Jeremiah 42:1-6: a reflection

1Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near, 2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, even for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us, 3that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the things that we should do.” 4Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words; and it will happen that whatever thing the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to tell us. 6Whether it is good, or whether it is bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

A small remnant of Judah, left after the disaster, comes to Jeremiah and asks him to pray for guidance: that the LORD your God may show us the way we should walk and the thing we should do. And they make a solemn promise: whether the word is good or bad, pleasing to us or not, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God. It sounds like genuine seeking; they ask for God's direction, and vow to obey whatever he says, good or bad to them.

Notice the promise they make, which is the true test of seeking God's will: whether it is good or bad, we will obey. Genuinely to seek God's direction is to be willing to obey it before we know what it is, whether it pleases us or not. It is easy to ask God for guidance while secretly hoping for a particular answer, ready to obey only if he says what we want. But real seeking, as they profess here, is a readiness to obey whatever God says, good or bad to us.

That is a searching test for our own seeking of God's will. When we ask God for direction, are we willing, like they professed to be, to obey whatever he says, whether it is good or bad to us, pleasing or not? Or are we asking while secretly resolved to obey only if his answer suits us? To seek God's will truly is to be ready to obey it before we know what it is. When you seek God's direction, ask yourself whether you are genuinely willing to obey whatever he shows you, good or bad to you, or only if it pleases you. Seek his will with the readiness these people professed, to obey whether the word is welcome or not; for that willingness, and not mere asking, is the mark of one who truly seeks God's will.

Lord, a remnant of Judah came to Jeremiah asking him to pray that you would show them the way to walk, and promised, whether the word is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God. Let that promise test my own seeking of your will. When I ask you for direction, am I willing, like they professed to be, to obey whatever you say, whether it is good or bad to me, pleasing or not? Or am I asking while secretly resolved to obey only if your answer suits me? It is easy to ask you for guidance while secretly hoping for a particular answer, ready to obey only if you say what I want. But real seeking is a readiness to obey whatever you say, good or bad to me. When I seek your direction, help me ask myself whether I am genuinely willing to obey whatever you show me, or only if it pleases me. Help me seek your will with the readiness these people professed, to obey whether the word is welcome or not; for that willingness, and not mere asking, is the mark of one who truly seeks your will. Make me truly willing to obey you, Lord, before I know what you will say.