Jeremiah 42

Jeremiah is a detailed man that repeats the data of his diaries in some chapters so that we can see all angles. The reason they went to the city near Bethlehem is “to go in order to come to Egypt” (Jeremiah 41:17). But in this chapter Jeremiah describes how all of them came near to him (v. 1). All the people from the least to the greatest also came. They said to Jeremiah that he should please let their supplication fall before him and Jeremiah should pray to Yahweh, “your God for all this remnant” (v. 2). This is also a mistake since they seem not to have a relation with God. There is the absence of cohortative here indicating collective cooperation between all. They bemoan that they are only a few. They request from Jeremiah “that Yahweh your God may show us the way we should go and the thing that we should do” (v. 3). The obvious distance from God is very apparent in the language. They want navigation in their lives since that is what they lack due to their own failure to have a relationship with God. Jeremiah said to them that he heard what they asked and that he will pray to Yahweh, “your God” according to their request (v. 4). Jeremiah tried to involve them as well. He is almost hinting that God belongs not to himself but also to them. Teachers know this technique of correction very well to their students. It is a polite way of saying you are correct if you repeat what you have said in the future correcting the errors of the past in the manner the teacher just spelled out. He agreed to tell them everything, should God speak to him. They said to Jeremiah that God may be a true faithful witness against them if they do not act according to all “the word which Yahweh your God sends you to us” (v. 5). They undertook to do that. Even if it is good or evil, they will obey the voice of “Yahweh your God” (v. 6). Even though Jeremiah corrected them to jump on the bus with “our God” they still paddle along with “your God” distancing themselves from God. Ten days later, the Word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah (v. 7). He then called Johanan and all the commanders of their forces and all the people to himself (v. 8). God said that if they remain in the land, then God will build them up and will not pull them down. He will plant them and not pluck them up (as vineyard) (v. 10). God’s kindness will overshadow the magnitude of the evil they did, due to such a decision. They should not fear the empire of that time, Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar, it’s ruler, for the Lord will be with them “to save you and to deliver you from his hand” (v. 11). God will give them mercy and Nebuchadnezzar as a result of God’s working, show them mercy to let them remain in their own land (v. 12). However, the other leg of the condition needs to allocate the punishment for not trusting God: if they do not remain in the land, they disobey the voice of the Lord “your God” (v. 13). They still do not get the hint and Jeremiah has to remind them to talk as “our God”. If they insist that they should go to Egypt due to dreamland imaginations that they will not see war, hear trumpets, have lots of food and commodities, shall not be hungry (v. 14) then as a punishment the sword which they fear will overtake them; and famine of which they are afraid and they will die there (vv. 15-16). Everyone who made that decision to go and live there will die “and they shall have no survivor or remnant from the evil which I will bring upon them” (v. 17). Comparatively as the wrath of God was poured out on Jerusalem so in Egypt God’s wrath will be poured out to them again (v. 18). The will become a horror, curse and they shall not see the vicinity of Bethlehem again. Jeremiah spelled out the salespoint: “Yahweh has said: do not go to Egypt” (v. 19). Jeremiah believed what God said since he used the word “for a certainty that I have warned you this day”. The next verse is already after their decision to go “that you have gone astray” which means that they made up their minds to go anyway (v. 20). Jeremiah pronounced the verdict that they did not obey the Lord and for certainty they will receive the punishments of the sword, famine, pestilence and death promised to them (v. 22).

Dear God

We do not want to make decisions without following Your will for us. Help us to do what you require from us and obey your voice. We are too involved in self-engineering that we fail to allow Your Hand to carve our way. Save us in Your protection. Amen.

Koot van Wyk, (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Kyungpook National University, Department of Liberal Education, Sangju, South Korea; conjoint lecturer of Avondale College, Australia