No Security in Egypt

 By: Dr. Dale Weckbacher

 

Text: Jeremiah 42:1-22

 

Jeremiah 42:21-22

And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God in anything that he sent me to tell you. 22 Now therefore know for a certainty that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to live.”

(ESV)

 

It is an understatement to say that we find ourselves in complicated times. For those of us that have been around a while, there are familiar components like economic retraction, soaring prices, and increased violence. However, there are also components unfamiliar like transgenderism, which is a slap in the face of God, telling Him that He made a mistake with my gender at birth that I need to correct. The redefining of life excludes the unborn in the interest of permitting their murder through abortion in the interest of convenience so one can have sex without the consequence of a baby. There is also the absolute rejection of any standard of truth, like the Bible, in the interest of defining truth to include what every individual believes it should be. This is why it is crucial for everyone professing faith in Jesus as their Savior or Messiah to be, like the Bereans, who diligently seek truth through the study of the Bible, God’s Word (Acts 17:11; Psalm 119:105).  

 

A remnant of Jews has remained in Israel, believing they were safe under the leadership of Governor Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:1-4). However, with his assassination, this remnant lives in fear and under the leadership of Johanan, has plans to go to Egypt, believing they will find protection there (Jeremiah 41:17). Johanan does do the wise thing and seek guidance from the Lord before taking the people to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:1-3) but will he listen to the instruction from the Lord coming from Jeremiah or reject it? Jeremiah agrees to bring their plea to the Lord with the people vowing to obediently follow the instructions from the Lord, whether good or bad (Jeremiah 42:4-6).

 

God rejects their plans to go to Egypt for protection and urges the people to trust God by remaining in the land (Jeremiah 42:7-12). The Word of the Lord from Jeremiah then continues by letting the people know the consequences of disobedience by defiantly going to Egypt (Jeremiah 42:12-17). While this is not defiance like the worship of Baal that sent Israel into exile (Jeremiah 11:13,17;19-5) it is a rejection of the Word of the Lord and as such carries consequences. The Word of the Lord from Jeremiah then continues with the consequences of defiance to the Word of the Lord should the people choose to go to Egypt instead of obeying the instructions from the Lord as they promised (Jeremiah 42:5-7,18). Jeremiah reminds the people that they asked him to inquire of the Lord on their behalf and that rejection of his instructions from the Lord will result in their death (Jeremiah 42:19-20). Jeremiah has carried out his obligation and the ball is now in the court of the people in Israel, will they flee to Egypt or obediently obey God (Jeremiah 42:21-22)?

 

The remnant remaining in Israel thought they would be safe under the leadership of Governor Gedaliah because he promised protection for those remaining in Israel (Jeremiah 40:9). However, with his assassination (Jeremiah 41:1-4), the people lived in fear and plan to go to Egypt for protection (Jeremiah 41:17), but do the smart thing, seeking guidance from the Lord (Jeremiah 42:1-3). With the Word from the Lord rejecting the people’s plan to go to Egypt, the people must choose between going ahead with their plans to go to Egypt based on fear or trust in God based on faith in the Word of the Lord coming through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:7-12).

 

Where we turn when facing danger or lack in our lives is an indication of where our heart is. While it is not wrong to depend upon our God-given abilities to provide for and protect us, there are times when these abilities face an unsurmountable enemy. These are the times when we must place our trust in the Word of God and live obediently to what it instructs us to do. This is because Jesus is the overcomer (John 16:33), the one who provides for our needs (Philippians 4:13), and the one providing strength to do whatever is necessary (Philippians 4:19). One unsurmountable problem faced by all humanity is the problem of sin (Romans 3:23). This is a serious problem carrying with it a death penalty but one can escape this death penalty by accepting God’s free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). This gift is available for all because Jesus came to die for sinners (Romans 5:8). One can accept this gift by making a profession of faith in Jesus as his or her Lord (Romans 10:9-10). Please join me in making this profession by praying with me now,

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

 

May God challenge and bless everyone reading this post.