JEREMIAH LESSON 45


     We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 42:1 "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," Jeremiah 42:2 "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:)"

     Johanan had led these people, and now, he is at the end of
deciding himself. Most people do not even bother to pray, until they
are in a desperate situation. Johanan and these people do not even
trust their own prayers, and ask Jeremiah to intercede for them.
Notice, they wanted Jeremiah to pray to his God. Their petition to
Jeremiah was out of desperation, because they were just a remnant
left.

     Jeremiah 42:3 "That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein
we may walk, and the thing that we may do."

     They had not accepted God's guidance through Jeremiah before, but
now, they say they are willing to be guided by God in their walk.

     Jeremiah 42:4 "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."

     We see that Jeremiah does not promise to bring good news to them.
He promises to accurately relate to them what God would have him say.
The promise they have made will be spoken in Jeremiah's prayer on
their behalf. Whatever answer God gives, Jeremiah will speak.

     Jeremiah 42:5 "Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and
faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things
for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us."

     This is like them swearing to accept whatever the message is from
God. Whatever He says, is what they will do. This is the promise. They
did not really realize what they were promising. It is dangerous to
make a careless promise to God.

     Jeremiah 42:6 "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."

     To obey God, does bring blessings from God. This promise has left
them no room for adjustment at all. They have promised to keep the
letter of God's commands. Sometimes God's commands are not what we
would like to do in the flesh. The flesh and the spirit are always at
odds.
     Jeremiah 42:7  "And it came to pass after ten days, that the word
of the LORD came unto Jeremiah."

     Again, the number ten has to do with world government. Perhaps,
that is why God waited ten days to give Jeremiah the message.

     Jeremiah 42:8 "Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all
the captains of the forces which [were] with him, and all the people
from the least even to the greatest,"

     Jeremiah gathered all the people together to hear the message
from God. They would each one be without excuse, if they did not do
the will of God.

     Jeremiah 42:9 "And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God
of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before
him;"

     It is almost as if, Jeremiah is explaining to them who they had
called upon. He is speaking as the voice of God, here. Remember,
Jeremiah receives his messages from God in his mouth, and then he
speaks them.

     Jeremiah 42:10 "If ye will still abide in this land, then will I
build you, and not pull [you] down, and I will plant you, and not
pluck [you] up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto
you."

     Repent, in this particular instance, means to breathe strongly,
pity, or to be sorry. This does not mean that God has sinned. It just
means that he pities the plight they have found themselves in. He
gives them an option to receive His blessings. They must obey Him and
stay in the land. I believe this has a meaning for our day, as well.
God will bless His children, if they will walk in His ways.
Christianity is a condition of the heart. It, also, is a daily walk.
It is extremely important to stay on the path of righteousness after
you have begun your walk.

     Jeremiah 42:11 "Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye
are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I [am] with you
to save you, and to deliver you from his hand."

     Fear of anything, or anyone, in this world is not of God. Fear is
the opposite of faith. Put your faith in God, and you need not fear
what man can do to you. This is good advice for them, and for us.

     Jeremiah 42:12 "And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may
have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land."

     God had given the promised land to these people. He would bless
them in their own land. They should immediately return to their place
God had provided for them. This applies to our work in the church, as
well. We need to work where God has put us to work, not where we
choose to work.
     Jeremiah 42:13  "But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land,
neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,"

     This would be the most foolish thing they could do. "But" shows
there is another side to the promise of God. Blessings would be
theirs, if they obey God; but curses, if they do not. Jesus had the
right idea when He was obedient to the Father, even unto the death of
His body on the cross.

     Jeremiah 42:14 "Saying, No; but we will go into the land of
Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet,
nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:"

     Egypt is symbolic of the world. The things mentioned like no war,
no sound of trumpet, and bread are all things that satisfy the flesh.
The trumpet was blown to assemble the people to worship and to call
them to war. They might choose these things over God, to please the
lust of their own flesh. This would be disobeying God.

     Jeremiah 42:15 "And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye
remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If
ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn
there;"

     This is choosing the world {Egypt} over God. There are just a few
left, but they would be a majority with God. "Set your faces" is an
expression that shows stubbornness. They are determined to do this.

     Jeremiah 42:16 "Then it shall come to pass, [that] the sword,
which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and
the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there
in Egypt; and there ye shall die."

     The way of the world leads to death. Their fear will be real, if
they do this, because all of the terrible things shall come upon them,
and they shall die. The wages of sin is death.

     Jeremiah 42:17 "So shall it be with all the men that set their
faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword,
by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or
escape from the evil that I will bring upon them."

     The sad part of this, is these are God's people. It does look
like they would learn. These are the very same things that came on the
disobedient, here, in Judah of whom they were the remnant.

     Jeremiah 42:18 "For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you,
when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an
astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place
no more."

     For a believer to choose to go back into the world, is a very
serious sin. They had seen the terrible destruction God had poured out
on Jerusalem. He says, if they choose to go to Egypt against His
wishes, it will be worse for them than the destruction in Jerusalem.
The word that "execration" was translated from means, curse. The curse
of God would be horrible for them to bear, and for others to see.

     Jeremiah 42:19  "The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant
of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished
you this day."

     Egypt is forbidden to them, because in this instance, it
symbolizes the unsaved world. The main thing is to obey the Word of
God. God had sent Joseph to Egypt for a purpose. He even sent the baby
Jesus to Egypt for a purpose. Neither of them stayed in Egypt. They
did not choose to go there. They went, because God sent them. These
people's ancestors have been delivered from Egypt. It would be a sin
to return to Egypt.

     Jeremiah 42:20 "For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me
unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and
according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto
us, and we will do [it]."

     "Dissembled" is taken from a word that means deceived, vacillate,
or stray. It appears, they had already decided in their hearts what
they would do, they just wanted God to approve their plan.  They had
tried to deceive Jeremiah. They had no intention of doing God's will,
they just wanted approval to do their will. Isn't that like many
Christians?

     Jeremiah 42:21 "And [now] I have this day declared [it] to you;
but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any [thing]
for the which he hath sent me unto you."

     They should have immediately gone back to Jerusalem and the
surrounding area, where God had them in the beginning. They did not
obey God. They have willingly chosen the world over God. Worse than
that, they had been in His holy city and left. This is the same thing
as a person who accepts Christ as their Saviour, and then goes back
into the world.

     Jeremiah 42:22 "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 punishment for their disobedience is set. They will die. Sin
brings death, if not repented of. They have chosen a life of sin. They
have sealed their own doom. They have no one to blame, but themselves.






                         Jeremiah 45 Questions


1.  Why did Johanan, and the captain of the forces, come to Jeremiah?
2.  When do most people pray?
3.  Why did they not pray themselves?
4.  Why was this prayer one of desperation?
5.  What did they want God to show them?
6.  What answer did Jeremiah give them, when they asked him to pray
    for them?
7.  What answer will Jeremiah bring them?
8.  What was verse 5 like?
9.  It is dangerous to make a ___________ promise to God.
10. The promise, they made to God left no room for ____________.
11. How many days later did God answer Jeremiah?
12. What does the number 10 symbolize?
13. Jeremiah gathered ______ ________ _______ to hear the message
    from God.
14. Whose Words was Jeremiah speaking?
15. What promises did God make to them, if they would abide in the
    land?
16. Christianity is a condition of the _________.
17. It is, also, a __________ _______.
18. Fear of anything, or anyone in this world, is _______ of God.
19. Fear is the opposite of ________.
20. Where would God bless these people?
21. What does the little word "but" show in verse 13?
22. ________ was obedient unto death of His body.
23. What is Egypt symbolic of?
24. The things mentioned, in verse 14, please the ________.
25. What is meant by "set your faces"?
26. What does verse 16 say will happen to them, if they go to Egypt?
27. What is sad about verse 17?
28. What does "execration" mean?
29. Who were two examples God sent to Egypt?
30. What is the difference in them and these people?
31. What does "dissembled" mean?
32. What should they have done?
33. Sin brings _______, if not repented of.