Seeking the Right Guidance

Dad I have a question?

When you were growing up did you ever go to your dad, your mom, or someone you trusted and ask for advise? Why did you ask for it?

As adults do we go to people and seek advise? Sometimes seeking to confirm something we know we are already going to do? The remnant in this chapter begs Jeremiah to seek God’s direction, but in their hearts they already know what they are going to do.

After the unheralded warning in chapter 40, we saw the violence from Ishmael in chapter 41 and also the rescue of the remnant by Johanan as they feared retaliation from Babylon are are considering fleeing to Egypt.

Big Idea tonight: God’s guidance brings life and protection, but it requires a heart willing to obey —not one seeking confirmation for its own desire.

The remnant is around Bethlehem at this point contemplating staying in Judah or fleeing to Egypt. They are not giving much weight to the promised word of God through Gedaliah from Jeremiah the prophet. The word was stay and they will be OK, flee and they will die.

So, as we go into this chapter tonight the tone may seem sincere that they truly, and graciously want God’s guidance and blessings, but they are really already predetermined to go to Egypt and want God to bless that. Something God had previously said would lead to destruction, lead to death.

Our Guidance Path

Jeremiah 42:1–3 “Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.””

Jeremiah 42:4–7 “Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.” Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.”

Jeremiah 42:8–11 “Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, and said to them, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. ‘Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.”

Jeremiah 42:12–15 “‘I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil. ‘But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lord your God, saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”; then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there,”

Jeremiah 42:16–19 “then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. “So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.” ’ ” For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.” The Lord has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you.”

Jeremiah 42:19–22 “The Lord has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you. For you have only deceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the Lord your God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, tell us so, and we will do it.” So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.”

Is there anything that stands out to you?

Is God specific in this passage in giving understanding?

They Seek Guidance

A Key point: We should seek God’s will with a heart that is genuinely willing to obey it.

The people approach Jeremiah, they ask him to pray for them.

They admit they are few and they are vulnerable.

They then make a remarkable promise, “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen”

They recognize their need.

They realize they cannot navigate their situation on their own, and they need God.

They ask for God’s direction.

They do not just turn to Jeremiah for his, they want to know what God has to say.

They promise to obey

Their words sound sincere, the rest test of obedience isn’t what they say before God answers, but in what they do after God answers.

Application point: When I open God’s word am I willing to change my plans if scripture says I am wrong?

It is hard to say “I want God’s will — even if God’s will is different from mine.”

God Gives an Answer

A key point: God’s instructs may challenge our fears, but His commands are always worthy of trust.

It is after 10-days that God gives Jeremiah the answer. and God’s answer is probably not what they expected.

Stay in this land

God tells them to remain where they are, surprise, surprise.

They were afraid of Babylon and were afraid of attack if they stayed, yet God told them.

“Stay in this Land.”

God promises His presence

God tells them He is with them and will save them notice this:

Their security is not found in Egypt. Their security is found in God.

Fear can distort our decisions

They were making decisions on what looked safest. But what looks safest to us is not necessarily where God want us. And, that remains true today. Sometimes:

Financial fear can influences our decisions

Fear of rejection influences our decisions

Fear of what others think influences our decisions

Fear of the future influences our decisions

We can allow fear to become our decision maker.

Some Application: Faith asks: “What has God told told me to do?” Fear asks “What feels safest?”

These aren’t always the same thing.

God Warns Them

A key point: We cannot escape one difficulty by choosing a path that takes us away from God.

God specifically warns them not to go to Egypt

Egypt looked like the solution

If we go to Egypt we will have food, we will be safe, we will not have to worry about Babylon.

Egypt looked like security to them, but God knew what them could not see.

Egypt would not save them

God tells them that the sword, famine, and pestilence they feared would follow them into Egypt.

They were not escaping judgment, they were walking toward it.

The wrong choice can look attractive

This is one of the practical lessons of the chapter.

Sin rarely advertises itself as destructive

It may look like, security, convenience, opportunity, relief, freedom, or an easier softer way.

But, Christians must evaluate decisions by God’s word- not merely by appearances.

Some Applications: When making a major decision, ask:

What does God’s word say?

Am I allowing fear to influence me?

Am I looking for God’s will or God’s permission?

Would I still obey if God’s answer wasn’t what I wanted?

They Reject the Answer

A Key Point: It is possible to ask God for direction while seriously intending to reject His answer

Jeremiah now exposes the heart of the matter. They had said. “We will listen” But Jeremiah tells them they have deceived themselves. They asked him to inquire of God but their hearts were already determined to go to Egypt.

The wanted God’s answer

But only if it agreed with their plans

They had already decided

Their problem wasn’t lack of information, they had a heart problem, they knew what God said. They simply didn’t want to do it.

Knowing God’s will and doing God’s will are different

The most important thing we can get from this lesson is to

Hear the scripture, study the scripture

Understand the scripture , discuss the scripture

Come in line with what the scripture says and apply the scripture. As James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

Applications from Jeremiah 42

Don’t ask God to bless a decision you’ve already made

Be willing to accept an answer you do not like

Do not let fear make your spiritual decisions

God’s answer may not be the easiest answer

Ask yourself: “What would I do if scripture disagreed with me?”

Expansion on the applications:

Don’t ask God to bless a decision you’ve already made

One of the great dangers of prayer is using prayer to seek God’s blessing rather than God’s direction.

Be willing to accept an answer you do not like

It is easy to obey when God’s Word agrees with our desires.

Do not let fear make your spiritual decisions

The people were afraid of Babylon, and their fear pushed them toward Egypt. Our fear can do the same thing to do, to compromise convictions, avoid difficult decisions, remain silent when truth needs to be spoken, or even abandon something God has called us to do. It maybe easy to choose comfort over faithfulness

God’s answer may not be the easiest answer

God didn’t promise the remnant that staying in Judah would be easy. He promised that He would be with them. Our confidence isn’t based on having and easy path, it is based on having a faithful God.

Ask yourself: “What would I do if scripture disagreed with me?”

(Conclusion) - - - Here in Jeremiah-42 we see what seems the people come with what appeared to be seeking God’s will, but their minds were already made up what they were going to do. They prayed, they asked for guidance, they even promised obedience, but when God’s answer didn’t match their desires, they were unwilling to follow it.

The reality is the lesson was more than “Don’t go to Egypt” - - - - it is is, do not go to God if you have already decided what you are going to do. God doesn’t need us to tell him what what answer we want. He calls us to surrender our will to His.

Major Takeaway: True Submission to God is not saying, “God, tell me what You want—and I will decide whether I agree.” It is saying, “God, Show me Your will, and even when it is difficult, I will trust You enough to obey.”