Year 9, Day 95: Jeremiah 42

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Jeremiah 42 is another crux point in the life and times of the Hebrew people.  Remember that there had just been a rebellion against Gedaliah, the governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar.  Naturally, the Hebrew people were fearful of retribution.  After all, if Nebuchadnezzar decided to return the soldiers to the area, there would be consequences regardless of what side of the rebellion a person was on. 

Because of this, there is an organized effort by the people to leave and go to Egypt.  They simply want to start over.  They want a new life, with a new identity, and a fresh start.

Therein lies the problem.  They want a new identity and a fresh start.  However, they don’t realize that this is exactly what God has given them in the Babylonians.  God is using the exile to purify their faith and restore it.  The Hebrew people are looking to circumvent what God is doing to them.  Rather than allow God to work, they want to make a life in their own image.

This choice is not simply a choice to flee Babylonian control.  This is a choice to continue to abandon God’s hand in their life.  They do not want to submit to God’s plan and allow Him to use the exile to recreate them.  They want it now.

That’s a big issue for humanity.  Fundamentally, control is one of the major areas in which we wrestle with God.  It is hard waiting on Him.  It is hard understanding God’s will.  How are these people to know God wants them to remain in captivity under Babylon rather than seek a new life in Egypt?

The answer is actually pretty simple. They know because Jeremiah is there to tell them.  He’s been there all along.  He’s told them from the beginning that if they go into exile under Babylon things would go well for them.  They know.

They also resist.  They don’t want to submit.  They don’t want to know God’s will.  They want to hear that which confirms their own will, not God’s will for them.  That’s exactly the reason that they are in the situation they are in.

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