Jeremiah 42-43
Dear RTB’ers,
Good Friday. Think on that a bit. Ponder and pray. To quote John, “I’ll wait…”
So yesterday we left Jeremiah in Mizpah. The Babylonians had left some people behind: Nebuzaradan …left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. (Jer. 39:10) They were told by Gedaliah, their leader, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. … gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” (Jer. 40:9b-10) In spite of the civil unrest that we read about yesterday, with Gedaliah murdered and Johanan the “de facto” leader, it was looking good for this remnant left behind. They even asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord on their behalf, confident in His response: 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. (v. 42:6) Looking good…!
Sadly, the leaders did not follow through on their commitment. When Jeremiah reported God’s word to them that they should remain on the land and that He would watch over them, their fear of the Babylonians was greater than their fear of the Lord. So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah. And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. (vv. 43:4, 7) Jeremiah is effectively taken captive with them and we find him continuing to speak the word of the Lord, but now in the land of Egypt.
Will the Lord deliver Jeremiah from his Egyptian captivity? Stay tuned!
Blessings.
One other item: Good Friday. Think on that a bit. Ponder and pray…
See also: August 7 (2023) / II Kings 25:22-26; Jeremiah 39:11-44:30.