A FRESH picture of the few left in the land of Judah is afforded in this chapter. The old yearning after Egypt (so often in Scripture a type of the world in its attractions) manifested itself under cover of a profession of dependence upon God and devotion to His will.
All the people from the least to the greatest, together with the captains of the forces, came to Jeremiah to ask him to pray for them to Jehovah “thy God”, that He would show them the way wherein they should walk, and the thing that they should do. Jeremiah’s answer was that he would pray to Jehovah “your God” according to their wish. To this they answered with the assurance that whether the voice of Jehovah “our God” should be good or evil in their estimation they would hearken to it. Empty words they proved to be!
God in His wisdom did not answer for ten days. Whenever an immediate answer to prayer is needed, He gives it, but the answer is always sent at the right time; the delay over which we sometimes fret is good for the child of God, teaching dependence, submission.
Notwithstanding the departure of the ten tribes and the two tribes into banishment because of the national sin of idolatry, God can take no lower title in connection with this earth than “Jehovah the God of Israel” (verse 9). In amazing grace He would still undertake for these exceedingly wayward people who had proved utterly unworthy of the least of His mercies.
“If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not overthrow you, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up, for I repent Me of the evil that I have clone unto you” (verse 10).
They need not fear the king of Babylon, “for I will be with you to save you and to deliver you from His hand. And I will grant mercies to you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land” (verses 11 and 12). What kindness, what love, from the Omnipotent One, and to those so ungrateful, so unworthy!
If, however, they were resolved that they would not dwell in the land, but would go into Egypt expecting to see no war nor have hunger, “thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel,” the sword which they feared should overtake them there, and the famine of which they were afraid should follow hard after them in Egypt, and there should they die! “All the men that have set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there 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” (verse 17). This was solemn, indeed, and, with what followed in verse 18, should have banished from their minds any thought of going to Egypt.
Jeremiah, in communicating God’s answer to the people, spoke plainly to them: “Ye deceived yourselves in your own souls when ye sent me unto Jehovah your God saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God, and according to all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it. And I have this day declared it to you, but ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God, nor anything for which He Hath sent me unto you. And now know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn” (verses 20-22).
Why should men reject the grace of God and choose the evil way? Why, after many centuries of the gospel of His grace offered to “Whosoever will”, do men persist in the path that leads to eternal judgment? Dare anyone say that God is to blame?
ML-04/14/1935