Jeremiah 42:13-22: a reflection

13“‘But if you say, “We will not dwell in this land,” so that you don’t obey the LORD your God’s voice, 14saying, “No, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there we will dwell;”’ 15now therefore hear the LORD’s word, O remnant of Judah! The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to live there, 16then it will happen that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, will follow close behind you there in Egypt; and you will die there. 17So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. None of them will remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.’ 18For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you, when you enter into Egypt; and you will be an object of horror, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.’ 19“The LORD has spoken concerning you, remnant of Judah, ‘Don’t go into Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have testified to you today. 20For you have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God; and according to all that the LORD our God says, so declare to us, and we will do it.’ 21I have declared it to you today; but you have not obeyed the LORD your God’s voice in anything for which he has sent me to you. 22Now therefore know certainly that you will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”

The remnant of Judah comes to Jeremiah with what sounds like sincere devotion. Pray for us, they say, and whatever the LORD our God says, we will do it. Jeremiah prays, and God answers clearly: do not go down to Egypt; stay in this land. But it becomes clear that the people had already made up their minds to go to Egypt; their asking was not a real seeking of God's will, but a hope that he would bless the decision they had already made. They had, Jeremiah says, dealt deceitfully with themselves.

Notice the emptiness of their request for guidance. They asked God to show them his will, and promised to obey; but their hearts were already set on Egypt. They did not really want to know God's will so that they could do it; they wanted his approval for what they had already decided. And so, when his answer did not match their plan, they disregarded it. Their seeking was a formality, not a genuine surrender to God's direction.

That is a subtle danger in our own seeking of God's guidance. We may ask God to show us his will, and even promise to obey, while our minds are already made up; and then, if his answer does not match what we wanted, we find ways to disregard it. But such seeking is not genuine; it seeks God's approval, not his direction. When you seek God's guidance, come with a heart truly open to do what he says, even if it is not what you want. Do not ask God to bless a decision you have already made; ask him to direct you, and be ready to obey, even when his answer crosses your own plans. Genuine seeking of God's will is willing to do what he says; anything less is only seeking approval for our own way.

Lord, the remnant of Judah asked Jeremiah to seek your will and promised to obey, but their minds were already set on Egypt; they wanted your approval for what they had decided, not your direction, and disregarded your answer when it crossed their plan. Guard me from that subtle danger in my own seeking. I may ask you to show me your will, and even promise to obey, while my mind is already made up, and then find ways to disregard your answer if it does not match what I wanted. But such seeking is not genuine; it seeks your approval, not your direction. When I seek your guidance, help me come with a heart truly open to do what you say, even if it is not what I want. Keep me from asking you to bless a decision I have already made; help me ask you to direct me, and be ready to obey, even when your answer crosses my plans. Make my seeking genuine, willing to do what you say.