Thursday, November 14, 2013

Forbidden To Go To Egypt

II Kings 25:26, Jeremiah 42:1-43:18

“Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) That the LORD thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.” (Jeremiah 42:1-3)

Fearing Babylonian retribution for the murder of the governor and Chaldean official, the Jews who had been left in Jerusalem had assembled in Chimham, planning  to flee to Egypt for safety.  Like most people, they had not consulted God before deciding what they were going to do, but having made the decision, they wanted God’s approval on it.  It was very similar to what congress so often does, deciding to pass a bill before finding out what the people want.  Having already decided, they asked Jeremiah to find out what God wanted.  

“Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. 

Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.  Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” (Jeremiah 43:4-6)

Jeremiah agreed to tell them exactly what God said and keep nothing back and the people promised they would do whatever God wanted, even if it was not what they had planned, so every would be happy and God would bless.

“And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.  Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 

Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.  And I will show mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land. “ (Jeremiah 42:7-12)

Ten days later, God answered the question.  Several years ago, a book titled The Tyranny Of The Urgent was written.  It’s thesis was that the things that are presented as most urgent are rarely of real importance.  The sense of urgency is and attempt to stampede us into action without considering what matters.  There used to be as saying to effect that decisions made in a hurry would be repented of at leisure. Frequently God doesn’t respond as quickly as we hope in an effort to get us to stop and think about what matters.

God’s response was that they should stay in Jerusalem and trust God to take care of them.  If they would, Nebuchadnezzar would accept their explanation, only punishing those who had been guilty of the murders, and God would show his mercy.  They would actually prosper under the Babylonian rule, growing and recovering their strength.

“But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more." (Jeremiah 43:13-18)

If, instead of trusting God and staying in Jerusalem as he told them, they continued with their plans to go to Egypt, believing they would escape fighting or starvation, God said the very army they were afraid of would come and destroy them in Egypt.

It was just like what God had promised for their refusal to go into the land of Canaan in Numbers 14:26-35.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,  How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 

But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.  And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. 

I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

Unfortunately, they listened to Jeremiah about like they listened to Moses.

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