Jeremiah 42 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
Jeremiah 42 Bible Study
INTRO AND TIMELINE:
Jeremiah was a priest who lived in Anathoth (3 miles from Jerusalem). His ministry was directed towards the people of Judah, immediately before and during their exile in Babylon. His work as a prophet dates from 627 BC through the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC.
Jeremiah is the longest book in the English Bible by word count. The book has 52 chapters.
Jeremiah prophesied under the following Kings of Judah:
Manasseh (687-642 BC)
Amos (642-640 BC)
Josiah (640-609 BC)
Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)
Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)
Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)
AN INSULT TO GOD:
Introspection is a necessary part of being a man or woman of God.
How disrespectful for the people of Judah to consider moving to Egypt because they believed God couldn’t take care of them in the Promised Land.
God had led their forefather’s out of Egypt, but they were preparing to go back.
Everything had gone wrong for Judah because they wouldn’t listen to God, but according to them, it was God’s inability to protect them that was the problem, so they were preparing to return to those who had once enslaved them and abandon the God who set them free.
We must not be so dense as to point the finger at God when our lives have turned out poorly because of our own decisions.
Sometimes we are the problem, and we need to stop looking for someone else to blame and start demanding better of ourselves.
OUTLINE:
THE REMNANT OF JUDAH SEEKS COUNCIL FROM JEREMIAH ABOUT GOING TO EGYPT (42:1-22):
After Johanan saved the people of Mizpah from Ishmael, the remaining people of Judah gathered to Jeremiah for advice.
They were already planning to flee Judah for Egypt to escape any potential repercussions for the assassination of Gedaliah, the Babylonian appointed governor.
They asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord’s council on the matter, and they promised to do whatever God instructed.
The people said, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you” (42:5-6).
At the end of 10 days, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah with a message for the people.
God told the people to remain in the land. If they stayed in Judah, He would protect them and build them up. God would deal with the Babylonian problem and guard His people from the repercussions of Gedaliahs murder.
God strictly forbid them from moving to Egypt.
He told them that if they moved to Egypt they would find the trouble they were attempting to run from.
In Egypt, they would be killed by sword, pestilence, and famine.
In the next chapter, we’ll see how the people of Judah respond to God changing their plans.
APPLICATION:
The actions of the people of Judah were honorable.
They made a plan in their minds, but before executing on it, they went to the Lord for guidance.
They had a will to go to Egypt, but they wanted to know God’s will.
This behavior is admirable and applicable.
We all have a will, places we’d like to go, careers we’d like to pursue, children we’d like to have, and things we’d like to accomplish.
Before we jump head-first into the pursuit of those things, do we council with God.
Do we ask Him to affirm our plans?
Do we ask Him to reck our plans if He knows those things are not in our best interest? That is a hard prayer!
Are we willing to still live in contentment when God’s will is not our will?
