Jeremiah 42
OGCREVIEW OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I. Facts to Master
The choice which the Chaldeans gave to Jeremiah at Riblah (Jeremiah 40:4).
The man the Chaldeans appointed governor (Jeremiah 40:9).
The headquarters of Gedaliah and the new home of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 40:6; Jeremiah 40:10).
Names of the king of Ammon and the Jewish officer who plotted against Gedaliah (Jeremiah 40:14).
The various ones slain by Ishmael (Jeremiah 41:2-5).
Place where Ishmael buried those he had slain (Jeremiah 41:9).
Place to which Ishmael was attempting to flee after the assassination of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 41:10).
The captain who rescued the hostages (Jeremiah 41:11).
Place at which the rescue took place (Jeremiah 41:12).
Fate of Ishmael (Jeremiah 41:15).
The request which the captains made of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:1-3).
Amount of time which elapsed before the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:7).
Substance of Jeremiah’s advice to the remnant (Jeremiah 42:8-22).
The one the captains blamed for the oracle of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 43:3).
Place in Egypt to which the remnant came (Jeremiah 43:7).
That which Jeremiah was commanded to do in Egypt (Jeremiah 43:9).
Substance of the threat which followed the above act (Jeremiah 43:10-13).
Locations in Egypt where Jews had settled (Jeremiah 44:1).
The accusation Jeremiah made against the remnant in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:7-8).
The threat against the remnant in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:12; Jeremiah 44:14).
The goddess being worshiped by the remnant (Jeremiah 44:17).
The oath which God had taken regarding the remnant in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:26).
The name of the Egyptian pharaoh who would be given into the hands of his enemy as a sign (Jeremiah 44:30).
The person to whom Jeremiah directed a personal word (Jeremiah 45:1).
The time and occasion of the oracle in chapter 45.
II. Questions to Ponder
Why were the Chaldeans so kind to Jeremiah? (Jeremiah 39:11-14; Jeremiah 40:4-5).
What were Jews doing in foreign countries? Why did they come back after the destruction of Jerusalem? (Jeremiah 40:11-12)
Why did Gedaliah refuse the warnings of his faithful officers concerning the plot against his life? (Jeremiah 40:13-16)
Where were the eighty going to worship? Why the signs of mourning? Why no sacrificial animals? (Jeremiah 41:5)
Why did Ishmael slay these pilgrims? (Jeremiah 41:7) Why take the rest of the people in Mizpah captive? (Jeremiah 41:10)
Why does the narrator go into so much detail concerning the administration of assassination of Gedaliah?
Were the captains sincere in asking Jeremiah to seek divine guidance for the remnant? (Jeremiah 42:1-6; Jeremiah 43:2)
What is the meaning of Beth-shemesh? To what Egyptian city is Jeremiah likely referring? (Jeremiah 43:13)
Why so much emphasis on the destruction of Egyptian temples? (Jeremiah 43:12-13)
Summarize the argument for idolatry which the remnant offered in response to Jeremiah’s denunciation. (Jeremiah 44:17-19)
Summarize the rebuttal which Jeremiah gave to the women in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:20-23)
Would all the remnant in Egypt perish in war? (See 43:14; Jeremiah 44:28)
In what way would the death of Pharaoh Hophra be a sign to the Jews? What were the circumstances of his death?
Why did Baruch feel self-pity? (Jeremiah 45:3)
How does God deal with the self-pity of this disciple? (Jeremiah 45:4)
What is the meaning of the words I will give you your life for a prey?
What other great men of God experienced self-pity? How did God deal with them?
Jeremiah 42:1-6
- The request of the prophet (Jeremiah 42:1-6)
TRANSLATION
(1) Then all the officers of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great, drew near (2) and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, May our petition, we beg you, be accepted before you. Pray on our behalf unto the LORD your God on behalf of all this remnantfor we are only a few left from many, as you can observe with your own eyes(3) that the LORD your God may declare to us the way which we should go and the thing we should do. (4) And Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard. Behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words. And it shall come to pass that any word which the LORD shall answer you, I will relate to you. I will not withhold from you a thing. (5) And they said unto Jeremiah, May the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not act in accordance with every word which the LORD your God shall send you concerning us. (6) Whether it be good or bad we will hearken to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you in order that it may be well with us, because we obey the LORD our God.
COMMENTS
It is while the people were encamped near Bethlehem that Jeremiah returns to the narrative. Nothing has been recorded about his activities since he chose to dwell with Gedaliah in Mizpah (Jeremiah 40:7 to Jeremiah 41:18). Since Jeremiah is with the remnant at the inn of Chimham it would seem reasonable to assume that he had been among the captives led away by Ishmael.[352] At any rate Jeremiah now comes to the fore again as the spiritual counselor of the people. The entire group of fugitives assembled before the prophet in order to receive an oracle from the Lord. Johanan and Jezaniah[353] acted as spokesmen for the group (Jeremiah 42:1). Very courteously they made their request. They desire that God might direct their path (Jeremiah 42:2).
[352] This seems preferable to the alternative view that Jeremiah and Baruch had been absent from Mizpah during the mid of Ishmael and joined the group later by their own choice.
[353] Another Jezaniah is mentioned in Jeremiah 40:8.
Jeremiah listened to the well-worded plea of the leaders with sympathetic ears. He still loved his people dearly and so agrees to fulfill their request. Jeremiah knew, however, that these people already had their minds made up as to what they were going to do. They had decided that it was necessary to flee into Egypt and they assumed that this decision would be indorsed and confirmed by the Lord. After all, what other alternative was there? Anticipating that God would not approve of their plan, Jeremiah warns the people that he will speak only that which the Lord reveals. He will not alter the word of God to suit the present circumstances. He would not hold back the truth (Jeremiah 42:4). Somewhat over enthusiastically the people take a vow that they will act in accordance with the word of God (Jeremiah 42:5-6). It is obvious from what follows that they were not sincere in this declaration. Like so many of God’s people, they were willing to follow His word only in so far as His word met with their approval.
Jeremiah 42:7-22
- The response of the Lord (Jeremiah 42:7-22)
TRANSLATION
(7) And it came to pass at the end of ten days that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. (8) And he called Johanan the son of Kareah, the officers of the forces which were with him, and all the people small and great, (9) and said unto them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom You sent me to present your petition before Him: (10) If you will continue to dwell in this land then I will build you UP; and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pluck you UP; for I am grieved concerning the calamity which I brought upon you. (11) Do not fear the king of Babylon whom you fear. Do not fear him (oracle of the LORD), for I am with you to deliver You and to save you from his hand. (12) I will extend mercies to you so he will show mercy to you and cause You to return unto your land. (13) But if you say, We will not dwell in this land, thereby disobeying the LORD your God, (14) and say, No! Surely we will go to the land of Egypt where we will see no more war nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor hunger for bread; and there we will dwell: (15) Now therefore hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you firmly set your faces to go to Egypt and you go to sojourn there, (16) then the sword which you fear shall catch up with you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine which you dread shall hang on to you in Egypt, and there you shall die! (17) And all the men who have set their faces to go to Egypt to sojourn there will die by the sword, famine and pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the calamity which I will bring against them. (18) For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As My wrath and My anger was poured out against the inhabitants of Jerusalem, thus shall My wrath be poured out against you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an imprecation, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you will never again see this place. (19) The LORD has spoken concerning the remnant of Judah, Do not go to Egypt. Be certain of this: I have testified against you this day. (20) You made a fatal mistake when you sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray on our behalf unto the LORD our God and whatever the LORD our God shall say, tell us that and we shall do it. (21) Now I have told you this day, but you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God in regard to anything for which He sent me unto you. (22) And now be certain of this: By the sword, famine, and pestilence you shall die in the place where you wish to go to sojourn!
COMMENTS
Jeremiah waited ten days before the Lord clearly made known His will to the mind of the prophet. It seems as though God was preparing the heart of His messenger both to receive and to communicate His word to the people. No doubt the people were perturbed by the delay. They knew what the divine directive had to be, so why delay. Each day they manifested their impatience and disgust. Still Jeremiah refused to speak until he was certain that the message was from God. After ten days of prayerful wrestling with God, the answer came. Jeremiah immediately called for the entire encampment to hear God’s word. The response of the Lord contains two parts: the way of peace (Jeremiah 42:10-12), and the way to punishment (Jeremiah 42:13-18). To this is added a word of exhortation by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 42:19-22).
a) The way of Peace (Jeremiah 42:10-12). The word of the Lord came as a complete shock to the assembled remnant.
It was God’s will that they remain in Judah! If they chose to remain in the land, God would build them up i.e., cause them to prosper. God was not angry with them. Quite the contrary. The Lord declares: I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you (Jeremiah 42:10). This is not a confession of mistake or of remorse for the disasters which He has brought upon them. Rather it means that His attitude and conduct toward His people now has changed. He is not hostile toward them any longer. Hu man reason would indicate that they flee to Egypt and place themselves under the protection of Pharaoh. To re main in the land would be an act of faith.
After the general promises of peace and prosperity, the Lord addressed Himself to the specific fears of the community. Their anxiety concerning the reaction of Nebuchadnezzar to the death of his governor were groundless. God was with them and would deliver them out of the hand of the Chaldean king (Jeremiah 42:11) and the king whom they feared would actually show mercy to them (Jeremiah 42:12).[354] How often in the life of a Christian the worst fears prove to be ungrounded.
[354] With the change of only one vowel in the Hebrew the phrase cause you to return can be read cause you to dwell. This reading is preferable in view of the circumstances here.
b) The way of punishment (Jeremiah 42:13-18). The people as free moral agents had a choice to make. If they chose to remain in the land they would enjoy peace and prosperity. But if they chose flight to Egypt they would experience the punishment of God. The choice was up to them. God lets man choose his destiny.
Anticipating the reaction to the people to the commandment of God to remain in the land Jeremiah undercuts the major argument of the Egypt-bound remnant. In Egypt the people imagined that they would enjoy peace and plenty. They would escape, so they thought, the ravishes of war (Jeremiah 42:14). Not so, said Jeremiah. The sword will follow you to Egypt and there you will experience all the horrors of war (Jeremiah 42:16). There you will die of the sword, famine, and pestilence (Jeremiah 42:17). Just as in the past the nation had experienced the judgments of God, so would the wrath of God be poured out upon the remnant if they disobeyed this command of God. They would become an object of execration and horror; they would be accursed and derided. They would never again see their homeland (Jeremiah 42:15).
c) The prophetic exhortation (Jeremiah 42:19-22). As Jeremiah delivered the word of the Lord he could see in his audience the hardened look of rejection. Earnestly he exhorts his hearers to follow the divine directive and remain in the land. This is not my personal opinion; the Lord has spoken concerning you O remnant. You surely know that I have admonished or testified against you this day (Jeremiah 42:19). Your guilt is all the more serious[355] in that you sent me unto the Lord to inquire concerning His will and you pledged yourselves to submit to that will (Jeremiah 42:20-21). This disobedience had sealed their own death warrant. Unbelief does not alter the word of God. Be absolutely sure of this one thing, says the prophet: If you persist in your manifest intentions to go to Egypt you shall die of the sword, famine, and the pestilence (Jeremiah 42:22).
[355] You dissembled in your hearts (KJV) i.e., you have deceived yourselves. On this translation Jeremiah is charging them with self-deception. Another translation of the phrase is possible: you have erred at the risk of your lives. On this translation Jeremiah is saying that these people have put their life in jeopardy by swearing to obey God and then rejecting His commandment.