“1. Then 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 unto the greatest, came near, 2. And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 3. That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. 4. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.”
Babylon has invaded Judah and carried away much of the people into captivity, but what we find in this passage of scripture is a remnant of the people left in the land. Remember, Judah has become captive for seventy years because of their sin, but even during the seventy years God would protect them and bring them home one day. Jeremiah is among this remnant: These left over leaders come to him and say; please ask God what we should do. Their biggest fault is that they had already made up their minds of what they would do, even if God didn’t give them the answer they wanted to hear. Verse six: “Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee: that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.” Their hope would be that Jeremiah would return with the Word saying “Go down to Egypt and you will be protected.” God knew exactly what they wanted to do and Jeremiah gave them specific instructions. Verse nineteen: “Go ye not into Egypt…..” God was going to bring Judah back to their home land, He would have protected this remnant if they would have obeyed Him and allowed the king of Babylon to rule over them. The end didn’t turn out so well. Chastisement is always better than death. One thing we can see in this passage of scripture is that God had a plan for Judah. Sometimes God puts us in places we may not like, but being obedient is the most important decision we need to make as believers. What are some things you have been dealing with lately? Maybe a new job? A new area to live? Some new hunting gear or a piece of hunting land? Have you been praying and reading your Bible concerning the matter your dealing with? God will always answer you if you choose to seek Him! He might say no, He might say yes, He might say wait! Whatever He says, trust Him, He’s God, He knows tomorrow, you don’t! This remnant of Judah not only went back on their word, but they found themselves in direct disobedience. Read how Jeremiah ends this chapter. Verse 21-22 “And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor anything for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.” The king of Babylon later came and hurt Egypt! If this remnant would have listened, their lives would have been spared. God is faithful! We don’t always like His answers, but remember, He is the perfect one! The Word of God will give you an answer, make sure your seeking Him and not your own way!
This weeks memory verse is not from the devotion, but has great application:
Memory Verse Week 7/15/19
Ecclesiastes 12:13
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
