In these studies in the second half of the book of Jeremiah,  we will see God’s word coming through Jeremiah and being rejected again and again. We will see the difficulties of Jeremiah but also the way he is saved through it all. Jeremiah is God’s reporter on the spot, in the midst of one of the most tumultuous periods in Israel’s history.

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, and the particular theme, as with studies elsewhere, each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read on the main Bible page.

God’s word on Egypt

Jer 42:7-22

⁷ Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸ So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. ⁹ He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: ¹⁰ ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. ¹¹ Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. ¹² I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

¹³ “However, if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and so disobey the Lord your God, ¹⁴ and if you say, ‘No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,’ ¹⁵ then hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, ¹⁶ then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. ¹⁷ Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.’ ¹⁸ This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be a curse and an object of horror, a curse^[c] and an object of reproach; you will never see this place again.’

¹⁹ “Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today ²⁰ that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ ²¹ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. ²² So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.”

A. Find Out

1. How long did Jeremiah have to wait? v.7
2. What would be their future if they remain in Israel? v.10-12
3. What will leaving the land be? v.13
4. What would happen if they go to Egypt? v.16,17
5. What does he say about their request to him? v.20
6. Why? v.21,22

B. Think:

1. Why do you think this remnant had asked Jeremiah to seek the Lord on their behalf?
2. What does the time the Lord took to answer teach us?
3. What was the Lord’s preferred intention for His people/

C. Comment:

Jeremiah speaks to the Lord and waits for an answer, and waits and waits.  It is only after ten days that he gets it. We must learn that sometimes it takes some time for us to be able to hear and receive the Lord’s word. It is an answer of options here. The Lord allows them to understand clearly what the choices are.

If they remain in the Promised Land, He will protect and bless them. If they go to Egypt, His protection and blessing will not go with them and they will be destroyed.  Even after the destruction of Jerusalem  and the deporting of most of the people, God still has a remnant that He wants to draw to Himself and bless.  It is God’s constant desire to bless the people of His world who will listen to Him – but so few do, such is the terrible effect of sin.

Finally Jeremiah senses that his words are wasted. The remnant WILL go to Egypt despite the clarity of the word from God, and they will, therefore, be destroyed.  How foolish!  How tragic!  “Oh, when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?”

D. Application:

1. Do we persevere in waiting on the Lord or do we easily give up? God wants to teach us to persevere in prayer.
2. Do we accept that God’s wisdom is best, even though we may not understand His reasoning sometimes?