It's great to see you all talking and getting to know each other.
Today, the passage is Jeremiah chapter 40, verse 1 through chapter 43, verse 7.
Because it's a long passage, I'll be referencing it as I preach.
And in the beginning, I'm only going to read the first 12 verses of chapter 40.
Before I do that, let me pray and seek God's help.
Heavenly Father, we are here gathered in your presence as people who are indwelled by your spirit.
Seeking to grow in our knowledge of your voice.
In our ability to hear it.
And in our faith and commitment to follow it.
We ask that as we hear from you, from this passage of scripture.
That you speak to us.
That your spirit would open the eyes of our hearts.
That we might see your truth, believe it and live in accordance with it.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
So let me read Jeremiah 40, verses 1 to 12 to begin.
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah.
When he took him bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him,
The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place.
The Lord has brought it about and has done as he said.
Because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you.
Now behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands.
If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well.
But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come.
See, the whole land is before you.
Go wherever you think it good and right to go.
If you remain, then return to Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah.
And dwell with him among the people.
Or go wherever you think it right to go.
So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present and let him go.
Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahicham at Mizpah and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, governor in the land,
and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon,
they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,
and Jeremiah, Johanan the son of Kariah,
Sariah the son of Tanhumeth,
the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,
Jezaniah the son of Mekathite,
they and their men.
Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, son of Shaphan,
swore to them and their men, saying,
Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans.
Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon,
and he shall be well with you.
As for me,
I will dwell at Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us.
But as for you,
gather wine and summer fruits and oil,
and store them in your vessels,
and dwell in your cities that you have taken.
Likewise,
when all the Judeans who were in Moab and among the Ammonites,
and in Edom and in other lands,
heard that the king of Babylon had left the remnant in Judah,
and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahicham,
son of Shaphan,
as governor over them,
then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven,
and came to the land of Judah,
to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
And they gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.
This is the word of the Lord.
Our depth of disappointment
is often directly proportional to our expectations,
how high our expectations were.
When we fully expect something to come through for us,
but it doesn't,
we become disappointed.
When we expect a certain favorable response from somebody,
but when we talk to them,
we get a different response,
we become disappointed.
When we are decidedly set on a course of action,
but our course gets derailed,
and we don't get our way,
we get disappointed, right?
With God, though,
God is not a person that we can manipulate
according to our own whims and wishes.
He is the sovereign king
who executes his own will,
and exerts his power over our lives,
and over the entire universe.
So, and as his subjects,
then,
whether it is agreeable to us or not,
we must obey the voice of the Lord,
and that's for our good.
But when God contradicts our desires,
alters our plans,
or upsets our expectations,
we can be disappointed,
even sullen and angry with God,
or we could resort to denial.
And this is exactly what happens
to the people of Judah
after the Babylonian conquest
and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
And we see two characteristic responses
of sinful human beings when that happens.
And first, in chapter 40 and 41,
we see their defiance,
and in chapters 42 and 43,
we see their denial.
And the main point of this sermon,
really, and this passage,
is that whether it is agreeable to us or not,
we must obey the voice of the Lord for our good.
The people of Judah were complacent and secure
because they had Jerusalem as their city,
the capital city,
chosen,
and King David and his descendants
reigning over them.
And because they said among themselves,
their attitude was that God promised
to have the descendants of David
rule over this kingdom forever.
And he did, 2 Samuel 7.
And God lives here with us
because this is where the temple of the Lord is.
What can then possibly happen to this place?
Who can do us harm
when God is with us?
And that kind of assurance,
false assurance, really,
made them commit idolatry
in the complacency.
They did not pursue the Lord wholeheartedly,
and they became deaf
to the repeated warnings of Prophet Jeremiah
about God's impending judgment.
And because of that,
you can imagine their deep confusion,
disillusionment, and despair
when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed
and the temple was burned to the ground.
And chapter 40 tells us
what happened after that,
in particular to Prophet Jeremiah.
So we already saw
at the end of chapter 39,
verses 11 to 14,
it kind of gave us a high-level summary
of what happened to Jeremiah.
So Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
ordered Nebuchadnezzar,
the captain of the guard,
to deal well with Jeremiah.
He ordered him to do that
and to have him free to stay
in Judah under the care of Gedaliah,
the son of Ahicham,
the son of Shaphan.
And now chapter 40,
verses 1 to 6,
kind of gives us the low-level details
about how Nebuchadnezzar
executed this command.
So look at verse 1 with me.
It says,
The word that came to Jeremiah
from the Lord
after Nebuchadnezzar,
the captain of the guard,
had let him go from Ramah
when he took him bound in chains
along with all the captives
of Jerusalem and Judah
who were being exiled to Babylon.
So it appears that Jeremiah
wasn't released immediately
after Nebuchadnezzar told Nebuchadnezzar
to treat him well.
Instead, he was taken in chains
to transport along with the rest
of the captives of Judah
to Ramah,
where the official kind of Babylonian tribunal
was deciding the fate
of all the Judean captives.
And why Nebuchadnezzar,
the captain of the guard,
did this becomes apparent
in verses 2 to 6.
Read with me.
The captain of the guard
took Jeremiah and said to him,
The Lord your God
pronounced this disaster
against this place.
And the Lord has brought it about
and has done as he said,
because you sinned against the Lord
and did not obey his voice.
This thing has come upon you.
Now behold,
I release you today
from the chains on your hands.
If it seems good to you
to come with me to Babylon,
come,
and I will look after you well.
But if it seems wrong to you
to come with me to Babylon,
do not come.
See, the whole land is before you.
Go wherever you think
it's good and right to go.
If you remain,
then return to Getolah,
the son of Ike,
and the son of Shaphan,
whom the king of Babylon
appointed governor
of the cities of Judah,
and dwell with him
among the people.
Or go wherever you think
it right to go.
So the captain of the guard
gave him an allowance of food
and a present
and let him go.
Now,
it's a little bit unfortunate
that the English
second person pronoun,
you,
doesn't distinguish
the singular from the plural.
So it's just you.
It could be or you all.
But it's making
an important point here
because in the Hebrew,
when in verse 2,
Nebuchadnezzar then says,
the Lord,
your God,
pronounced this disaster
against this place.
The second person pronoun,
your,
is singular.
So the Babylonian
captain of the guard
is referring to the Lord
as Jeremiah's God,
your God.
But then in verse 3,
when he says,
because you sinned
against the Lord
and did not obey his voice,
this thing has come upon you.
The you there
is in the second person plural.
It's not,
he's not speaking there
to Jeremiah,
but he's speaking to
all the Judean captives
that are there
watching this public trial.
So this is a public trial,
Jeremiah,
that Nebuchadnezzar
intended
as a public rebuke
to the Judeans
who refused to surrender
to the Babylonians
in spite of repeated
urgings of Jeremiah.
So Nebuchadnezzar
then associates
God with Jeremiah.
He's your God,
but he associates
the sin and the disobedience
that brought this judgment
to all the Judeans,
you all.
And that's a frightful thing,
right?
There are some people here
for whom the Lord
is not your God,
but his God
or her God,
their God,
but he's not your God.
And that is a big problem.
Do you have a relationship
with God
so that you can say of him,
the Lord,
my God?
Have you aligned yourself
with God's purposes?
Or are you living for yourself
in rebellion
and disobedience?
If that's the case,
I urge you this morning
to not leave this place
until you know clearly
where you stand
in relation to God
and say in faith
that the Lord is your God.
So in short,
Nebuchadnezzar
then the pagan military commander
is bringing a stinging rebuke
to the people of Judah.
Your own prophet
spoke the word of God
whom you were supposed
to worship,
but you did not listen.
That's why this disaster
has come upon you.
And here's what will happen
to the friends of Babylon.
Jeremiah,
you're free to go
wherever you want.
You can go with us
to Babylon
where I will take good care
of you,
or you can remain here
under the care of Gedaliah
whom we have appointed governor.
In fact,
here's some food
that you can take with you,
even a present.
It's a public try
intended to rebuke the Judeans.
He's making a public example
of Jeremiah
to advance their political agenda.
And of course,
it's not exactly true
that Jeremiah
is a friend of Babylon
because he was warning Judah
for their own sake
so that they might follow the Lord
and repent of their sins.
But nevertheless,
what he was urging them to do
to surrender to Babylon
was a message
that the Babylonians approved.
And so they considered him
a friend of Babylon.
But even though
he's invited to Babylon,
Jeremiah's heart remains
with the people of God.
He does not see it fit
to go to Babylon.
So he stays in Judah
under the care of Gedaliah
the son of Ike,
son of Shaphan.
Now,
we keep reading that,
right?
It's a mouthful to read.
Gedaliah the son of Ike,
son of Shaphan.
But does that ring a bell
at all
as we've gone through
this book of Jeremiah?
Because Gedaliah's genealogy
is given here
because it's significant.
He's the grandson of Shaphan
who, as you might recall,
is the head of the noble family
who are frequently found
throughout the book of Jeremiah,
sheltering the prophet
and protecting him
using their political leverage.
Shaphan was the secretary
of King Josiah
during his reforms.
And his family
appears to have been
a godly, faithful people
who did their best
to shield Jeremiah.
So, for example,
in Jeremiah 26, 24,
it said,
The hand of Ike,
the son of Shaphan,
was with Jeremiah
so that he was not
given over to the people
to be put to death.
And in Jeremiah 36, 10 and 26,
another one of Shaphan's sons,
Gemariah,
urges King Jehoiakim
not to burn Jeremiah's scroll.
And here in chapter 40,
Shaphan's grandson
and Ike's son, Gedaliah,
takes charge of Jeremiah
and ensures his survival
after the fall of Jerusalem.
Isn't this a great example
of God's providence
in our lives?
Nebuchadnezzar could have chosen
from dozens of royal heirs
and nobility,
but of them all,
he chooses Gedaliah,
the grandson of Shaphan.
What luck, you might say,
for Jeremiah,
but this is not luck.
It's the providence of God.
Even in the small detail,
scripture reveals
God's gracious and provident
care for his servants.
Do you know that this is how
God cares for all of his children?
Even in the tumult of war
and captivity,
the Lord, your God,
is sovereign.
There's no corner of the earth
where his power does not reach,
and there's no event in history,
no detail in your own life
that does not follow
the course of God's will.
God cares for us.
He's watching over us.
And under Gedaliah's governorship,
the remnant of Judah
begins to come together again.
Verses 7 to 8,
read with me.
It says,
When all the captains
of the forces
in the open country
and their men
heard that the king of Babylon
had appointed Gedaliah,
the son of Aikim,
governor in the land,
and had committed to him
men, women, and children,
those of the poorest of the land
who had not been taken
into exile to Babylon,
they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah,
Johanan, the son of Kariah,
Sariah, the son of Tamimuth,
the sons of Ephi, the Netaphathite,
Jezaniah, the son of Macathite,
they and their men.
Now the captains
of the Judean army
and the people
under their supervision
had, some of them
had managed to escape
the Babylonian army.
And when they hear
of Gedaliah's appointment,
they all rally back
to him in Mizpah.
And in verses 9 to 10,
Gedaliah assures them
that he will represent them
faithfully to the Babylonians.
And he assures them
that they will be safe
if they continue
to resume their life,
resume their farming
to restore some normalcy
to their life
after becoming conquered
by Babylon.
And not only the Judeans
that were scattered
throughout Judah,
but also those refugees
from Moab and Edom,
they come back
to gather under
Gedaliah's leadership.
And he says,
in verse 12,
that they gathered
wine and summer fruits
in great abundance.
So the people
are resuming their life
and even though
the war was devastating,
the conditions now
seem to be improving.
They're doing better.
And Gedaliah seems
to be unifying the people.
But there's a plot twist here
at the end of verse 8.
Some of the captains
of the forces
that had joined Gedaliah
were named
at the end of verse 8
because they are
the main characters
in this plot twist
which now unfolds
in verses 13 to 15.
Read with me.
Now Johanan,
the son of Kareah,
and all the leaders
of the forces
in the open country
came to Gedaliah
at Mizpah and said to him,
Do you know
that Baalus,
the king of the Ammonites,
has sent Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
to take your life?
But Gedaliah,
the son of Ahikim,
would not believe them.
Then Johanan,
the son of Kareah,
spoke secretly
to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
Please,
let me go
and strike down Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
and no one will know it.
Why should he take your life
so that all the Judeans
who are gathered about you
would be scattered
and the remnant of Judah
would perish?
So one of the military commanders,
Johanan,
son of Kareah,
informs Gedaliah
of Ishmael's conspiracy
and he offers
a preemptive strike
to get rid of this
would-be assassin.
And Johanan seems
to understand
the importance
of Gedaliah
as a unifying figure
because he was
an effective leader
that was bringing back
the people of Judah.
And if he were assassinated,
the remnant
would be scattered again
and they would be
at risk of perishing
altogether.
But Gedaliah
doesn't believe Ahikim
and he said
to Johanan,
son of Kareah,
you shall not do this thing
for you are speaking
falsely of Ishmael.
Gedaliah does not believe
Johanan,
and instead believes
better of Ishmael.
We don't get
too many details
here on their motivations
and why,
but we may have
some clues
in the next chapter.
So turn with me
to chapter 41,
verse 1.
It says,
In the seventh month,
Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
son of Elishamah,
of the royal family,
one of the chief officers
of the king,
came with ten men
to Gedaliah,
the son of Ahikim,
at Mizpah.
So we learn here
that Ishmael came
from a very prominent
Judean family.
His grandfather
was one of the chief officers
of the king.
In fact,
he was of royal blood.
So for these reasons,
Ishmael may have felt
that he had better claimed
to be ruler of Judah
than Gedaliah
and may have resented
the fact that Gedaliah
was appointed
by the foreign intruders.
We can't know for sure,
but it's a possibility.
But Gedaliah,
on the other hand,
is very trusting of Ishmael.
Why could that be?
Elishamah,
Ishmael's grandfather
that's named here,
was the secretary
of King Joachim of Judah
who served with Gemariah,
the son of Shaphan.
So Ishmael's grandfather
was a close colleague
of Gedaliah's uncle
and they may have already
had prior relationship
because of that connection
and perhaps that familiarity
predisposed Gedaliah
to trust Ishmael
and accuse Johanan
of speaking falsely
of Ishmael.
And since Johanan and Ishmael
were kind of both captains
of the forces,
rival leaders
jockeying for more influence
within this new Judean coalition,
Gedaliah may have suspected
Johanan of simply wanting
to eliminate a rival.
But Ishmael betrays
Gedaliah's trust
and it says in verses 2-3,
as they ate bread together
there at Mizpah,
Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah
and the ten men with him
rose up and struck down
Gedaliah,
the son of Aikim,
son of Shaphan,
with the sword
and killed him
whom the king of Babylon
had appointed governor
in the land.
Ishmael also struck down
all the Judeans
who were with Gedaliah
at Mizpah
and the Chaldean soldiers
who happened to be there.
The stories written
in scripture
don't give us
unnecessary details
and everything written here
is there to tell us something
because it says
that the assassination
took place
as they ate bread together.
That highlights
how shameful
and a hateful act this was
because in the ancient Near East
hospitality was taken
extremely seriously
and the mutual trust
and obligation
between the host
and guest
was a sacred bond.
But Ishmael
betrays him
while Gedaliah
was providing for him
with his own food
and protecting him
under his own roof.
Gedaliah,
Ishmael rises up
to strike Gedaliah
and down with the sword.
And sin always
begets more sin
and his murder here
leads to a string of others
because he kills
all the Judeans
that were with Gedaliah
at Mizpah
and all the Babylonian soldiers
who happened to be there.
Presumably because he wanted
to eliminate all witnesses
so that the word doesn't get out
to the Babylonian empire
that he has done this.
And that's a big problem, right?
Because the narrator
reminds us that
Ishmael killed Gedaliah
who was
whom the king of Babylon
had appointed
governor in the land.
So not only is this
a gross violation
of that ancient Near Eastern trust
and the laws of hospitality,
this was treachery
and rebellion
against the Babylonian rule
which was sure to bring
swift reprisal
from the Babylonians.
But Ishmael's crime
doesn't end there.
Verses 4-5 tells us
that on the day
after the murder
of Gedaliah,
before anyone knew of it,
80 men arrived
from Shechem and Shiloh
and Samaria
with their beard shaped
and their clothes torn
and their bodies gashed,
bringing grain offerings
and incense
to present at the temple
of the Lord.
So Shechem, Shiloh,
and Samaria
are all kind of centers
of worship
in northern Israel.
Israel,
and that their origin
as well as the fact
that they brought
grain offerings
and incense
to present the temple
of the Lord,
tell us that they're
worshipers of the true God.
They're pilgrims
and they've come to worship
and they have come mourning
because it says
that their beards are shaven,
their clothes are torn,
their bodies are gashed.
They're mourning
the destruction of the temple
for the fall of Jerusalem
and they're coming
to pledge their ongoing allegiance
and faithfulness to God.
And when you get
these innocent guests coming,
Ishmael acts like
a complete snake.
Read verses 6 to 8 with me.
And Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
came out from Mizpah
to meet them,
weeping as he came.
As he met them,
he said to them,
come in to Gedaliah,
the son of Ahicham.
Ishmael greets them
in Gedaliah's name,
probably because these pilgrims
had come to see Gedaliah,
which shows that Gedaliah,
like his father and grandfather
before him,
was a worshiper of the true God
and they saw him,
for that reason,
as a safe figure.
So Gedaliah,
so he uses,
invokes Gedaliah's name
and earns their trust
by faking his mourning.
But when they came
into the city,
it says,
Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah
and the men with him,
slaughtered them
and cast them into a cistern.
But there were ten men
among them
who said to Ishmael,
do not put us to death
for we have stores
of wheat, barley, oil
and honey hidden in the fields.
So he refrained
and did not put them to death
with their companions.
He spares only ten of them,
not because he has mercy on them,
but because of his greed.
He wants to acquire
their hidden wheat,
barley, oil and honey.
And then it tells us
in verse 10,
Ishmael took captive
all the rest of the people
who were in Mizpah,
the king's daughters
and all the people
who were left in Mizpah,
whom Nebuchadnezzar,
the captain of the guard,
had committed to Gedaliah,
the son of Ahicham.
Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
took them captive
and set out to cross over
to the Ammonites.
So Nebuchadnezzar
then had entrusted
certain prominent people
to Gedaliah,
including the king's daughters
and as we saw
in chapter 40,
Jeremiah.
But now those people
whom Nebuchadnezzar
had freed,
Ishmael takes captive again
and likely fearing
the Babylonian retaliation,
he begins to flee again
to the territory
of the Ammonites.
Ishmael is a classic example
of human defiance
against God.
As a proud citizen of Judah,
Ishmael resisted
the Babylonian rule
over Judah,
even though God
had clearly revealed
through his prophet
that the Babylonian invasion
was his judgment,
which they ought
to submit to.
As a proud descendant
of royalty,
Ishmael resisted
Gedaliah's governorship
of Judah,
even though he was
a godly and clearly
effective and unifying leader.
This is how we often respond
to God's will
in our lives too,
isn't it?
We might not murder
anyone in retaliation,
but we nonetheless
get angry with God
and with others.
We defy God
by resisting his will
and disobeying his commands.
We think we deserve
better than what God
has given us.
When we don't get
the job or promotion
that we thought
we deserved.
When we don't get
into the school
or the program
that we thought
we deserved.
When we don't get
the good night of sleep
that we thought
we deserved
because of a crying baby.
When we don't get
the quiet morning
with a cup of coffee
and the Bible in hand.
when we don't get
a quiet evening
to relax
after a long day
at work
with a good book
or a good show
that we thought
we deserved.
In short,
when we disapprove
of the twists
and turns of life,
the dips and bumps
of our lives,
we get sullen
and angry.
We take our anger
out on other people,
on other things,
but really we're angry
at God
who in his sovereign
will fit
fit to send these
our way.
How we handle
suffering
and other undesirable
circumstances
of our lives,
whether with humble
submission
or with prideful
defiance,
reveals our true character.
Whether it is
agreeable to us
or not,
we must obey
the voice of the Lord
and that's for our good.
Now look at what
happens to Ishmael.
Verses 11 to 12.
But when Johanan,
the son of Cariah,
and all the leaders
of the forces with him
heard of all the evil
that Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
had done,
they took all their men
and went to fight
against Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah.
When Johanan
and his soldiers
intercept Ishmael
in Gibeon,
verses 13 to 14
tell us that all
the people that
had been taken
captive by Ishmael
rejoiced to see
this,
I guess,
their savior
in Johanan
and they defected
to him
so that Ishmael,
instead of
returning to the
Ammonites triumphantly
with his spoils
and captives,
barely managed
to escape
with only
eight men
running for their lives.
And Johanan
then recovers
all the people
that Ishmael
had taken captive
and brings them,
it says,
to Gareth-Chimhem
near Bethlehem.
And it says
in verses 17 to 18
that they were
intending to go
to Egypt
because of
the Chaldeans.
For they were
afraid of them
because Ishmael,
the son of Nethaniah,
had struck down
Gedali,
the son of Ikem,
whom the king
of Babylon
had made governor
over the land.
Even though
they themselves
had not killed
Gedaliah
and rebelled
against Babylon,
it looked like
they had
because of
what Ishmael
had done.
So instead of
waiting in Judah
to find out
what the Babylonians
would do to them,
they figured
they'd be better off
fleeing to Egypt.
And we can deduce
that they were
already set
on going to Egypt
by where they went
because Bethlehem,
where they went,
is six miles
southwest of Jerusalem,
well on their way
to Egypt already.
And that brings us
to chapter 42
and my second point,
denial,
which is another way
that sinful human beings
typically respond
when God's will
is not agreeable
to them.
But first,
in verses 1 to 3,
we see a hopeful
development.
It says,
Then all the commanders
of the forces
and Johanan,
the son of Kerea,
and Jezaniah,
the son of Hoshiah,
and all the people
from the least
to the greatest,
came near
and said to Jeremiah
the prophet,
Let our plea
for mercy
come before you
and pray to the Lord
your God for us
for all this remnant
because we are left
with but a few
as your eyes see us,
that the Lord
your God
may show us
the way we should go
and the thing
that we should do.
So while at a rest stop
in Bethlehem
on their way to Egypt,
the remnant of Judah
determined
it would be best
for them
to consult Jeremiah
since this
prominent prophet
was already
with them.
So all the commanders
and all the people
from the least
to the greatest,
it says,
the whole community,
they plead with Jeremiah,
come together
and inquire of God
to find out
where they should go
and what they should do.
So this is a big,
weighty decision for them
because there's only
a few of them left
and they're afraid
that the remnant,
all the people of Judah,
would perish altogether.
And as they are
pleading with him,
Jeremiah tells them
in verse 4,
I have heard you,
behold,
I will pray
to the Lord your God
according to your request
and whatever the Lord
answers you,
I will tell you,
I will keep nothing
back from you.
And then the people
respond by expressing
their sincerity
and they vow to obey
whatever the Lord says.
In verses 5 to 6,
may the Lord be a true
and faithful witness
against us
if we do not act
according to all the word
with which the Lord
your God sends you
to us.
Whether it is good
or bad,
we will obey
the voice of the Lord
our God
to whom we are sending you
that it may be well
with us
when we obey
the voice
of the Lord
our God.
So when making a pledge
to do something,
it was common
in this culture
to call people
as a witness
against them
should they fail
to do that.
And so if I don't do
such and such,
he will be a witness
against me.
Now when you wanted
to be extra emphatic,
you would call someone
to be a faithful witness.
If I don't do
such and such,
he will be a faithful witness
against me.
You see that
throughout scripture.
But here the people
are even more emphatic
than that.
They say,
if we don't do this,
may the Lord
be a true
and faithful witness
against us
if we do not act
according to all the word
with which the Lord
your God
sends you to us.
And they say that
whether it's good
or bad,
they will obey
the voice of the Lord.
Whether we like it
or not,
whether it seems
good to us
or not,
no matter what
the Lord says,
we will obey.
It's encouraging
to hear them say that,
right,
after all the unfaithful
and disobedience
we've seen
throughout the book
of Jeremiah.
It seems like
finally people
have learned
their lesson
after the fall
of Jerusalem
and are now
about to sincerely
obey the Lord
and follow him.
But God keeps them
waiting for a little while.
In verse 7,
it tells us that
at the end of 10 days,
the word of the Lord
came to Jeremiah.
This is instructive
for us
because it shows us
once again
that Jeremiah
was a true prophet.
Jeremiah could have
manipulated this situation
by simply telling them
his personal preference
and styling it
as the word of the Lord.
But he doesn't do that.
He waits on the Lord
and listens
until he hears from him
and it takes 10 days.
Especially here
in Cambridge
and nowadays,
I feel like it's rare
to find people
really earnestly
praying and waiting
on the Lord.
I think sometimes
it's because
we've let our hearts
get too busy.
We're hurried.
We've become
too preoccupied
with our own purposes
and priorities
that we don't wait
to find out
what God wants.
Other times,
we don't wait on God
because we no longer
believe that God speaks.
we think that we're
on our own
in our decision making
so we create a chart,
weigh the pros and cons,
make a decision
using our pragmatic wisdom.
I'm not saying
you shouldn't do those things.
Making a chart
is great.
Weighing the pros
and cons
is great.
Using our practical wisdom
is great.
And yes,
God can
and he does
use those processes
to lead us.
but what about
waiting on the voice
of the Lord?
God still speaks.
And sometimes
his will
confounds
the best
of human wisdom.
The same
Spirit of God
who spoke
to prophet Jeremiah
now indwells
every follower
of Jesus Christ
and we can
hear from him.
People often
ask me,
how do I hear
from God?
How can I
recognize his voice?
The Bible
doesn't explicitly
answer that question
because it was
never supposed
to be
mysterious.
Voice recognition
is a pretty
remarkable thing.
Nowadays,
we have
caller ID
on all of our phones
so we don't
really have to
use that anymore.
But back in the day
when you were
using landlines,
people would call
and you would
pick up and say
hello and as soon
as you hear
their hello,
you could tell
who it was
because you
recognized
the person's
voice.
Our voices
are unique,
right?
That's why
voice recognition
works with Siri
and Google Assistant
and such,
right?
And we learn
someone's voice
how?
By spending
time
with that person.
By getting
to know
that person
through repetition,
hearing that
person's voice
again and again.
It's the same
in our relationship
with God.
Galatians 5.25
speaks of
keeping in step
with the Spirit.
We're supposed
to walk with Him,
keep up with Him.
1 Corinthians 2.14-16
teaches that
a Christian is taught
by the Spirit of God
and therefore
have the mind
of Christ.
When you walk
closely with Christ,
when you seek
God's mind
regularly in His
Word and Scriptures,
when you're
accustomed to
obeying the
impressions of the
Spirit on your
heart,
you come to have
the mind of Christ
so that you
think like Him.
You know what
He would think
or say or do
in a given
situation.
In John,
Jesus says,
I am the good
shepherd.
In John 10,
He says that
when the shepherd
has brought out
all his own,
he goes before
them and the
sheep follow Him
for they know
His voice.
A stranger
they will not
follow,
but they will
flee from Him
for they do not
know the voice
of strangers.
There's an
incredible YouTube
video I saw
recently.
It's entitled,
Do Sheep Only
Obey Their
Master's Voice?
I guess some of
you guys seen
that.
I don't know.
It takes place
at a farm in
Norway.
Several strangers
try to mimic
the call of
the shepherd
and try to
bring the
flock of sheep
back to the
fold.
Several visitors
attempt it,
but as they're
trying their best,
the sheep
completely ignore
them.
They don't even
lift their head,
they just keep
eating the grass.
It's really
entertaining to
watch.
And then after
they've all taken
their turns,
the shepherd
calls out to
them.
They immediately
look up,
turn their heads
toward the shepherd.
They start
bawling in response,
and then they
all run over
to the fold.
It's amazing
to see.
It's almost
moving to
watch it.
Yeah.
And Jesus
said,
My sheep
hear my
voice,
and I know
them,
and they
follow me.
You may not
hear the audible
voice of God,
but God speaks
through his
word.
God speaks
through his
spirit,
and God often
uses his people,
the church,
to speak as
well.
Are you
familiar with
the voice
of the Lord?
Is it
your habit
to wait
on the
voice of
the Lord?
It was a
good thing
that Jeremiah
waited,
because God's
word challenged
in this case
their common
sense.
Jeremiah says
in verses
10 to 12,
If you will
remain in this
land,
then I will
build you up
and not
pull you down.
I will plant
you and not
pluck you up,
for I relent
of the disaster
that I did
to you.
Do not
fear the
king of
Babylon,
of whom
you are
afraid.
Do not
fear him,
declares
the Lord,
for I am
with you
to save
you and
to deliver
you from
his hand.
I will
grant you
mercy,
that he
may have
mercy on
you,
and let
you remain
in your
own land.
It's a
wonderful
promise.
God says
he has
relented
of the
disaster
that he
brought
to them.
His
justice
has been
satisfied,
and he's
no longer
pouring out
his wrath
upon them,
and if
they obey
him now,
the same
promise that
God had
made to
the
exiles
will be
theirs.
They will
not be
plucked out,
they will
be planted
and restored
to the
land.
But,
Jeremiah
continues in
verses 13
to 18,
if you
say,
we will
not remain
in this
land,
disobeying
the voice
of the
Lord your
God,
and saying,
no,
we will
go to
the land
of Egypt,
where we
shall not
see war,
or hear
the sound
of the
trumpet,
or be
hungry for
bread,
and we
will dwell
there.
Then,
hear the
word of the
Lord,
O remnant
of Judah.
Thus,
says the
Lord of
hosts,
the God
of Israel,
if you
set your
faces to
enter Egypt
and go to
live there,
then the
sword that
you fear
shall overtake
you there
in the land
of Egypt,
and the
famine of
which you
are afraid
shall follow
close after
you to
Egypt,
and there
you shall
die.
All the
men who
set their
faces to
go to
Egypt to
live there
shall die
by the
sword,
by famine,
and by
pestilence.
They shall
have no
remnant or
survivor from
the disaster
that I
will bring
upon them.
The people
were considering
fleeing to
Egypt because
they feared
that the
remnant of
Judah would
perish.
They would
not survive
if they
stayed in
the land
because of
the Babylonian
retaliation.
But Jeremiah
warns them
instead that
if you flee
to Egypt,
what you
fear will
exactly happen
to you,
and there
will be no
remnant or
survivor left
from the
disaster that
I will bring
upon those
who flee to
Egypt.
And as
Jeremiah is
relaying this
word of
God to
them,
he must be
looking at
their faces
or something
and seeing
their disapproval
or disbelief
because he
anticipates what
their response
will be in
verses 19
to 22.
Jeremiah says,
The Lord has
said to you,
O remnant
of Judah,
do not go
to Egypt.
Know for a
certainty that
I have warned
you this day
that you have
gone astray
at the cost
of your lives.
For you sent
me to the
Lord your God
saying,
Pray for us,
the Lord our God,
and whatever
the Lord our God
says,
declare to us
and we will
do it.
And I have
this day
declared it to
you,
but you have
not obeyed
the voice
of the Lord
your God
in anything
that he has
sent me to
tell you.
Now therefore
know for a
certainty that
you shall die
by disorder,
by famine,
and by pestilence
in the place
where you desire
to go live.
These Judeans
just did not
see this coming.
They were so
sure that
God's word
would agree
with their own
view of things
that they
had vowed
to obey God
no matter what,
whether for
good or bad.
But it turns
out that they
were not
actually prepared
to obey God
at all costs.
They were only
prepared to obey
God as long
as his word
agreed.
with their
own.
They wanted
God to
confirm their
own opinions,
not contradict
them.
And so they
respond tragically.
They don't
respond.
They disobey
the voice
of the Lord.
In fact,
they accuse
Jeremiah
of telling
a lie.
And they
accuse Baruch,
his scribe,
of setting
him up,
of pressuring
him to do
this.
And at
the end
of,
in verse
seven,
it says,
and they
came into
the land
of Egypt,
for they
did not
obey the
voice of
the Lord,
and they
arrived at
Tephenus.
They fell
into denial.
They were
so persuaded
that going
to Egypt
was the
only way
to ensure
their safety,
their mind
was completely
closed off
to any
other possibility.
and they
don't dare
say that
God is
wrong,
but they
deny that
that's
what God
really
said.
And note
the repetition
of the phrase
the voice
of the
Lord here.
In verse
four and
verse seven,
it says the
voice of the
Lord,
they did not
obey the
voice of
the Lord.
Earlier
in chapter
40,
verse 3,
Nebuchadrach
accused the
people of
Judah of
sinning against
the Lord
and not
obeying
his voice.
And in
chapter 42,
the phrase
voice of the
Lord was
repeated four
times and
here again
twice in
short,
in a few
verses of
chapter 43.
So this is a
major theme of
these chapters.
God has
spoken,
his voice
has been
heard,
but the
people of
Judah
disobey.
We too
often ask
God for
direction when
we are at
crossroads of
our lives.
We ask him
what his
will for us
really is.
But perhaps
the more
important question
to ask is
whether or
not we are
prepared to
obey
the voice
of the
Lord.
It's all
too familiar,
isn't it?
Our young
man says,
I will
follow you
God,
wherever you
go Lord.
I will
become a
pastor or
missionary to
serve you and
I'm going to
win the world
back for you.
He says
this because
he thinks
that ministry
will make
much of
him.
Because he
thinks he's
going to get
a large
following right
away.
Speak at
conferences,
write books.
But when
God entrusts a
small church
to him and
instead of
widespread acclaim
he receives
frequent criticism
from his own
members, he
calls it quits
because that's
not what he
had signed
up for.
We often
say, just
say the
word God,
just tell me
clearly and
I'll do it.
but when
obeying God's
revealed will
in scripture
makes us
unpopular,
when we
find its
teaching
disagreeable
to our
sensibilities,
we rationalize
it or
simply ignore
it.
Like
Azariah and
Johanan and
the rest of
the quote
insolent men
of Judah,
we deny
God's
word.
But whether
it is
agreeable to
us or
not, we
must obey
the voice
of the
Lord.
And because
the Judean
remnant did
not obey
the voice
of the
Lord,
they will
perish.
Throughout
these few
chapters we
saw a
recurring fear
that the
remnant of
Judah would
perish
forever.
In chapter
40, 15,
Johanan asked
to take out
Ishmael ahead
of time because
he worried
that if
Gedaliah is
murdered that
the remnant
of Judah would
be no more.
In chapter
42, verse
2, the
remnant, after
being recovered
from Ishmael,
they said to
Jeremiah,
let our plea
for mercy come
before you and
pray to the
Lord your God
for us, for
all this
remnant, because
we are left
with but a
few.
And this is
because the
people who
were made in
Judah believed
that they were
the future of
God's people.
And because of
that, they
believed it was
absolutely necessary
that they survive
for God's plan
of salvation to
unfold.
But their
return to
Egypt meant
that they
would be
wiped out.
So then is
that the
end of God's
people?
Did God's
plan to
redeem a
people for
himself and
to establish
the kingdom
of God
here on
earth fail?
That's the
question we're
left with at
this part of
the passage.
But hope
springs from a
seemingly hopeless
place.
even though
the remnant
in Judah
will die
off because
they flee to
Egypt.
God's plan to
redeem a
people for
himself continues
through the
Judean exiles
in Babylon,
as God had
promised in
chapter 24.
Matthew 1,
12 to 16,
tells us how
this promise
was fulfilled.
Remember,
Jeconiah was
the king of
Judah that was
exiled to
Babylon.
And after the
deportation to
Babylon,
Jeconiah was
the father of
Sheothiah,
and Sheothiah
the father of
Zerubbabel,
and Zerubbabel
the father of
Abiud,
and Abiud the
father of
Eliakim,
and Eliakim
the father of
Azor,
and Azor the
father of
Zadok,
and Zadok the
father of
Aachim,
and Aachim the
father of
Eliud,
and Eliud the
father of
Elesser,
and Elesser the
father of
Maz Esther,
and cose tom
the father of
Jacob,
and grave the
father of
Joseph the
husband of
Mary,
of whom Jesus was born,
who is called Christ,
the anointed one,
the Messiah,
the Savior King
that was to come
to establish the kingdom of God,
to lead the people of God.
Jesus is that promised king
and what did the Judean people
fail to do for themselves
because even the exiles of Babylon
will continue to sin against the Lord
and be unfaithful to him.
They will not heed the voice of the Lord
but God sends his only son,
Jesus Christ,
as a man
to live the life of perfect obedience,
heeding the voice of the Lord perfectly
and he,
the perfect son of man
and son of God,
dies in the place of sinners like us
who have refused
to heed the voice of the Lord
and he dies on the cross for our sins
so that we can once again
have the path
to enter the kingdom of God
through him.
We were captives
to sin and Satan,
exiles
in foreign territory
but King Jesus calls us home
and it's by aligning ourselves to him,
submitting to him in faith,
that's how we enter
the kingdom of God.
So let me ask you,
have you heard
and followed the voice of this king?
Are you attuned to the voice of the Lord?
Please take a moment,
feel free to close your eyes
to reflect on that question.
what is the Lord
saying to you
this morning
through his word?
Amen.