Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near, and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to Yahweh your God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes see us; that Yahweh your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the things that we should do.”
Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to Yahweh your God according to your words; and it will happen that whatever thing Yahweh answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
Then they said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness among us, if we don’t do according to all the word with which Yahweh your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is good, or whether it is bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.”
After ten days, Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah. Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, and said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him, says: ‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you. Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says Yahweh: ‘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 cause you to return to your own land.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv1–12 I have said that John, and his associates, and…
I have said that John, and his associates, and the whole people acted much more culpably by coming to the Prophet, than if they had not done so, and had gone directly to Egypt: for they either came dissemblingly, and thus designedly spoke what was false, or they were extremely stupid, and hypocrisy had wholly deprived them of their understanding. They came to the Prophet to ask counsel; nay, that he might be to them God’s interpreter, and that thus they might know what to do; and they promised to obey, as we shall hereafter see. However this may have been, they sought an oracle in which it was their duty to acquiesce, except they resolved openly to shake off the yoke and to show themselves to be gross and profane despisers of God. They came to the Prophet, when yet it was their fixed purpose, as we shall see, to go to Egypt.
He who asks counsel, ought first to see that he bring no prejudice, but be free and honest: but it is, however, a fault too common, that men deliberate and ask counsel, when they have already settled what to do; nay, nothing is more common than this; for those who consult do not, for the most part, wish to learn what is right, but that others should fall in with their own inclinations. He who has resolved on this or that point, pretends that he is in doubt, and held in suspense; he asks what ought to be done: if the answer be according to his wishes, he embraces what is said; but if he who is consulted, disapproves of what he has already resolved to do, he rejects the counsel given. Such was the dissimulation described by the Prophet, when the leaders of the forces and the whole people came to him.
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He mentions, first, the leaders of the forces, and then John the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshiah He adds these two last; but it was to give them honor, as when the angel said,
“Go and tell his disciples and Peter.” (Mark 16:7)
He did not put aside Peter, as though he was inferior to all the rest; but for the sake of honor he mentions his name, after having spoken generally of them all. So also here, the Prophet names generally the leaders, but as John the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah were the chief men, he expressly gives their names. He adds, the whole people, from the least to the greatest This does not refer to age; but what he means is, that all, of every grade, came with one consent to Jeremiah. It was not then the conspiring of a few men, but all from the least to the greatest had resolved to go to Egypt; and yet they came, as though with an honest purpose, to the Prophet; wherefore? They wished their own perverse design to be approved by God, and thus to subject God to their own will and humor; for they did not suffer themselves to be ruled by his Spirit, but audaciously disregarded his word. The Prophet then shews that they were all implicated in the same sin.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12 Hebrew, Let our prayer fall before thee, as Jer.…
Hebrew, Let our prayer fall before thee, as Jer. 36:7
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv1–12 Jer 42:1 Then all the captains of the forces,…
Jer 42:1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
Ver. 1. Then all the captains of the forces and Johanan.] Or, Even Johanan; he among the rest, and above the rest. Ille huic negotio non interfuit modo, sed etiam praefuit.
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And Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah.] Brother, belike, to that Azariah, {Jer 43:2} a noble pair of brethren in evil.
And all the people.] Who follow their rulers; as in a beast the whole body followeth the head.
Drew near.] They came as clients use to do for counsel.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 The three following chapters give us an account of…
The three following chapters give us an account of what happened to Johanan the son of Kareah, and the rest, after the slaughter of Ishmael, and their going to dwell in the habitation of Chimham, in order to their going into the land of Egypt; their coming to Jeremiah to go and inquire of the Lord for them, his inquiry of God, with the revelation of the Divine will unto him, that they should not go into Egypt, promising God’s protection of them if they did not go, threatening their destruction if they did go; their proud answer to Jeremiah, and resolution to go, which they accordingly did, and there fell in with the idolatry of the Egyptians, for which God by his prophet threateneth them with an utter ruin.
After that this captain Johanan (who now had made himself head of the Jews) had fixed their abode in the habitation of Chimham in the way to Egypt, with thoughts of going down to inhabit there, for fear of the Chaldeans coming to revenge the death of Gedaliah upon all the remainder of the Jews, both these captains and many of the people, or some of all sorts of the people, (for it cannot be imagined that every particular person came,) made their address to the prophet Jeremiah, who probably was with them, carried away by Ishmael, and rescued by this captain.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On vv1, 7 We have reason to wonder how Jeremiah the prophet…
We have reason to wonder how Jeremiah the prophet escaped the sword of Ishmael; it seems he did escape, and it was not the first time that the Lord hid him. It is strange also that in these violent turns he was not consulted before now, and his advice asked and taken. But it should seem as if they knew not that a prophet was among them. Though this people were as brands plucked out of the fire, yet have they not returned to the Lord. This people has a revolting and a rebellious heart; and contempt of God and his providence, God and his prophets, is still the sin that most easily besets them. But now at length, to serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and all the captains, Johanan himself not excepted, with all the people from the least to the greatest, make him a visit; they came near (Jer 42:1), which intimates that hitherto they had kept at a distance from the prophet and had been shy of him. Now here,
I. They desire him by prayer to ask direction from God what they should do in the present critical juncture, Jer 42:2, Jer 42:3. They express themselves wonderfully well. 1. With great respect to the prophet. Though he was poor and low, and under their command, yet they apply to him with humility and submissiveness, as petitioners for his assistance, which yet they intimate their own unworthiness of: Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee. They compliment him thus in hopes to persuade him to say as they would have him say. 2. With a great opinion of his interest in heaven: "Pray for us, who know not how to pray for ourselves. Pray to the Lord thy God, for we are unworthy to call him ours, nor have we reason to expect any favour from him." 3. With a great sense of their need of divine direction. They speak of themselves as objects of compassion: "We are but a remnant, but a few of many; how easily will such a remnant be swallowed up, and yet it is a pity that it should. Thy eyes see what distress we are in, what a plunge we are at; if thou canst do any thing, help us." 4. With desire of divine direction: "Let the Lord thy God take this ruin into his thoughts and under his hand, and show us the way wherein we may walk and may expect to have his presence with us, and the thing that we may do, the course we may take for our own safety." Note, In every difficult doubtful case our eye must be up to God for direction. They then might expect to be directed by a spirit of prophecy, which has now ceased; but we may still in faith pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts and the hints of Providence.
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II. Jeremiah faithfully promises them to pray for direction for them, and, whatever message God should send to them by him, he would deliver it to them just as he received it without adding, altering, or diminishing, Jer 42:4. Ministers may hence learn, 1. Conscientiously to pray for those who desire their prayers: I will pray for you according to your words. Though they had slighted him, yet, like Samuel when he was slighted, he will not sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for them, Sa1 12:23. 2. Conscientiously to advise those who desire their advice as near as they can to the mind of God, not keeping back any thing that is profitable for them, whether it be pleasing or no, but to declare to them the whole counsel of God, that they may approve themselves true to their trust.
III. They fairly promise that they will be governed by the will of God, as soon as they know what it is (Jer 42:5, Jer 42:6), and they had the impudence to appeal to God concerning their sincerity herein, though at the same time they dissembled: "The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us; do thou in the fear of God tell us truly what his mind is and then we will in the fear of God comply with it, and for this the Lord the Judge be Judge between us." Note, Those that expect to have the benefit of good ministers' prayers must conscientiously hearken to their preaching and be governed by it, as far as it agrees with the mind of God. Nothing could be better than this was: Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, that it may be well with us. 1. They now call God their God, for Jeremiah had encouraged them to call him so (Jer 42:4): I will pray to the Lord your God. He is ours, and therefore we will obey his voice. Our relation to God strongly obliges us to obedience. 2. They promise to obey his voice because they sent the prophet to him to consult him. Note, We do not truly desire to know the mind of God if we do not fully resolve to comply with it when we do know it. 3. It is an implicit universal obedience that they here promise. They will do what God appoints them to do, whether it be good or whether it be evil: "Though it may seem evil to us, yet we will believe that if God command it it is certainly good, and we must not dispute it, but do it. Whatever God commands, whether it be easy or difficult, agreeable to our inclinations or contrary to them, whether it be cheap or costly, fashionable or unfashionable, whether we get or lose by it in our worldly interests, if it be our duty, we will do it." 4. It is upon a very good consideration that they promise this, a reasonable and powerful one, that it may be well with us, which intimates a conviction that they could not expect it should be well with them upon any other terms.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv1–12 Then all the captains of the forces,.... Having taken…
Then all the captains of the forces,.... Having taken up their residence at the habitation of Chimham, in their way to Egypt, where they were desirous of going, and being afraid of the Chaldeans, as they pretended:
and Johanan the son of Kareah; or, "even Johanan" (s); especially and particularly he, the principal captain and chief spokesman in this affair:
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and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah; said to be the son of a Maachathite, Jer 40:8;
and all the people from the least even unto the greatest: a phrase expressive of the universality of them in the strongest terms:
came near; that is, to Jeremiah; who either was at Mizpah when Gedaliah was slain, but preserved by the Lord; and though carried captive by Ishmael with the rest, was rescued by Johanan; and now along with him: or rather after he had been with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and made a short stay there, he went to Anathoth, and there abode till now; and when Johanan took those that were left at Mizpah, he gathered together all the rest of the Jews in different places to him, in order to go to Egypt, and among the rest the Prophet Jeremiah; for it can hardly be thought, had he been at Mizpah when Ishmael was there, he would have escaped without a miracle.
(s) "imprimis Johanan", Schmidt; "nempe Johanan", Piscator, Grotius.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv1, 6, 10 Johanan and the people desire Jeremiah to inquire of…
Johanan and the people desire Jeremiah to inquire of God, promising obedience to his will, ver. 1-6. Jeremiah assures them of safety in Judea, ver. 7-12. and destruction in Egypt, ver. 13-18. Reproves their hypocrisy and obstinacy, ver. 19-22.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv1, 3, 5, 7, 10 Johanan and the remnant of the people desire Jeremiah…
CHAPTER XLII
Johanan and the remnant of the people desire Jeremiah to ask
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counsel of God what they should do, 1-3.
The prophet assures them of safety in Judea, but destruction in
Egypt, 4-18;
and reproves their hypocrisy in asking counsel with which they
had no intention to comply, 19-22.
NOTES ON CHAP. XLII
Verse 1. The captains of the forces] The different leaders of the small bands or companies, collected from different parts of the land. The principal are those here named.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv1, 4, 7, 11 Jer 42:1-3. Then all the captains, and all the…
Jer 42:1-3. Then all the captains, and all the people — That is, both those captains, and many of the people; came near and said unto Jeremiah — Who was probably carried away with the other captives by Ishmael, and rescued by Johanan; Let, we beseech thee, our supplications be accepted before thee — Thus these men, though wretched hypocrites, yet address the prophet with great respect and reverence, and in words which implied that they thought themselves unworthy to be permitted to ask any favour of him. Probably the evidence they had had so lately of his being a true prophet of the Lord, by the accomplishment of all that he had foretold against both the city and temple, might in some measure occasion their showing him such respect. And pray for us, that the Lord may show us the way wherein we may walk — “It is the constant method of hypocrites to pretend an absolute submission to the will of God till that will is found to run counter to their inclinations or interest.” — Lowth.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv1, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 Among those delivered by Johanan from Ishmael had been…
Among those delivered by Johanan from Ishmael had been Jeremiah and Baruch Jer 43:6; and to them now all, without exception, come for counsel.
Jezaniah - He is called Azariah in Jer 43:2. The Septuagint, in both places, call him Azariah. Since there is little reason for identifying him with Jezaniah the Maachathite Jer 40:8, it is probable that the Septuagint is right in calling him in both places Azariah, and that the reading Jezaniah arose from some scribe assuming that his name must be found in the earlier list.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv2, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 Pray; consult, ver. 4., and chap. xxxvii. 3. (Haydock)…
Pray; consult, ver. 4., and chap. xxxvii. 3. (Haydock) --- Few; comparatively, though there was a great number, chap. xliii. 5.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain On vv1, 7 1Then all the captains of the forces, and1 Johanan…
6. THE HYPOCRITICAL INQUIRY
Jer_42:1-6
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1Then all the captains of the forces, and1 Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least unto the greatest, came 2near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord [Jehovah] thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many,2 as thine eyes do behold us): 3that the Lord [Jehovah] thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.
4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard3 you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord [Jehovah] your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatever thing the Lord [Jehovah] shall answer you, I will declare 5it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true4 and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to 6all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send5 thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil6 we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we7 send thee; that it may be well with us, when8 we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
The people request the prophet to inquire of the Lord what is to be done (Jer_42:1-3); Jeremiah promises to do so (Jer_42:4). The people therefore solemnly promise punctual obedience to all that the prophet shall disclose to them as the commands of their God (Jer_42:5-6).
Jer_42:1-3. Then all … that we may do. Jezaniah is here called the son of Hoshaiah; in Jer_40:8 he is called the son of the Maachathite, in Jer_43:2 Azariah is named as the son of Hoshaiah. There must then have either been two Jezaniahs and two Hoshaiahs, or there is an error in the text. The LXX. has in Jer_42:1 and Jer_43:2Ἀζαρίος υἱὸς Μαασαίου. There is thus the possibility that here Jezaniah is written by mistake for Azariah.—These leaders and the whole people with them address to the prophet the humble petition (comp. rems. on Jer_36:7; Jer_37:20), that he will address to Jehovah in their behalf, the small remnant of the great nation, a prayer for instruction concerning the path to be taken.
Jer_42:4-6. Then Jeremiah … our God. When the people express their readiness to submit to the direction of Jehovah, however this may turn out, but afterwards (Jer_43:2-7) rebel so decidedly against this direction, their declaration here must be explained either as hypocrisy or on the supposition that the question was not of remaining in the country, but there was doubt only as to the direction of their flight. They appeal to the Lord to appear as a true and faithful witness against them, if they do not submit to the divine indication expected through the prophet. The Lord however is, as is presupposed in every oath, at the same time Witness and Judge.
[1]Jer_42:1.— The וְ before יוֹהָנָן as in Jer_40:8 [=even]
[2]Jer_42:2.—On $דַרְבֶּה comp. olsh., S. 358 and 583.
[3]Jer_42:4.—שָׁמַעְתִּי involves the sense of hearing and granting, and is at the same time the token of the acceptance and approval of the petition. It corresponds nearly to the German “Gut!” [Eng: good!]
[4]Jer_42:5.—The expression עֵד אֱמֶת is found besides only in Pro_14:25 Coll. Jer_42:5. עֵד בֶאֶמָן Psa_89:38; Isa_7:2.
[5]Jer_42:5.—On שָׁלַח with a double accuastive, comp. Naegelsb Gr., § 6, 2, c.
[6]Jer_42:6.—To אם טוב ואם דע we are not to supply הַדָבָר for then we must have הוּא after רָע. Much rather is whole sentence in apposition to the following קוֹל , as in Ecc_12:14 to the preceding מַעֲשֶׂה.
[7]Jer_42:6.—אֲבַוּThe form occurs only here in the Old testament. Comp, Olsh., § 95, b, 5. It is indeed possible that it was not incorrectly put into the mouth of the people, for the form usual is post-biblical Hebrew may have been a popular expression even at that that time.
[8]Jer_42:6.—כִּי is here necessarily because, not if. For there is not question about their obeying. They will obey, but expect prosperity from this obedience as such, apart from the immediate result of the step commanded them. Comp. Jer_24:7.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Jer_40:1-3. “Although the calamity, which has come upon Jerusalem, is great and terrible, God does not allow such evil to befal it that good will not result from it, as the Chaldean captain not obscurely intimates, that he has made a fair beginning in the knowledge of the true God. For he confesses, first, that the God of the prophet is a lord; secondly, that He knows future things; thirdly, that He causes His servants to proclaim these beforehand; fourthly, that God has conducted the war and done everything; fifthly, that He was displeased with the sinful manners of the people (among which idolatry was the worst); sixthly, that He has punished their disobedience to His word.” Cramer.
2. On Jer_40:4. “The friendliness, shown to the prophet, appears to proceed from men, but it comes from God. For God’s works are all made so that they are hidden among the creatures; for as He conceals His wisdom in the creation of heaven and earth, as He hides His kindness in the fruits of the earth, so also He disguises His help in the king of Babylon. For God executes. His works now by rational and anon by irrational creatures. As when He fed Elijah by the widow and by the ravens and by the angels (1Ki_17:3 sqq.; 14 sqq. and Jer_19:5). For all are His instruments.” Cramer.
3. On Jer_40:2-3. “Nebusaradan attestatione sua comprobat et confirmat veritatem ac certitudinem prædictionum prophetæ. Unde haud inscite colligi conjicique potest, quod Satrapa ille Babylonicus præditus fuerit agnitione veri Dei eâque salvatus. Et sic Deus subinde aliquos ex Magnatibus ad sui agnitionem et æternam salutem traducit (Psalms 68). Potest istud exemplum ἐλεγκτικῶς obverti absoluto Calvinianorum decreto.” Förster.
4. On Jer_40:5. “In this, that Jeremiah preferred remaining in the country to going to Babylon, it strikes me further—that a discreet man, who knows the world and his heart and the true interest of God’s cause—is as much as possible contented, and does not think to better himself by going further. He is willing to remain at court unknown, and at any rate he would rather be taken away than go away.—The advice, which Solomon gives, is verified, ‘Stand not in the place of great men.’ We are a generation of the cross, and our symbol is ‘an evil name and little understood.’ ” Zinzendorf.
5. On Jer_40:5. In Babylonia honor and a comfortable life invited the prophet, in Judea danger, dishonor and need in the desolated country. In Babylonia a respectable field of labor was opened to him among the great mass of his people, in Judea he had only rabble and condottieri about him. Jeremiah, however, was not a bad patriot, as many accused him of being. By remaining in Judea he showed that the import of his prophecies, apparently friendly to the Chaldeans and hostile to the Jews, had proceeded from the purest love to his people and his fatherland. Thus he imitated Moses, of whom it is written in Heb_11:25, that he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. The holy ground of the fatherland bound him to it, and in addition—if he went, who was to take spiritual oversight of the poor forsaken remnant, to proclaim the word of God and bestow on them consolation and admonition? Those who were in Babylon had Ezekiel. And could not the Lord raise up other prophets for them? So he remained with the sheep, who had no shepherd. Jeremiah had not sought his own through his whole life, nor did he here.
6. On Jer_40:7 sqq. “Human reason, and indeed nature shows, that in worldly government men cannot be without a head. For as the been cannot be without a queen, or the sheep without a shepherd, so no large number of people can exist without a head and government. God has wisely ordered it, and we should be thankful for the authorities.” Cramer.
7. On Jer_40:11 sqq. We may well perceive in this “remnant of Judah” a fulfilment of the prophecy in Isa_6:11 sqq.: “Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and Jehovah have removed men far away, and great is the forsaking in the midst of the land. And if a tenth remains in it, this again must be removed. Yet as the terebinth and the oak, in which when they are felled, a ground-stock still remains, so is its stock a holy scion.”
8. On Jer_40:13 sqq. Gedaliah, in whom not only Nebuchadnezzar, but also his people, had confidence, must have been a noble man, to whom it was difficult to think evil of his neighbor. “Those who are of a pious disposition, cannot believe so much evil, as is told of people. But we must not trust too much, for the world is full of falseness (Wisd. 37:3). He who believes too easily, will be often deceived, and he who believes no one is also deceived. Therefore is he indeed a happy man, who can preserve the golden mean.” Cramer.
9. On Jer_40:13 sqq. “Misfortune is like the waves of the sea; when one is broken another follows, and the end of one trouble is the beginning of others.” Cramer.
10. On Jer_41:1-3. “Judas’s kiss and Jacob’s brethren are very common in the world and take after their grandfather Cain, who spake kindly to Abel and yet had blood-thirsty thoughts (Gen_4:8). Yea, they take after their father, the devil, who is a murderous spirit (Joh_8:44), and disguises himself as an angel of light (2Co_11:14).” Cramer.
11. On Jer_41:1 sqq. “Similia perfidiæ exempla (simulatæ fraternitatis): 2Sa_13:24; 2Sa_20:9 sq. Quadrat etiam huc historia nuptiarum Parisiensium celebratum 1572 mense Augusto.” Förster.
12. On Jer_41:4 sqq.
“Murder and avarice love to go with each other,
And one crime is often a prolific mother.”—Cramer.
13. On Jer_41:16 sqq. It is very remarkable that even this last centre and rendezvous of the unfortunate people must be destroyed. It might be supposed that with the destruction of the city and deportation of the people the judgments would have terminated. It seems as if the deed of Ishmael and the removal of the remnant to Egypt transcended the measure of punishment fixed by Jehovah, for the Lord did not send Ishmael, and the removal to Egypt He directly forbade. And yet it seems that only by Ishmael’s act and the flight to Egypt could the land obtain its Sabbath rest, which is spoken of in Lev_26:34-35.
14. On Jer_42:1-6. “Had not Johanan and his people asked for advice, but gone directly to Egypt, their sin would not have been so great. They feigned, however, submission to the will of God, while they yet adhered to their own will. It is a common fault for people to ask advice while they are firmly resolved what they will do. For they inquire not to learn what is right, but only to receive encouragement to do what they wish. If we advise them according to their inclination they take our advice, if not, they reject it.—We must be on our guard when we appeal to God’s decision, that we do not previously decide for ourselves. For thus we fall into hypocrisy, which is the most fatal intoxication and blindness.” Heim and Hoffman, The Major Prophets. [“Those will justly lose their comfort in real fears, that excuse themselves in sin with pretended fears.” Henry.—S. R. A.]
15. On Jer_42:7. After the murder of Gedaliah the anger of Nebuchadnezzar seemed inevitable. But the Lord, to whom nothing is impossible (Jer_32:17), promises to perform a miracle, and restore Israel to new prosperity in their land if they will give Him the honor and trust in Him. Nebuchadnezzar’s heart is indeed in His hand. If this is not acknowledged and Nebuchadnezzar more feared than the Lord, their sin is then against the first commandment.
16. On Jer_42:13 sqq. “God reminds His people of the favor with which He adopted them as His people, which was the most sacred obligation to obedience; that Egypt was to them a land of destruction, a forbidden land, as indeed all confidence in human aid is forbidden to those who would live by faith, which was known to them from the history of their fathers and all the prophets. It is a great sin to deem one’s self safer under the protection of man than under that of God. It is incomprehensible, how blind unbelief makes people, so that the Jews have not yet learned the truth in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple of God.” Heim and Hoffman. “Fides futurorum certa est ex præcedentibus.” Tertull. “Venient hæc quoque sicut ista venerunt.” Augustin.—Förster.
17. On Jer_43:2 sqq. “Hypocrites forsooth do not wish to be regarded as rejecting and setting themselves in opposition to God’s word, or accusing God of falsehood. For then is all the world pious, and no one refuses to be submissive to the dear Lord. God is truly God and remains so. It is only against this parson Jeremiah that they must act he lies, he is not sent, his ruling and preaching cannot be endured.” Cramer.
18. On Jer_43:3. “Observe the old diabolical trick: when preachers practice God’s word and their office with zeal, the world understands how to baptize it with another name and call it personal interest, as even here Baruch must bear the blame, as if he only wished to vent his anger on them and be contrary,” Cramer.
19. On Jer_43:6. The ancients here examine the question why Jeremiah accompanied the people to Egypt and take occasion to discuss the 1 Comm. de fuga ministrorum with reference to Augustin. Epist. 150 ad Honorar. With respect to Jeremiah, it is clear that he did all in his power to avert the journey to Egypt. After the whole people, however, were once on their way it was impossible for him and Baruch to remain alone in the deserted country. They were obliged to go with their flock. The more these were wandering, the more need they had of the shepherds. Thus, even if they were not compelled, they had to go with them. It seems, however, to follow from the expression וַיִַּקּח, Jer_43:5, that no choice was given them. The people wished to have the prophet with them. In no case can we say that Jeremiah fled, for according to his own prophecy, he knew that he was going to meet ruin in Egypt.
20. On Jer_43:8-13. At the present day when we wish to convey to posterity the account of some accomplished fact, or the prediction of some fact to be accomplished (ex. gr. a last testament), we take paper and ink, write it down, seal it, have it subscribed by witnesses and preserve it in the registrar’s or recorder’s office. In ancient times they took a simpler and surer way. Jacob and Laban simply erected a heap of stones (Genesis 31), the two and a half tribes (Joshua 22) built an altar on the bank of the Jordan. As long as the heap and the altar were standing, the record was transmitted from generation to generation for what object these stone witnesses were set up, and thus, that which it was desired to convey to posterity lived in the memory of men. Jeremiah also knows how to use ink and pen (Jeremiah 32), but here he returns once more to the old manner of preserving archives. He simply places great stones in the clay, declaring what they signify, viz., that here, on this spot, Nebuchadnezzar’s tent shall stand. Whether the Egyptians and Jews then believed him or not, is of no consequence. The record of these stones and their meaning at any rate remained alive, and the Lord’s word was thus safely preserved till the day of its fulfilment.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
1. On Jer_40:1-12; Jer_41:1-3; Jer_42:1-16. Israel, the chosen nation, is in its destinies a type of human life in general. Consider only the exodus from Egypt. So also the destinies of the people of Israel, after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, are pretypical. For 1. The deportation of the whole people in chains and fetters is a type of our universal human misery, from which no one (not even Jeremiah) is free. 2. The fate of Gedaliah and the journey to Egypt is a type of the insufficiency of all mere human help. 3. As the Jews after Gedaliah’s murder, so men at all times, find protection and deliverance in the Lord alone.
2. On Jer_40:1-6. The Christian in the tumult of the world. 1. He is regarded externally like others. 2. The eye of the Lord watches with special care over him, so that (a) not a hair of his head is bent, (b) all his wants are provided for. 3. He, however, on his part directs all his efforts to the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and will not be turned aside from this either by the violence or the friendliness of the world.
3. On Jer_40:7 to Jer_41:3. Gedaliah’s fate an example of what befals even the most noble in times of deep corruption. 1. They enjoy general confidence. 2. They are incapable of attributing extreme wickedness to men. 3. They become a sacrifice to their confidence. 4. They are therefore not in a condition to stay the divine judgments.
4. On Jer_42:1-16. What is the surest way of coming to the right conclusion in difficult cases? 1. To inquire of the Lord. 2. To obey unconditionally the direction which the Lord communicates. [“We must still in faith pray to be guided by a spirit of wisdom in our hearts, and the hints of Providence.” Henry.—S. R. A.]
5. On Jer_43:1-7. Characteristic example of the artfulness of the human heart: the Jews inquire of the Lord and promise to obey His direction (Jer_42:20). But when the direction does not accord with their wish, they at once declare it to be supposititious, not from the Lord. The prophet must be a liar, an alleged enemy has incited him. But what was long previously determined in the heart is obstinately brought to execution. [“Those that are resolved to contradict the great ends of the ministry, are industrious to bring a bad name upon it. It is well for persons who are thus misrepresented that their witness is in heaven, and their record on high.” Henry.—S. R. A.].
6. On Jer_43:8-13. The ways of the Lord are wonderful. Israel flees before Nebuchadnezzar far away to Egypt. But there they are not safe. The Lord causes it to be proclaimed to them that at the entrance of the king’s palace at Tahpanhes Nebuchadnezzar’s tent shall stand. Now indeed there is a brick-kiln there, in the clay of which Jeremiah is to place stones, the foundation stones, as it were, for the Chaldean king’s pavilion. Thus the Lord lays the germs of future events, and whatever He prepares in secret He reveals in His own time to the glory of His wisdom, omniscience and omnipotence.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12 They consulted God, like many, not so much to…
They consulted God, like many, not so much to know what was right, as wishing Him to authorize what they had already determined on, whether agreeable to His will or not. So Ahab in consulting Micaiah (Kg1 22:13). Compare Jeremiah's answer (Jer 42:4) with Micaiah's (Kg1 22:14).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11 THE REMNANT DESIRE JEREMIAH TO INQUIRE OF GOD, Jer_42:1-6.
THE REMNANT DESIRE JEREMIAH TO INQUIRE OF GOD, Jer_42:1-6.
1. All the captains — The “captains” who were with the scattered Jews in the neighbourhood.
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Johanan… and Jezaniah — In addition to the “captains” above referred to. This last is called, in Jer_43:2, “Azariah.” This has led to the conjecture that an error has crept into the Hebrew text as to the form of this name. The Septuagint in both places gives the name Azariah.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 1. Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah] See mg. We…
1. Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah] See mg. We should probably (with LXX) read Azariah here as well. The name Jezaniah may be due to a copyist who thought that the names of captains here must correspond as closely as might be with the list in ch. 40 (see on Jer_42:8 there).
from the least even unto the greatest] i.e. all, without exception.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12 (1) Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah.—Possibly identical with “Jezaniah…
XLII.
(1) Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah.—Possibly identical with “Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite” (Jer_40:8). In Azariah the son of Hoshaiah (Jer_43:2) we may recognise his brother. The LXX., indeed, reads Azariah here, and it is possibly the true reading.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12 Jeremiah receives a request to inquire of God concerning…
Jeremiah receives a request to inquire of God concerning the proposed emigration, and a "word of the Lord" follows.
Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah. For "Jezaniah," the Septuagint has "Azariah," the name given in the Hebrew text of Jer_43:2.
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Vers. 1-6. Taking counsel with God.
I TROUBLE DRIVES MEN TO PRAYER. In their trouble "all the people, from the least even unto the greatest," sought help from God through the prayers of Jeremiah. In deep distress there are common wants of humanity, which touch alike the prince and the peasant. Then one common cry will burst from all lips to the God of all flesh. The beggar and the king in their agony utter the same moan, "My God!" There was but "a remnant" of the Jews left in the land. All these united to seek counsel of God. United prayer is prevailing prayer. If we are few, the more reason we should be united, and the more reason that each of us should come forward and do his part. If a congregation is small, it can the less afford that any one member should be prayerless or idle.
II IN PERPLEXITY WE SHOULD SEEK LIGHT FROM GOD. His Spirit is a Spirit of light. We have a right to expect guidance because we have Divine assurances of this. (Psa_32:8) God will guide us, however, through our own thinking, and not by audible voices, nor should we look for the direction in mystic inward impressions, the origin and character of which we cannot test. God has given us eyes, and he expects us to use them. His guidance is the purging of our vision, that we may see the better with our own organs of sight; the rectifying and strengthening of our intelligence and conscience, that we may use these as right instruments for discerning truth.
III CHRISTIAN MEN SHOULD PRAY FOR OTHERS. Every Christian has now the privilege of being a prophet (Joe_2:28) and a priest. (Rev_1:6) Every Christian, therefore, has the responsibility which accompanies his privilege, and is required to act as the intercessor for others. Are we not too selfish in our prayers? Nevertheless it must be remembered that men gain little good from the prayers of others unless they will also pray for themselves. The worst man is not left dependent on the intercession of good men. Through Christ he may approach the heavenly throne with his own cry for mercy.
IV IT IS THE DUTY OF THOSE WHO ARE CONSULTED TO GIVE PAINFUL AS WELL AS PLEASANT ADVICE. Jeremiah warned the people that he would "keep nothing back." The seeming kindliness that restrains the utterance of unpleasant but important home truths is really only a cloak for selfishness. The preacher must not shun to declare the whole counsel of God the hard sayings of Scripture, the unpopular doctrines of Christianity, the unflattering truths of human nature.
V IF WE TAKE COUNSEL WITH GOD, WE MUST CONSENT TO OBEY HIM. Otherwise our prayer is a mockery; for God is not an Oracle, but an Authority. What he reveals is not merely hidden mystery, but obligations of duty. He guides us to his will. It is our place to follow the guidance and do what is thus not only declared, but commanded.
HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR Vers. 1-6. Inquiring of God is great crises.
I THE RIGHT AND DUTY OF IT.
1. Because of his claim to respect and obedience. It was a traditional custom in Israel. Jehovah was their national God. He had delivered them, created them into a nation, and laid them under eternal obligations.
(1) There is a general obligation upon all so to do. Even those who do not recognize any special relation existing between God and themselves have reason for drawing nigh to him. There are moments when the things of life assert their sacredness and awful mystery, when God besets them behind and before. His providence is a continual appeal. And the sense of sin, of helplessness, and of indefinite hope leads them to his footstool.
(2) It is specially incumbent upon those who are related to him through grace. Judah represented ancient Israel, and, although now but a remnant, was still privileged with the presence of a true prophet of God. Christians should be eager and ready to call upon him, as they have the promises reaffirmed in Christ, and the witness of his Spirit in their hearts that they shall not ask in vain. Their whole position is due to his grace, and it is but right that this should be acknowledged.
2. Because of helplessness and danger. The petitioners were "left but a few of many." They knew that it was through their own folly for the most part that they had been brought to such a pass. We know that in the great crises of life we are unable to guide ourselves. The future is dark and full of trouble.
3. Because of God"s wisdom, power, and love. He knows all things, and is able to deliver from all evil; and he has assured us of his willingness to guide and protect. The larger, grander policy of life is only possible with his inspiration.
II THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IT SHOULD BE ENTERED UPON.
1. Humility. In external attitude and language they left little to criticize (ver. 2). Consciousness of our own need and weakness.
2. Confidence. We must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him. Their requesting Jeremiah to pray to the Lord his God, and their expression of willingness to do as he should advise, showed a measure of faith.
3. Obedience. This they professed (ver. 6).
4. Sincerity. (Ver. 6)
III THE DANGERS TO WHICH IT IS EXPOSED. Notwithstanding all their profession, we can detect:
1. Signs of systematic neglect of God and religious ordinances. The expression "came near" suggests a previous habitual distance from Jehovah. They appear more anxious to conciliate the prophet than him whom he served. There is no confession of sin. Probably Jeremiah had been all but ignored up to that time. What a strange phrase, "the Lord thy God"! The prophet seeks gently to lead them to a better standing Lord your God;" which they seem to adopt. To whom we send thee still betrays the absence of filial love and intimacy. Their subsequent behaviour showed that:
2. They were unreal and hypocritical in their whole attitude. They had made up their mind as to what was best for them to do, as the resort to the "habitation of Chimham" already proved. With one foot in Canaan, as it were, and another out of it, they pretended to inquire of God. This is a very common practice, but it is one which not only robs prayer of its meaning and efficacy, but also brings upon the head of those who are guilty of it a grievous curse, as in this instance. A portion of their prayer was answered, but in a way they little expected: "The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us. M.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY Ver. 1-Jer_43:7. Dissembling in prayer.
This section may teach us much on this very serious matter.
I WHAT IT IS TO DISSEMBLE IN PRAYER. It is:
1. To pray in a deliberately continued unregeneracy of heart. The hearts of not a few of those Jews who now sought Jeremiah"s prayers were deliberately held in a condition of disobedience. They had never really repented. How many such pray, but their prayer is a dissembling!
2. When allowing ourselves in forbidden paths. The Jews had no business on that border land. It was a yielding to temptation to go there. So when we come from sin to the throne of grace, and go thence to sin again, this is, etc.
3. When we are not setting ourselves to mortify our evil affections. The Jews here showed no real, sincere intention to give up their own will and to obey God"s. They would not have been on that border land had such been the case. And so where there is no real striving against sin, this is, etc.
4. When whilst we pray we regard iniquity in our heart. That is to purpose and intend it; or to look upon it complacently and desiringly. The Jews, whilst praying to know God"s will, were all the while looking with strong desire after what they knew was wrong. Like as when Balaam offered his many sacrifices, his heart was all the while going after its covetousness.
II WHAT CAN LEAD MEN TO BE GUILTY OF SUCH DISSEMBLING? We should imagine they never could be; that the thing would be too outrageous, wicked, and absurd for any one to be guilty of. And yet there have been and are many such prayers. They may be partly explained by:
1. The force of habit. The locomotive, if left to itself, will run along the rails for considerable time and distance, slowing and stopping only very gradually, though the steam has been shut off the whole while. So those who have been wont to offer prayers will keep up the form and habit, though the heart be wanting.
2. They may be themselves deceived. Their strong desire for God"s sanction might lead them to imagine they would gain it by their prayers.
3. They would not break with God altogether, and they deem that they can keep up their communications by such methods as these.
III HOW PRAYERS ARE PROVED TO HAVE BEEN OF THIS EVIL CHARACTER.
1. By anger at their refusal. See how angry these Jews were. The state of mind with which we come away from our prayers will show much the true nature of those prayers.
2. When we make them only through others. The Jews left it to Jeremiah. So now men leave to their ministers or friends the prayers they profess to value.
3. When they are followed by open and defiant disobedience. So was it. (Jer_43:1-7) Nothing could more plainly have shown how hollow and insincere were their prayers. And so now, when men pray, and rise up and go and do worse than before, what can their prayers have been?
IV WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF SUCH PRAYERS? They grieve the Spirit of God. They harden the heart, and tend to make men of a reprobate mind. Cf. our Lord"s words to the Pharisees the pattern dissemblers of his day. They pave the way to "the damnation of hell." Therefore thus let us conclude be our prayer, "Search me, O God, and try my heart," etc. C.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG Vers. 1-6. Waiting on the Divine ordinance
I THE REQUEST OF THE PEOPLE
1. The apparent unanimity of it. All the people come, from the least to the greatest. Certainly there were not very many of them. They were but a remnant to begin with, and now still further reduced. But such as they were, an outward unity obtained among them. Outward unity is often obtained with comparative ease, but it must not be forgotten that it may cloak indifference, discord, opposition, and may be followed by contradictory conduct, even on the part of those who make the largest professions of submission.
2. The profession of submission to Jehovah. The request described a real want, whether the people meant all they said or not. And there is no reason to suppose that they did not mean it at the present time of asking. Men ask sincerely enough for Divine guidance, not being able to see at the time how hard it will be to follow it up. They want to be shown a way in which to walk, and then, when the way is shown, it looks too hard and perplexed to be God"s way. They want to be shown the thing to do, and, when it is shown, there appears to be no use in it, no obvious relation of means to ends. Here is a result of prophetic teaching. The people had learnt from many prophetic utterances what they ought to ask for.
3. Their dependence on the prophet. Here is man showing his need of mediation. The people had come to know at last that Jeremiah was the faithful and accepted servant of God, This is the best way of recognizing a good man to ask him to help those in need. And they wished also to commend their desires to the prophet. They wished him to pray a prayer that should be his as well as theirs.
II THE PROPHET"S ANSWER. That he complies with the request is little to say. The prayer was one he could pray with all his heart. Well would it have been if he had been asked to offer it years before. That which taxed him was to tell them that he would faithfully report the answer. For he knew that God"s message would go deep into the necessities of the case; that God"s answer could not be comprehended by the limits of man"s desires. This is the temptation of messengers, to keep something back through fear, or expediency, or mistaken kindness. Now, Jeremiah was well assured from a long experience that Jehovah never said a word too many or too few. The genuine promptings of the Spirit of God are the very best guide as to what we should tell men in the hour of their need.
III THE PROMISE OF THE PEOPLE. They seem to hint that they are ready for difficult and painful requirements. History is not lost upon them so far as their professions are concerned. They hint how they have learned that disobedience to God brings the worst of evils. One thing, however, they had not yet learnt, and that was the difference between knowledge and power. When men are in great straits they will make large promises in the hope of deliverance; not at all insincerely, but meaning all they say. It was with the people here as it is with people in dangerous illnesses the way of restored health is to be the way of obedience and piety. That people make such promises shows that the promises are right; the wrong thing is that they lack in strength, persistency, and inward purpose to keep them. God has to make this lack plain before men will humble themselves to have it supplied. Y.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v1 All the people . . . came near, and…
Jer_42:1-6
All the people . . . came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet.
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The people and the prophet
I. Prayerfulness. Pray for us. The prophet was implored to intercede with God on behalf of his countrymen. That which prosperity had failed to teach, was quickly learned in the day of adversity. God is honoured when His people cast themselves on His all-sufficiency; and He will repay their confidence by revelations of enlarged, and ever-enlarging, favour.
II. Teachableness. That the Lord thy God may show, &c. Matthew Henry well says, In every difficult and doubtful case our eye must be up to God for direction: we cannot be guided by a spirit of prophecy, which has ceased; but we may pray to be guided in our movements by a spirit of wisdom, and the hints of providence.
1. A teachable spirit is not a credulous spirit. It does not believe, except on evidence; as the preacher is to persuade men, so is he ever to re-echo the first words God addresses to His rebellious creatures, Come, now, and let us reason together.
2. A teachable spirit is not a captious spirit.
3. A teachable spirit is not a reluctant spirit. (W. G. Barrett.)
The Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.--
Portrait of a true preacher
I. The true preacher seeks his message for the people from Heaven. I will pray, &c. There are preachers who seek their message from the theories of philosophy, from the works of literature, from the conclusions of their own reasoning. But a true teacher looks to Heaven. In his studies his great question is, What saith the Lord; in his ministration his language is, Thus saith the Lord. We cannot render the spiritual service to humanity, of which it is in urgent need, by endeavouring to instruct it with human ideas, even though they come from the highest intellects of the world. The ideas of God can alone renovate, spiritually enlighten, purify, ennoble, and save the human soul.
II. The true preacher delivers his message to the people full and faithfully. I will keep nothing back from you.
(1) Though it strike against your prejudices.
(2) Though it enkindle your indignation. (Homilist.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v1 Jeremiah 42 Jeremiah 43
CHAPTER XIV
THE DESCENT INTO EGYPT
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Jeremiah 42 Jeremiah 43
"They came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of Jehovah."- Jer_43:7
THUS within a few days Jeremiah had experienced one of those sudden and extreme changes of fortune which are as common in his career as in a sensational novel. Yesterday the guide, philosopher, and friend of the governor of Judah, today sees him once more a helpless prisoner in the hands of his old enemies. Tomorrow he is restored to liberty and authority, and appealed to by the remnant of Israel as the mouthpiece of Jehovah. Johanan ben Kareah and all the captains of the forces, "from the least even unto the greatest, came near" and besought Jeremiah to pray unto "Jehovah thy God," "that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing we may do." Jeremiah promised to make intercession and to declare faithfully unto them whatsoever Jehovah should reveal unto him.
And they on their part said unto Jeremiah: "Jehovah be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not according to every word that Jehovah thy God shall send unto us by thee: We will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send thee, Whether it be good or evil, that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Jehovah our God."
The prophet returned no hasty answer to this solemn appeal. As in his controversy with Hananiah, he refrained from at once announcing his own judgment as the Divine decision, but waited for the express confirmation of the Spirit. For ten days prophet and people were alike kept in suspense. The patience of Johanan and his followers is striking testimony to their sincere reverence for Jeremiah.
On the tenth day the message came, and Jeremiah called the people together to hear Gods answer to their question, and to learn that Divine will to which they had promised unreserved obedience. It ran thus:-
"If you will still abide in this land,
I will build you and not pull you down,
I will plant you and not pluck you up."
The words of Jeremiahs original commission seem ever present to his mind:-
"For I repent Me of the evil I have done unto you."
They need not flee from Judah as an accursed land; Jehovah had a new and gracious purpose concerning them, and therefore:-
"Be not afraid of the king of Babylon,
Of whom ye are afraid;
Be not afraid of him-it is the utterance of Jehovah-
For I am with you,
To save you and deliver yon out of his hand.
I will put kindness in his heart toward you,
And he shall deal kindly with you,
And restore you to your lands."
It was premature to conclude that Ishmaels crime finally disposed of the attempt to shape the remnant into the nucleus of a new Israel. Hitherto Nebuchadnezzar had shown himself willing to discriminate; when he condemned the princes, he spared and honoured Jeremiah, and the Chaldeans might still be trusted to deal fairly and generously with the prophets friends and deliverers. Moreover the heart of Nebuchadnezzar, like that of all earthly potentates, was in the hands of the King of Kings.
But Jeremiah knew too well what mingled hopes and fears drew his hearers towards the fertile valley and rich cities of the Nile. He sets before them the reverse of the picture: they might refuse to obey Gods command to remain in Judah; they might say, "No, we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor hunger for bread, and there will we dwell." As of old, they craved for the flesh pots of Egypt; and with more excuse than their forefathers. They were worn out with suffering and toil, some of them had wives and children; the childless prophet was inviting them to make sacrifices and incur risks which he could neither share nor understand. Can we wonder if they fell short of his inspired heroism, and hesitated to forego the ease and plenty of Egypt in order to try social experiments in Judah?
"Let what is broken so remain.
The Gods are hard to reconcile:
Tis hard to settle order once again.
Sore task to hearts worn out by many wars."
But Jeremiah had neither sympathy nor patience with such weakness. Moreover, now as often, valour was the better part of discretion, and the boldest course was the safest. The peace and security of Egypt had been broken in upon again and again by Asiatic invaders; only recently it had been tributary to Nineveh, till the failing strength of Assyria enabled the Pharaohs to recover their independence. Now that Palestine had ceased to be the seat of war the sound of Chaldean trumpets would soon be heard in the valley of the Nile. By going down into Egypt, they were leaving Judah where they might be safe under the broad shield of Babylonian power, for a country that would soon be afflicted by the very evils they sought to escape:-
"If ye finally determine to go to Egypt to sojourn there,
The sword, which ye fear, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt.
The famine whereof ye are afraid, shall follow hard after you there in Egypt,
And there shall ye die."
The old familiar curses, so often uttered against Jerusalem and its inhabitants, are pronounced against any of his hearers who should take refuge in Egypt:-
"As Mine anger and fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
So shall My fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter in Egypt."
They would die "by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence"; they would be "an execration and an astonishment, a curse and a reproach."
He had set before them two alternative courses, and the Divine judgment upon each: he had known beforehand that, contrary to his own choice and judgment, their hearts were set upon going down into Egypt; hence, as when confronted and contradicted by Hananiah, he had been careful to secure divine confirmation before he gave his decision. Already he could see the faces of his hearers hardening into obstinate resistance or kindling into hot defiance; probably they broke out into interruptions which left no doubt as to their purpose. With his usual promptness, he turned upon them with fierce reproof and denunciation:
"Ye have been traitors to yourselves.
Ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying,
Pray for us unto Jehovah our God;
According unto all that Jehovah our God shall say,
Declare unto us, and we will do it.
I have this day declared it unto you,
But ye have in no wise obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God.
Ye shall die by the sword, the famine, and the pestilence,
In the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn."
His hearers were equally prompt with their rejoinder; Johanan ben Kereah and "all the proud men" answered him:-
"Thou liest! It is not Jehovah our God who hath sent thee to say, Ye shall not go into Egypt to sojourn there; but Baruch ben Neriah setteth thee on against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may slay us or carry us away captive to Babylon."
Jeremiah had experienced many strange vicissitudes, but this was not the least striking. Ten days ago the people and their leaders had approached him in reverent submission, and had solemnly promised to accept and obey his decision as the word of God. Now they called him a liar; they asserted that he did not speak by any Divine inspiration, but was a feeble impostor, an oracular puppet, whose strings were pulled by his own disciple.
Such scenes are, unfortunately, only too common in Church history. Religious professors are still ready to abuse and to impute unworthy motives to prophets whose messages they dislike, in a spirit not less secular than that which is shown when some modern football team tries to mob the referee who has given a decision against its hopes.
Moreover we must not unduly emphasise the solemn engagement given by the Jews to abide Jeremiahs decision. They were probably sincere, but not very much in earnest. The proceedings and the strong formulae used were largely conventional. Ancient kings and generals regularly sought the approval of their prophets or augurs before taking any important step, but they did not always act upon their advice. The final breach between Saul and the prophet Samuel seems to have been due to the fact that the king did not wait for his presence and counsel before engaging the Philistines. (Samuel 13) Before the disastrous expedition to Ramoth Gilead, Jehoshaphat insisted on consulting a prophet of Jehovah, and then acted in the teeth of his inspired warning. {1 Kings 22}
Johanan and his company felt it essential to consult some divine oracle; and Jeremiah was not only the greatest prophet of Jehovah, he was also the only prophet available. They must have known from his consistent denunciation of all alliance with Egypt that his views were likely to be at variance with their own. But they were consulting Jehovah-Jeremiah was only His mouthpiece; hitherto He had set His face against any dealings with Egypt, but circumstances were entirely changed, and Jehovahs purpose might change with them, He might "repent." They promised to obey, because there was at any rate a chance that Gods commands would coincide with their own intentions. But lets remark that men may be expected to act "not only upon an even chance, but upon much less," specially applies to such promises as the Jews made to Jeremiah. Certain tacit conditions may always be considered attached to a profession of willingness to be guided by a friends advice. Our newspapers frequently record breaches of engagements that should be as binding as that entered into by Johanan and his friends, and they do so without any special comment. For instance, the verdicts of arbitrators in trade disputes have been too often ignored by the unsuccessful parties; and-to take a very different illustration-the most unlimited professions of faith in the infallibility of the Bible have sometimes gone along with a denial of its plain teaching and a disregard of its imperative commands. While Shylock expected a favorable decision, Portia was "a Daniel come to judgment": his subsequent opinion of her judicial qualities has not been recorded. Those who have never refused or evaded unwelcome demands made by an authority whom they have promised to obey may cast the first stone at Johanan.
After the scene we have been describing, the refugees set out for Egypt, carrying with them the princesses and Jeremiah and Baruch. They were following in the footsteps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Jeroboam, and many another Jew who had sought protection under the shadow of Pharaoh. They were the forerunners of that later Israel in Egypt which, through Philo and his disciples, exercised so powerful an influence on the doctrine, criticism, and exegesis of the early Christian Church.
Yet this exodus in the wrong direction was by no means complete. Four years later Nebuzaradan could still find seven hundred and forty-five Jews to carry away to Babylon, {Jer_52:30} Johanans movements had been too hurried to admit of his gathering in the inhabitants of outlying districts.
When Johanans company reached the frontier, they would find the Egyptian officials prepared to receive them. During the last few months there must have been constant arrivals of Jewish refugees, and rumour must have announced the approach of so large a company, consisting of almost all the Jews left in Palestine. The very circumstances that made them dread the vengeance of Nebuchadnezzar would ensure them a hearty welcome in Egypt. Their presence was an unmistakable proof of the entire failure of the attempt to create in Judah a docile and contented dependency and outpost of the Chaldean Empire. They were accordingly settled at Tahpanhes and in the surrounding district.
But no welcome could conciliate Jeremiahs implacable temper, nor could all the splendour of Egypt tame his indomitable spirit. Amongst his fellow countrymen at Bethlehem, he had foretold the coming tribulations of Egypt. He now renewed his predictions within the very precincts of Pharaohs palace, and enforced them by a striking symbol. At Tahpanhes- the modern Tell Defenneh-which was the ancient Egyptian frontier fortress and settlement on the more westerly route from Syria, the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah, saying Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in mortar in the brick pavement, at the entry of Pharaohs palace in Tahpanhes, in the presence of the men of Judah; and say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel:
"Behold, I will send and take My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon:
I will set his throne upon these stones which I have hid,
And he shall spread his state pavilion over them."
He would set up his royal tribunal, and decide the fate of the conquered city and its inhabitants.
"He shall come and smite the land of Egypt;
Such as are for death shall be put to death,
Such as are for captivity shall be sent into captivity,
Such as are for the sword shall be slain by the sword.
I will kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt;
He shall burn their temples, and carry them away captive:
He shall array himself with the land of Egypt
As a shepherd putteth on his garment."
The whole country would become a mere mantle for his dignity, a comparatively insignificant part of his vast possessions.
"He shall go forth from thence in peace."
A campaign that promised well at the beginning has often ended in despair, like Sennacheribs attack on Judah, and Pharaoh Nechos expedition to Carchemish. The invading army has been exhausted by its victories, or wasted by disease and compelled to beat an inglorious retreat. No such misfortune should overtake the Chaldean king. He would depart with all his spoil, leaving Egypt behind him subdued into a loyal province of his empire.
Then the prophet adds, apparently as a kind of afterthought:-
"He also shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis, in the land of Egypt" (so styled to distinguish this Beth-Shemesh from Beth-Shemesh in Palestine),
"And shall burn with fire the temples of the gods of Egypt."
The performance of this symbolic act and the delivery of its accompanying message are not recorded, but Jeremiah would not fail to make known the Divine word to his fellow country men, It is difficult to understand how the exiled prophet would be allowed to assemble the Jews in front of the main entrance of the palace, and hide "great stones" in the pavement. Possibly the palace was being repaired, or the stones might be inserted under the front or side of a raised platform, or possibly the symbolic act was only to be described and not performed. Mr. Flinders Petrie recently discovered at Tell Defenneh a large brickwork pavement, with great stones buried underneath, which he supposed might be those mentioned in our narrative. He also found there another possible relic of these Jewish emigres in the shape of the ruins of a large brick building of the twenty-sixth dynasty-to which Pharaoh Hophra belonged-still known as the "Palace of the Jews Daughter." It is a natural and attractive conjecture that this was the residence assigned to the Jewish princesses whom Johanan carried with him into Egypt.
But while the ruined palace may testify to Pharaohs generosity to the Royal House that had suffered through its alliance with him, the "great stones" remind us that, after a brief interval of sympathy and cooperation, Jeremiah again found himself in bitter antagonism to his fellow countrymen. In our next chapter we shall describe one final scene of mutual recrimination.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v1 CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—Chronology as in previous chapter. Observe:…
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.—Chronology as in previous chapter. Observe: Jeremiah and Baruch had been among the captives of Ishmael, whom Johanan rescued (chap. Jer_43:6).
State of the Nation.—The preceding chapter reveals the baseness of the “royal seed” and the infatuation of the people’s latest leader. This chapter discloses the obstinacy of the people “from the least to the greatest” in disobeying God’s purpose and in dissembling their prayers. Thus, all God’s chastisements leaves them still a rebellious nation and justifies the severity of His disciplinary punishments.
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Personal Allusion.—Jer_42:1. “Jezaniah:” called “Azariah” (chap. Jer_43:2).
Literary Criticisms.—Jer_42:2-3. “THE LORD THY GOD.” Some few authorities have אֱלֹהֵיֹנוּ, “our God.” But probably the form is correct, “The Lord thy God,” expressing the people’s sense of Jeremiah’s peculiar relationship to Jehovah But when the prophet replies (Jer_42:4), “The Lord your God,” as if to remind them that He had not cast them off, they change the form of expression into “The Lord our God” (Jer_42:6).
Jer_42:12. “I will show mercies unto you, that he,” &c., i.e. I will give you compassion, or will excite pity for you; i.e. in the king of Babylon.
SUBJECT OF CHAPTER 42
WILFULNESS IN PRAYER: GOD’S GUIDANCE ASKED HYPOCRITICALLY
Jer_42:2-3. Theme: PERPLEXED SUPPLIANTS. “That God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.”
If only these words had been sincere, could their request have been better, or their language more devout?
(A.) Regarding the words as IF SINCERE, they suggest—
I. Inquirers anxiously seeking the light.
II. Suppliants humbly craving God’s favour.
III. Baffled souls troubled to gain clearer leading.
IV. Obedient children eager more perfectly to do God’s will.
(B.) Regarding the words AS HYPOCRITICAL, they show—
I. Good words may be spoken by false lips.
II. Wilful inquirers mocking God with a pretence of seeking guidance.
III. Contumacious sinners assuming the disguise of piety.
IV. While in the very path of transgression (chap. Jer_41:17), rebels will dissemble and ask God’s permission.
Jer_42:4. Theme: “NO CLOAK FOR THEIR SIN.”
I. Disobedience done without full knowledge is a lesser crime than when clearer light is asked and gained. Had they gone to Egypt without seeking God’s decision upon their course, their rebellion would have been less defiant and blasphemous.
1. The awful guilt of sinning against light!
2. The baseness of asking light while intending to defy it.
II. Audacity reaches its culmination when rebellion ventures to trifle with prayer. Plainly they used prayer merely to get their own way, but determined to act as they wished should God oppose them.
1. Hypocrisy flaunts its pretences in the very face of God.
2. Determined sinners sometimes use religion to gain their own ends.
III. Judgment will be weighted by the woe of slighted grace.
1. God may be sought in prayer; their conduct proves they knew this.
2. Divine guidance is granted to the perplexed; this also they knew, yet trifled with it.
3. Abuse of God’s goodness will provoke the sternest justice; and darken the soul’s doom.
Jer_42:6. Theme: ABSOLUTE SUBMISSION TO GOD’S DIRECTION. Consider the state of affairs: Jerusalem overthrown; only “a few” people left in the city; internal conspiracies: Gedaliah and Ishmael; a “remnant” rescued from Ishmael by Johanan; a despondent and subdued people.
Now arose the question as to the next movement: Should they remain in their country amid disturbances, or go to Egypt and place themselves under foreign protection?
Life it full of this asking, “What next?” From that day to this.
The words “To whom we send thee” show that the people knew they had a prophet among them whom they could send to the Lord. But we have no one whom we can commission to go to God for us; we must go each one for ourselves.
Yet are we not less sure of a hearing; for we have a “Mediator between God and man,” and “Him the Father heareth always.”
I. God appealed to for direction in difficult circumstances. This was of old done by Israel as a nation habitually; they hearkened to God’s direction in their oracles. This is the instinctive act of a godly soul. Marks out whether godly or not. Should use God freely.
1. Can we as surely learn God’s voice now as when He spake by such direct communication? It was so assuring to have a personal hearing and answer. Yet if God has given counsel for every case, and given it once for all in His written Word, we can refer to that. To question that the Bible holds advice for our personal and special wants, is to doubt the wisdom of God who inspired the word for all His people, for every circumstance, for all time.
Besides which, prayer is our privileqe freely to use, as well as the Scriptures.
Do ye not also send us, God’s messengers, to Him for a word from the Lord for you? “Take heed how ye hear.”
Moreover, cannot God impress upon our minds and hearts His will? By His Holy Spirit; by “working within us to will and do of His good pleasure.”
2. Is it right to hazard ourselves when we act from the persuasion that we are doing God’s will? “Whether it be evil, we will obey.”
But that inquiry means, Shall expediency alone rule us, so that we only do what seems advantageous to us and not “evil”?
But if this were our guiding law, would missionary pioneers go with the Gospel where destruction threatened them? Would needy men, for conscience’ sake, stand aside from gain and reward? Would faithful disciples of Jesus carry their cross and endure suffering and toil in following Him? Would the Christian worker penetrate into vile courts where fever raged? Would disciples expose themselves to the ordeal of fierce mocking, &c.? Would the widow have surrendered “all her living”?
Not expediency, therefore; but implicit obedience.
3. Can God really command what seems adverse to our good? Yes; “good or evil;” i.e., it may seem so to us.
Johanan thought that he and the remnant would be safest in Egypt (Jer_42:14). But God refused (Jer_42:19).
In asking God’s counsel they knew beforehand He might refuse their wish. Yet they promised to abide by His counsel, “whether it be good or whether it be evil.” For “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither His ways our ways.”
Surely it is only to mock God to ask Him to guide, and then only to obey when we approve! “Shall we receive good at the hands of the Lord, and shall we not also receive evil?”
II. Man’s resolve of unfaltering obedience to the voice of the Lord.
Nothing could be more unreserved than this avowal: “Whether it be good or evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord,” &c.
If He is “the Lord our God,” then such complete trust is natural and right.
1. Their acknowledgment of perplexity (Jer_42:3). They could not tell what was best or wisest to do; so sought guidance. Too often pride prevents our making such an acknowledgment; and not only when baffled by life’s perplexities, but equally in spiritual quests. But we are here reminded once again that “it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” We walk in darkness, stumbling; but knowing not at what we stumble. If we are thus incompetent to choose and act alone in earthly affairs, how much more in eternal matters! Baffled concerning these trifling things, how shall we direct our career towards heaven? We cannot. Acknowledge ignorance, therefore, and incompetency; and go to God.
2. Their belief in the Divine wisdom. However it may seem to us, “good or evil,” God knows best what we should do; go to Him and inquire. Even “the foolishness of God is wiser” than man’s wisdom. He is perfect in knowledge. All His people believe this. Therefore “if any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” &c. Pray more when perplexed—in providence—in religion. God will then teach you, and “show you the way wherein,” &c. (Jer_42:3).
3. Their intention respecting the Lord’s answer. And here we are confronted with an astonishing illustration of the influence of self-will; how blinding! (chap. Jer_43:2). Did they mean to abide by the reply Jeremiah brought? They took an oath that they would (Jer_42:5); but “ye dissembled in your hearts,” &c. (Jer_42:20). This is very awful. Oh! let us heed lest we do the same, set aside the Divine counsels by our wilfulness. Do we not often pray for guidance, have we not also vowed obedience, did we not profess to lay ourselves out for service; and somehow there came to us a conviction of God’s will; but it was contrary to our secret inclinations, so we beguiled it away! Beware of “dissembling in your hearts” when you deal with God!
“Good or evil.” Let us be honest in our resolve. Ask God, meaning to obey; and obey as if we believe God had taught us what to do. This is “faith, nothing doubting.”
III. Implicit obedience to God Involves our highest welfare. “That it may be well with us, when we obey,” &c. True, “Godliness is great gain;” always for our good to obey.
1. God will befriend those who rely upon Him (Jer_42:10-11). It is an old truth, God preserveth His saints. We are His, if we trust in Him; and He is “for us.” “I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken” (Psa_37:25). “According to your faith be it done unto you.”
2. He will deal most graciously with those who obey Him (Jer_42:12). “Show mercies;” not only avert ill, but add blessings. Yes, and more; God would dispose the heart of the king of Babylon to their favour, “that he may have mercy upon you and cause you to return to your own land” (Jer_42:12). For “when a man’s ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
3. He will gather His faithful people together, and far exceed their prayers and hopes in His dealings with them. For God would effect their ultimate restoration to their land, would raise again about them all the old joys of Jerusalem, and recover to them their lost—national and spiritual—privileges. This they desired; but it was more than they asked.
To an obedient child we not only give what it requests, we draw the child to our very heart. Thus doth God. He will gather us into close and tender relationship to Himself. Yes, and in due season, to His land, where foes shall no more invade, and we shall never more be separated from “the Lord our God.” And in the spiritual blessings with which He will enrich us until the day of our “gathering together unto Him,” we shall find that “it is well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
Jer_42:7. Theme: A DELAYED ANSWER TO PRAYER.
i. Revelation waited for; the prophet would not speak till he had heard.
ii. Interval for deliberation; that the people might judge of their own willingness to accept the message of God.
iii. Obedience tested; for true obedience bows to God’s time, as well as to His way and will.
Jer_42:11. Theme: GOD’S REPENTANCE. “I repent Me of the evil that I have done unto you.” God is said to repent when He alters His outward methods of dealing with men (Augustine).
“I am satisfied with the punishment I have inflicted on you, if only you add not a new offence” (Grotius).
Jer_42:14. Theme: DELUSIONS OF DISOBEDIENCE.
I. A forbidden course. To “go into the land of Egypt.”
The reason for this prohibition was that Egypt was infamous for idolatry, full of the snares of luxury, doomed for its oppression of their ancestors. It was a standing prohibition (Deu_17:16).
II. Coveted advantages. “Where we shall see no war,” &c.
1. Sin always entices with delusive promises. But Egypt’s troubles were just setting in, and there would be only war and woe till it was destroyed.
2. Sinners show their rebellion in disbelieving God’s promises (Jer_42:10-11), as if He were a liar (1 John Jer_42:10).
III. Vain hopes.
1. Though they had deserved only evil, they still dreamed of peace and prosperity. So do transgressors still “deceive their own souls.”
2. Though they intended further transgression, they boasted in the prospect of comfort. But “the ways of transgressors are hard;” and “though hand join in hand, they shall not go unpunished.”
Jer_42:16. Theme: CALAMITY PURSUING TRANSGRESSORS. “The sword which ye feared shall overtake you there; and the famine whereof ye were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt.”
i. Because sinners carry their own woe with them wherever they go, even into hell.
ii. Because God follows transgressors wherever they go, and His being with them makes their terror.
I. The very evils we think to escape by sin, we bring the more surely upon ourselves.
1. For the act of sinning renders punishment certain.
2. Wrong courses never can lead aright.
3. Adopting evil devices in order to avert evil results is the height of frenzy and folly.
II. What our hearts most eagerly determine often proves most fatal to us.
1. Because the heart is deceitful and wicked, and to follow its devices and desires lands us in rebellion against God and neglect of our highest spiritual good. “Whoso trusteth his own heart is a fool.”
2. Because sin blinds our perception of good and magnifies the advantages of evil.
It reverses the telescope when looking at good and minimises it; but it turns the instrument in full focus on evil, and vastly enlarges it. “The god of this world blinds the minds of them that believe not.”
3. Because the highest blessings we receive come to us through self-denial and suffering. Certainly not through indulgence! “Take up thy cross and follow Me.” “Strait it the gate that leadeth unto life.”
III. No hiding-place can be found for escape from the penalties of wrong.
1. Not on earth. “If I take the wings of the morning and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth.” See Jer_42:17.
2. Not in death. “If I make my bed in Hades.”
3. Not in eternity. For judgment and doom meet the sinner there (Rev_6:15-17. See Jer_42:18.)
Jer_42:18. Theme: APPEAL TO PAST JUDGMENTS—A WARNING. “As Mine anger and My fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall My fury be poured forth upon you.”
I. Predicted doom fulfilled. For what had occurred had been foretold (chap. Jer_7:20; Jer_18:16). God had acted true to His word.
II. Repeated guilt threatened. The arrows of the Lord are in quiver, ready!
III. Neglected warnings punished. In vain all appeals (Jer_42:19); certain therefore the doom (Jer_42:21-22).
Jer_42:20. Theme: HYPOCRISY OF DESIRING THE PRAYERS OF OTHERS. Frequently persons desire their ministers’ prayers, yet are strangers to fear of God, and negligent of duty. Place a false and dangerous dependence on others’ prayers. “Remnant” of the Jews left from captivity entreated Jeremiah’s prayers (Jer_42:2), and took oath to obey voice of Lord (Jer_42:5). But they had determined to go to Egypt, and asked his prayers hypocritically. Text.
I. Consider on what principle desiring the prayers of others is grounded.
1. A persuasion that it is our duty to pray one for another. (1.) This a dictate of reason (Ezr_6:10; 1Ma_12:11). (2.) Expressly required in the word of God (Jer_29:7; 1Ti_2:1; Jas_5:16). Thus Samuel saith (1Sa_12:23). (3.) The pious custom of good men. Abraham for Sodom. Hezekiah sent Isaiah to pray for him and his kingdom. Christ prayed for disciples; Paul, in all his epistles, for his friends.
2. Desiring the prayers of others supposeth that God hath often answered intercessory prayers of good men. God loves good men; they have an interest in heaven; others are favoured for their sake (Gen_20:7; Job_42:8). Moses prayed, and Amalek was vanquished, fire in camp quenched, plague stayed, destructive serpents removed, Miriam’s leprosy healed, plagues taken from Pharaoh; God so influenced by his prayers that He said, “Let Me alone,” &c. (Exo_32:10). Hezekiah’s prayer for offenders (2Ch_30:20). Same truth implied in inhibition of prayers (Jer_7:16; Jer_11:14; Jer_14:11; Jer_29:7). Peter delivered from prison (Act_12:5); Paul rescued (2Co_1:11). On this principle the intercession of Christ is founded; “Father loveth Him,” &c., “heareth Him always.”
3. It supposeth that it is very desirable, specially in some cases, to have the prayers of others for us; that we reap advantages. God heeds the pleadings of those He loves. There are special circumstances when particularly desirable; physical prostration, when cannot pray for ourselves; perplexity or distress of mind, as in Job_37:19; in cases of great importance and difficulty, as Jer_42:3. Encouraged by Christ’s promise (Mat_18:19).
II. When they who desire the prayers of others may be said to dissemble in their hearts.
1. When they desire them without sincerity; through form and custom; when a mere compliment to the piety of those they ask; when done under pretence to humility; when only desire temporal blessings, averse to spiritual (1Ki_13:6; Act_8:24). So also when public praise is returned for deliverances (Isa_26:16); yet no public glory for mercies (Luk_17:18).
2. When they will not pray for themselves; practically live without God, neglect public worship and secret devotion. Imagine that ministers’ prayers more acceptable than their own. Not use proper means to obtain what they ask: health, prosperity, self-conquest.
3. When they will not do what God by His word and ministers requireth. Jews promised (Jer_42:5-6); yet were resolutely determined on their course, contrary to command of God. Pharaoh (Exo_4:28). Men ask our prayers, but will not part with their lusts, nor practise duties as enjoined.
III. Show the hypocrisy and evil of this conduct.
1. It is a high affront to the all-seeing and holy God. It is mocking God (Jer_42:20; Jer_42:22).
2. It is deceiving and grieving to those friends whose prayers they desire. They hope for the best; yet if discern insincerity they will have no heart to pray for you. In affliction, prayers sought; but neglect your intercessors and religion in your prosperity.
3. Prayers offered for such persons are not likely to avail. Margin reads, “You have used deceit against your own souls.”
Servants in praying families, heed this. Weak persons who look to godly persons’ prayers in their last moments (Pro_28:9). Holy men’s prayers may secure a temporary good (Jas_5:15), but ensure no lasting advantage; no salvation of the soul.
Application.—(1.) Learn with what dispositions of mind we should desire the prayers of others: in sincerity; concurring with them; ready to obey God (Psa_65:2). (2.) That we should be ready to pray one for another. Our intercessions may bless; and we shall be blessed in return (Psa_35:13). (3.) It is particularly wicked to dissemble in our hearts when we profess dependence on the intercession of Christ. His intercession not intended to supersede our prayers (Rev_8:3; Heb_7:25). If you neglect prayer, or pray formally, or live in violation of His teachings, you offer indignity to His holy character and office of mediator.—Abstract of Sermon by Rev. Job Orton, Kidderminster, A.D. 1775.
Jer_42:21-22. Theme: ADMONISHED AND ABANDONED.
I. Wilful self-deceit. They tried to beguile themselves that they were acting religiously, and were ready to listen to God’s word, and were doing what was pleasing to Him; while all the time they were resolved to follow their own course, yet hoped that God would give approval to their rebellion.
Like instances of self-deceit, Num_22:5; Num_22:19; Mat_23:11; Luk_18:11; and 1Ti_4:2.
II. Given over to delusions. All further counsels, persuasions, prayers for you are useless. You both “believe a lie,” and “will have none of My reproof.” For such obstinacy there is no cure; you must now be left to be “filled with the knowledge of your own devices.”
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain On v1 Jeremiah's Message from God to Johanan
Jeremiah's Message from God to Johanan
1. Jezaniah] the Azariah of Jer_43:2 (and probably not the Jezaniah of Jer_40:8).
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7-22. The people are forbidden to go down to Egypt. Jeremiah had always denounced connexion with Egypt (Jer_2:36; Jer_37:7).
15. And now] RV 'now.'
20. Ye dissembled in your hearts] RV 'ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls,'i.e. while persuading yourselves that you are prepared to accept God's decision, all the while nothing but your own way would content you.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v10 (See Scofield "Zec 8:14").
repent
(See Scofield "Zec 8:14").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain On v1 1. Jeremiah the intercessor (Jer 42:1-6)
CHAPTER 42
1. Jeremiah the intercessor (Jer 42:1-6)
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2. The answer from Jehovah (Jer 42:7-22)
Jer 42:1-6. The remnant, the few who were left after the terrible happenings recorded in the preceding chapter were now cast upon the Lord and besought the prophet to pray for them: “That the LORD thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.” They believed in Jeremiah as a man of God. He promises to do so, and when the answer comes he will not keep back anything.
Jer 42:7-22. The answer came ten days later. Then the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. If he had spoken of himself, sat down and thought out by himself what they were to do now he would have waited ten days. But it was not his counsel, not his opinion or advice; the Lord’s answer to the divine counsel is that they should abide in the land and that the king of Babylon would not hinder them in any way. Then the Lord would plant them and build them up. The Lord promises them mercies and salvation. But if they went down to Egypt, the Lord’s anger would be upon them and judgment would overtake them.
In their hearts they had a desire to go to Egypt. He who is the searcher of hearts knew all about it. They used deceit, and now the Lord, knowing that they would not obey, announced through the prophet that they should die by the sword, the famine and the pestilence.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On vv1, 7 The Hypocritical Inquiry
The Hypocritical Inquiry
v. 1. Then, while the caravan of refugees was encamped at the khan near Bethlehem, all the captains of the forces and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, who was a native of Maachah, 40:8, and all the people, from the least even unto the greatest, came near
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v. 2. and said unto Jeremiah, the prophet, who had been taken along from Mizpah together with the other inhabitants of the city, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, literally, "fall before thy face," as a petitioner on bended knee, and pray for us unto the Lord, thy God, even for all this remnant, the small band of refugees who remained of the former great and mighty nation, (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us,)
v. 3. that the Lord, thy God, may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do, that is, what they should do now, where they should turn in this emergency, in order to escape the certain vengeance of the Chaldeans. The expression "thy God" in this connection emphasizes the peculiar, intimate relation in which Jeremiah stood over against Jehovah, as His servant and prophet.
v. 4. Then Jeremiah, the prophet, said unto them, I have heard you, he was ready to do as they requested; behold, I will pray unto the Lord, your God, according to your words, and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. His words implied that, whether Jehovah’s answer were favorable or unfavorable to their plans, he would in any event proclaim it. It seems clear from the first that the leaders of the refugees had already decided not to remain in Judea, but to go to some neighboring country. They acted just as many people do in our days, who call upon the Lord to direct them, but only along the lines which they themselves have chosen.
v. 5. Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful Witness between us if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord, thy God, shall send thee to us, apparently an unconditional yielding to the guidance of God, whether they were at this time aware of their insincerity or not.
v. 6. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord, our God, to whom we send thee, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord, our God, their obedience being the reason for the Lord’s good pleasure upon them. In every true prayer it is essential that both doubt and hypocrisy be absent, lest the supplication made defeat its own ends.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 4, 7, 11 Johanan ... Kareah
Johanan ... Kareah
See how you translated these men's names in Jeremiah 40:13. (See: How to Translate Names)
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Jezaniah ... Hoshaiah
These are the names of men. (See: How to Translate Names)
all the people from the least to the greatest
This is a way to refer to people from every social status. Here "least" and "greatest" represent those who are least important and those who are most important. AT: "all the people from every social status" or "all the people, including the least important and the most important people" (See: Merism)
all the people
Most likely not every individual in the town went. The word "all" is a generalization that means very many people went. AT: "many other people" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
Let our pleas come before you
"Let us present our urgent request to you." The abstract noun "pleas" can be stated as a verb. AT: "Listen as we plead with you" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
commander
Jeremiah
prophet
plea
pray
Yahweh
God
people group
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv1, 4, 5, 10 42:1-3 The party of Judean guerrillas and the people…
42:1-3 The party of Judean guerrillas and the people they had rescued (41:16) came to Jeremiah with what sounded like a sincere request for guidance.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.