March 4: PRETENSE AND HYPOCRISY, OR OBEDIENCE?

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. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey . . .” Jeremiah 42:5-6a

Jeremiah’s faithful and repetitive warnings of God’s coming judgements upon Judah by the hand of the Chaldeans had been resented and resisted. When the armies of Nebuchadnezzar turned up for the third time (there were three separate waves of Babylonian invasions: 605, 597, & 586 BC), Zedekiah’s reign as a vassal king came to a tragic and heartbreaking end (see 39:1-7). His refusal to accept God’s prophesied punishment upon Judah—punishment sent by God for redemptive purposes (see 29:11)—resulted in unnecessary and avoidable consequences. His attitude had affected many other Jews, turning them against Jeremiah.

The few Jews who had managed to escape the third invasion came to Mizpah, the new seat of government in Judah where Gedaliah, the new vassal king per Nebuchadnezzar’s appointment, was ruling. These are the they in our verse above. Jeremiah prayed earnestly for ten days (v.7).

The divine answer was for them to remain in the land of Judah, that the LORD could enact a marvelous reversal of events. They were instructed not to be afraid of the king of Babylon (v.11). This small remnant of Jews were given a golden opportunity to be heal[ed of their] backslidings (3:22). They had the opportunity to cultivate and rebuild their homeland under the divine blessing and protection of the LORD. He was aware that some among them wanted to move to Egypt, so His message through Jeremiah specifically warned that going there at this time would actually cause the very things of which they were most afraid to come upon them (vv.16.19).

“Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey.” Oswald Chambers

It is a terrible thing to remove yourself from the divine guidance and protection of the LORD. In this case, the earnestness of the people’s declared intent to follow God’s will amounted to a mere pretense. They were hypocrites in [their] hearts (v.20). Because of the influence of the naysayers, they all made a deliberate decision to move to Egypt. They took Jeremiah by force to Egypt also. He continued to faithfully convey the messages of the LORD of the ongoing disasters that would befall this well-informed, defiant remnant (for a summary, see 44:24-27).

“Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs.” Jeremiah 44:28