, if they were to retain their purity of faith, that they remain in Judah. They must not ‘go into Egypt’ with all that that will involve. And he emphasizes that that was the command of YHWH which they had promised to obey, and which Jeremiah was now solemnly testifying to them.
20 For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me.
And he brings out that the reason for his final solemn plea is because he can see that all their past promises have been deceitful. They have even deceived themselves, ‘dealt deceitfully against their own souls’. He recognizes that they have in fact from the beginning had no intention of obeying YHWH whatever He said’, even though they may have convinced themselves otherwise. Their obedience had rather been conditional on YHWH aligning Himself with their own intentions, which in their view were the only safe ones. Their view was that YHWH had to fit in with what they saw as their only real hope of security, refuge in Egypt. For to them the right and security of Egypt under Pharaoh Hophra offered them their only hope. Thus, when they had called on Jeremiah to pray to YHWH for guidance and had promised to do all that he declared to them as from YHWH, which was what he had done, they had done so only conditionally on it fitting in with their own inclinations.
Refuge in Egypt had indeed always been the final choice for people in the land of Canaan. It was ever a safe haven in times of trouble and famine. And because in the past Egypt had always seen Canaan as a kind of protectorate the refuge was usually offered.
The truth was that Israel had never obeyed the voice of YHWH, even though they claimed Him as their God. And they were not ready to obey Him now. This may be a reference back to Judah as a whole, linking these people before him with the previous behaviour of Judah, or it may simply indicate that he recognizes that they have come to a decision, and that that decision was to disobey YHWH. Thus, in their intentions they have already disobeyed YHWH, just as they always have in the past.
22 Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”
Jeremiah thus pronounces on them YHWH’s final verdict. In the very place to which they intended to go to live there, sword and famine and pestilence will overtake them, bringing about their deaths. Rather than escaping from them they will have brought them upon themselves. And this is not just a possibility, but is a certainty.
