1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day. 7 And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant? 8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
REFLECTION:
These messages were announced by Jeremiah in 580 BC, and this was the last time Jeremiah prophesied. At this moment, the great mistake of the people of Judah has been made, and the country has fallen. Jeremiah was forcibly taken to Egypt, but he kept reminding the people that worshiping other gods would lead to the ruin of the country. Jeremiah pointed out that because they fled to Egypt against the will of God, they would never be able to return to their home country of Judah. However, the rebellious and hard-hearted people did not learn from the disasters caused by their own sins, and still went their own way. Even though Jeremiah warned them with the evil deeds of the ancestors of Judah, they still had no regrets and no fear. This past episode reminds us what attitude we should have to face the mistakes we made in the past. If we fail to learn from the past failures, we will repeat the same mistakes. We should understand that our lives are growing in constant failures, and our relationship with God is deepened in constant falls. Past failures are not only our pain, but also our medicine in God’s grace and love. May we gain humility and wisdom from the experience of failure, and guide us on the path of walking with God.
PRAYER:
Ask God to comfort us so that you can come out of the depression and pain of past failures; ask God to enlighten you and give you wisdom so that you can learn valuable experience and lessons from failures and see your weaknesses and shortcomings more thoroughly. In order to obey God’s guidance with a more humble attitude, avoid repeating the same mistakes, regain strength from God, and continue to move forward bravely.
1 When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ 3 but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.” 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— 6 the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at Tahpanhes.
REFLECTION:
Johanan and others were afraid to obey God’s instructions, insisted on continuing to go to Egypt, and forcing Jeremiah to go with them, thinking that being with Jeremiah God would not bring harm to them. Jeremiah has been a prophet for forty years, and many of his prophecies have been fulfilled. He even gave up the opportunity to enjoy a comfortable life in Babylon and was willing to return to his fellow countrymen to share their suffering. However, his compatriots still stubbornly rejected his words from the heart, and did not listen to a word. The purpose of Johanan and his group’s coming to Jeremiah was not to ask God for guidance, but they had already had their own ideas and hoped that God would approve of them. If there is no obedient heart in prayer, it is no different from asking idols and fortune-tellers, using the almighty God as one’s own tool. We should be wary of making the same mistakes – requesting God to grant us the things that we wish, instead of seeking His will and guidance. We should fear God and not despise His sovereignty. Unless we are willing to let God lead, all plans are in vain; unless we are willing to accept God’s answer, all prayers are useless.
PRAYER:
Come to God humbly, ask God to give you a heart of obedience, and be willing to be led by God throughout your life and live in God’s word; imitate the Lord Jesus’ prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, and pray to God for the difficulties in your heart; ask God to grant or not grant your request according to His will, not your own will.
1Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 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— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.”…
7 At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he summoned Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: 10 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. 11 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. 12 I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land. 13 But if you say, ‘We will not remain in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God 14 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,’ 15 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, 16 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. 17 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.
REFLECTION:
Johanan and others decided the answer in their hearts before asking God. They promised Jeremiah verbally that they were willing to listen to what God said to them, good or bad, but they only wanted to listen to what they wanted, and their falsehood finally became a curse on themselves. Jeremiah described in detail the retribution they would receive if they did not listen to God, but they still did not believe it. The final outcome, as Jeremiah had forewarned, was that they all died in Egypt and no one remained. There are two mistakes made by Johanan and others: One is pride and rebellion, disobeying God’s will; the other is falsely asking God’s will and deceiving God. We should be vigilant and not make the same mistakes. Asking for God’s guidance without having the heart to obey it is really wrong. In addition, do not pray to God for things that go against God’s will and divine nature. Instead of making fake prayers, it is better not to pray. We should understand that God cannot be deceived. If you deceive God, you will be severely punished.
PRAYER:
Ask God to examine your heart and let you see how many false elements in your prayers; each of us who is in sin has some falsehood, confess your falsehood to God and repent of your falsehood; dedicate to God that you are willing to pursue faith more sincerely, more obedience to God’s will, and willing to accomplish everything according to God’s will instead of your own will.
