Let’s face it. Sometimes God’s will is not convenient for us.
There are times we’d much rather do something other than what God has asked us to do. And it’s so easy to focus on what we want or what we think is right that we push God’s will to the side.
That’s what happened to the remnant of Jews in these chapters.
After Gedaliah’s assassination, two leaders of the remnant, Johanan and Jezaniah went up to attack his assassin Ishmael and his band.
Ishmael and his people were going, along with their captives, to the land of the Ammonites who had hired them for the assassination.
Johanan and Jezaniah were successful in recovering the captives, but Ishmael and eight of his men escaped.
At that point, Johanan and Jezaniah had to decide what to do.
They were frightened that Nebuchadnezzar would hold them responsible for Gedaliah’s death, and were contemplating running to Egypt.
Before doing so, however, they consulted Jeremiah, saying,
Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do….
Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God. (Jeremiah 42:3,6)
One gets the impression, however, that more than asking God’s will, they were hoping for God’s blessing on their plans.
They probably started making their plans for Egypt, fully expecting Jeremiah to say, “Yes, God wants you to go to Egypt. Go in peace.”
But Jeremiah told them just the opposite.
First he told them that God was grieved at having to bring judgment upon Judah, and that if they stayed in Judah, God would plant them there and they would be fruitful.
He also told them that they would have nothing to fear from Nebuchadnezzar.
After saying this, however, he warned them against going to Egypt saying that if they did, what they feared would come to them: they would die in Egypt and never see Judah again.
Then Jeremiah said,
You made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’
I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. (Jeremiah 42:21-22)
I like the King James and New King James translations here. The King James says,
For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God. (21)
The New King James puts it,
You were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God. (21)
Despite their promise to do whatever God said, favorable or not, the people disobeyed God, going to Egypt anyway.
What about you? When you come to God, do you do so hypocritically?
Do you dissemble in your heart saying, “Lord, I’ll do whatever you ask,” when you really mean, “I’ll do whatever you ask if it fits with what I want to do?”
Sometimes it seems favorable us to do things God’s way. It’s easy to obey God then.
But how about when it seems unfavorable? What will you do?
If, for example, it means leaving a comfortable life, or if it means leaving behind your job or your girlfriend or boyfriend, will you do it?
God does desire what’s best for us. If only we could recognize that and trust him enough to obey him.
Do you?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 