To Be or Not To Be

Introduction

TURN: Jeremiah 42

Opening ILL: William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1: “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them?”

People who refuse to do as God says invite disaster on themselves.

Focus: God’s messenger must continue to love and hold out hope for people, even when they reject the message.

PRAY

1. People Will Seek Godly Counsel

Jeremiah 42:1–6 HCSB

1 Then all the commanders of the armies, along with Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the Lord your God on our behalf, on behalf of this entire remnant (for few of us remain out of the many, as you can see with your own eyes), 3 that the Lord your God may tell us the way we should walk and the thing we should do.” 4 So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. I will now pray to the Lord your God according to your words, and every word that the Lord answers you I will tell you; I won’t withhold a word from you.” 5 And they said to Jeremiah, “As for every word the Lord your God sends you to tell us, if we don’t act accordingly, may the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us. 6 Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you so that it may go well with us. We will certainly obey the voice of the Lord our God!”

A. People asked Jeremiah what to do after Gedaliah, the governor over the remnant not sent to exile, was assassinated.

What are some crisis situations that have caused you to feel the need to seek guidance?

Who are some Godly men and women that you personal seek out for advice?

What about them inspires your trust?

B. When problems arise in their lives, people may seek our advice.

How can you prepare yourself to be the type of person worthy to give wise counsel?

2. We Can Deliver Godly Counsel

Jeremiah 42:7–22 HCSB

7 Now at the end of 10 days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 8 and he summoned Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the armies who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest. 9 He said to them, “This is what the Lord says, the God of Israel to whom you sent me to bring your petition before Him: 10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will rebuild and not demolish you, and I will plant and not uproot you, because I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear; don’t be afraid of him’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘because I am with you to save you and deliver you from him. 12 I will grant you compassion, and he will have compassion on you and allow you to return to your own soil. 13 But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ so as not to obey the voice of the Lord your God, 14 and if you say, ‘No, instead we’ll go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war or hear the sound of the ram’s horn or hunger for food, and we’ll live there,’ 15 then hear the word of the Lord, remnant of Judah! This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: If you are firmly resolved to go to Egypt and live there for a while, 16 then the sword you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine you are worried about will follow on your heels there to Egypt, and you will die there. 17 All who resolve to go to Egypt to live there for a while will die by the sword, famine, and plague. They will have no one escape or survive from the disaster I will bring on them.’ 18 “For this is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Just as My anger and fury were poured out on Jerusalem’s residents, so will My fury pour out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing, scorn, execration, and disgrace, and you will never see this place again.’ 19 The Lord has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah: ‘Don’t go to Egypt.’ Know for certain that I have warned you today! 20 You have led your own selves astray because you are the ones who sent me to the Lord your God, saying, ‘Pray to the Lord our God on our behalf, and as for all that the Lord our God says, tell it to us, and we’ll act accordingly.’ 21 For I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in everything He has sent me to tell you. 22 Now therefore, know for certain that by the sword, famine, and plague you will die in the place where you desired to go to live for a while.”

A. Jeremiah advised the survivors to remain in Judah.

B. Seek God’s guidance and provide biblical counsel.

What should inform your advice? What should we base our advice on?

3. People May Reject Godly Counsel

Jeremiah 43:1–7 HCSB

1 When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God—all these words the Lord their God had sent him to give them— 2 then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah, “You are speaking a lie! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to live there for a while!’ 3 Rather, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans to put us to death or to deport us to Babylon!” 4 So Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies did not obey the voice of the Lord to stay in the land of Judah. 5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies took the whole remnant of Judah, those who had returned from all the nations where they had been banished to live in the land of Judah for a while— 6 the men, women, children, king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, along with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah— 7 and they went to the land of Egypt because they did not obey the voice of the Lord. They went as far as Tahpanhes.

A. The remnant of survivors went into Egypt.

B. People will not always listen to what we say.

Many who consider themselves Godly and humble, only submit themselves when they are being told what they want to hear.

How have you seen that in the world around us?

How have you seen that in yourself?

Often we seek Godly guidance when we have already made up our minds on what we want to do.

Really we are not seeking guidance and direction, but blessing on our own ideas and decisions.

How have you seen that in the world around us?

How have you seen that in yourself?

4. People’s Choices Have Consequences

A. The remnant could not escape God’s judgment. (Jeremiah 43:8-44:19)

Jeremiah 44:20–23 HCSB

20 But Jeremiah responded to all the people—the men, women, and all the people who were answering him: 21 “As for the incense you burned in Judah’s cities and in Jerusalem’s streets—you, your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the people of the land—did the Lord not remember them? He brought this to mind. 22 The Lord can no longer bear your evil deeds and the detestable acts you have committed, so your land has become a waste, a desolation, and an object of cursing, without inhabitant, as you see today. 23 Because you burned incense and sinned against the Lord and didn’t obey the Lord’s voice and didn’t follow His instruction, His statutes, and His testimonies, this disaster has come to you, as you see today.”

The people thought that God would bless their actions because of their religious beliefs and routine.

How do you see this today?

B. God and the prophet did not give up on the rebellious people.

Jeremiah 44:28–30 HCSB

28 Those who escape the sword will return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah only few in number, and the whole remnant of Judah, the ones going to the land of Egypt to live there for a while, will know whose word stands, Mine or theirs! 29 This will be a sign to you’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘that I am about to punish you in this place, so you may know that My words of disaster concerning you will certainly come to pass. 30 This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who want to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who wanted to take his life.’ ”

Who do we give up on? Why?

Why is it hard to not to give up on rebellious people who reject Godly counsel?

C. We cannot give up on people who fail to listen to godly advice.

Why should we not give up?

Conclusion

I am called to make disciples of Jesus, not disciples of Jeremy.

What is the difference?

How do I do that?

How do you do that?

What is your takeaway today? How have you been challenged?

Final thoughts?

PRAY