Bible in 365: Day 232
08/27/2012 at 5:00 am 1 comment
Jeremiah 41-45
How do you respond to truth you do not want to hear?
The remnant of Judah that had not been taken captive by the Babylonians approached Jeremiah with a seemingly great request. They said, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” (Jeremiah 42:2-3)
At first glance, I was so happy for them. They are finally turning to God and seeking His truth. Have you prayed a similar prayer before? God, please show me what I should do. God, where should I go? When we pray like this and are seeking God to speak to us, we must be prepared to act on the truth He gives us. What if He tells you to do exactly the opposite of what you had in mind? Would you do it?
Well, that’s what happens to the remnant of Judah. God (through Jeremiah) tells them to stay in their current land, and if they do, God will deliver them from the king of Babylon. What is their response? They leave the land and go to Egypt for protection. They think the word of the Lord is a lie. They think they know better. It is as if they chose to plug their ears and say, “La, la, la, la,” instead of listening to Jeremiah.
Has this ever happened to you? You hear from God (maybe something you read in the Bible really speaks to you), but you do not act on it? In fact, you choose to do the opposite because it makes more sense. Well, God declares utter disaster to fall on the remnant of Judah in Egypt because they did not listen to His truth and they continued to worship idols.
I guess what I am saying is, when we seek God’s guidance in our lives, we had better be prepared to lay aside our own opinion of what is best to do in a situation and embrace the things He tells us to do.
Entry filed under: Bible in 365. Tags: Acting on truth, Babylon, Book of Jeremiah, Egypt, God, God's truth, Jeremiah, Judah, Responding to God's word'.
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Dawn | 08/28/2012 at 5:10 am
You’d think that the people would have learned their lesson. I’m reminded of when the Israelites were in the desert and they kept complaining. You’d think that the people would realize that God loves them and that He wants the best for them. But you know, how is that any different from us?