Ask God and be ready to obey

42:1 Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah and all the people of every class, went to the prophet Jeremiah. 42:2 They said to him, “Please grant our request and pray to the Lord your God for all those of us who are still left alive here. For, as you yourself can see, there are only a few of us left out of the many there were before. 42:3 Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” 42:4 The prophet Jeremiah answered them, “Agreed! I will indeed pray to the Lord your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything the Lord replies in response to you. I will not keep anything back from you.” 42:5 They answered Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not do just as the Lord sends you to tell us to do. 42:6 We will obey what the Lord our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do. It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he tells us to do so that things will go well for us.” 42:7 Ten days later the Lord spoke to Jeremiah. 42:8 So Jeremiah summoned Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people of every class. 42:9 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You sent me to the Lord God of Israel to make your request known to him. Here is what he says to you: 42:10 ‘If you will just stay in this land, I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I will firmly plant you. I will not uproot you. For I am filled with sorrow because of the disaster that I have brought on you. 42:11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him because I will be with you to save you and to rescue you from his power. I, the Lord, affirm it! 42:12 I will have compassion on you so that he in turn will have mercy on you and allow you to return to your land.’ 42:13 “You must not disobey the Lord your God by saying, ‘We will not stay in this land.’ 42:14 You must not say, ‘No, we will not stay. Instead we will go and live in the land of Egypt where we will not face war, or hear the enemy’s trumpet calls, or starve for lack of food.’ 42:15 If you people who remain in Judah do that, then listen to what the Lord says. The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘If you are so determined to go to Egypt that you go and settle there, 42:16 the wars you fear will catch up with you there in the land of Egypt. The starvation you are worried about will follow you there to Egypt. You will die there. 42:17 All the people who are determined to go and settle in Egypt will die from war, starvation, or disease. No one will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ 42:18 For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘If you go to Egypt, I will pour out my wrath on you just as I poured out my anger and wrath on the citizens of Jerusalem. You will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse. You will never see this place again.’ 42:19 “The Lord has told you people who remain in Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be very sure of this: I warn you here and now. 42:20 You are making a fatal mistake. For you sent me to the Lord your God and asked me, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us. Tell us what the Lord our God says and we will do it.’ 42:21 This day I have told you what he said. But you do not want to obey the Lord by doing what he sent me to tell you. 42:22 So now be very sure of this: You will die from war, starvation, or disease in the place where you want to go and live.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

The remnant of Judah asks Jeremiah to seek the Lord’s direction. God answers clearly: stay in the land and he will preserve them, but if they go to Egypt, the danger they fear will follow them there.

After Jerusalem’s fall, the remaining leaders and people come to Jeremiah and ask him to pray for them. They want to know where they should go and what they should do. Jeremiah agrees and promises to tell them everything the Lord says.

They even say they will obey, whether they like the answer or not. But the Lord’s word tests that promise. If they stay in the land, God will build them up, plant them, protect them, and show them mercy. He tells them not to fear Babylon, because he will be with them to save them.

The warning is just as plain. If they go to Egypt, the war, famine, and death they fear will find them there. Egypt will not be a safe escape. The same judgment they are trying to avoid will meet them there.

This passage shows that it is not enough to ask God for guidance. His word must be obeyed. The remnant’s real test was whether they would submit to the Lord’s answer or reject it because it did not match their fears.

• God’s word comes on his timing, not human pressure.
• Asking for guidance is not the same as obeying God.
• The Lord promised life and stability if the remnant stayed in the land.
• The remnant’s fear of Babylon could not be trusted more than God’s word.
• Going to Egypt would not save them from judgment.
• True hearing includes obedience.

• Warning: Do not ask God for direction and then refuse it.
• Promise: If the remnant stays in the land, God will build them up and plant them.
• Command: Do not go to Egypt.
• Warning: The war, famine, and death they fear will follow them into Egypt.
• Command: Be sure to obey the Lord’s answer.

God is still ruling over Judah after judgment. He offers mercy to the remnant, but only through obedience to his word. The passage fits the covenant pattern: life comes by trusting and obeying the Lord, while disobedience brings curse.

When you pray for guidance, be willing to follow God’s answer even if it is not what you wanted. Fear can push people toward choices that look safe but reject the Lord. This passage warns against asking for God’s help while already planning to disobey.

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