God’s Plan

Good Morning,

Jeremiah 43:1”And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,”

vs. 2 “Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:”

Judah had been devastated by Babylon. Most of the people were dead or taken into captivity. In the prior chapter, the few remaining people had gone to Jeremiah seeking direction with the promise of obedience, no matter what the Lord told him.

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.”

vs. 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.”

The people said they would do anything to find peace and to have the Lord's presence. But as the passage reveals, when people do not like the Lord's answers, they tend to do follow their own ideas.

For a long time, these people had witnessed the word of this preacher come true. Over and over, they saw that the Lord was with him and that his counsel was accurate in every situation. Now, with their hearts set on going to Egypt, they went to the preacher hoping to find God's blessing on their plans. They did not want new directions, they wanted God to bless their own ideas. Of course, that did not go well.

May we not be people with a plan, trying to get God involved, but rather a surrendered people with no plan, seeking direction from God in every area.

Pastor