Jeremiah Taken to Egypt (Day 65)

Read Jeremiah 43:1-13
 
   Johanan and his tiny band had come to Jeremiah for God’s approval of their plan, not for God’s direction. This is a recurring problem for some of us: seeking God’s approval of our desires rather than asking him for guidance. It is not good to make plans apart from God’s guidance, and it is not good to pray unless we are willing to accept God’s answer. 
   Afraid to obey the Lord, the people headed for Egypt, even forcing Jeremiah to go with them, as if taking Jeremiah with them would bring God’s blessing for them. Jeremiah had served as a prophet for 40 years. Many of his words had already come true, and he had turned down an offer to live comfortably in Babylon, returning instead to his beloved people. But the people still rejected Jeremiah’s advice. The response of our audience is not necessarily a measure of our success. Jeremiah was doing all God asked, but he had been called to minister to a very stubborn group of people. 
 
   Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt in 568-567 B.C. Like Judah, Egypt rebelled against him and was quickly crushed. So much for the great empire on which Judah had constantly placed its hopes.