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escape to Egypt, or not

Jeremiah 43:1-13 (JDV)

Jeremiah 43:1 When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of Yahveh their God – all these words Yahveh their God had sent him to give them –
Jeremiah 43:2 then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other presumptuous men responded to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! Yahveh our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to stay there for a while! ‘
Jeremiah 43:3 Instead, Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans to put us to death or to deport us to Babylon!”
Jeremiah 43:4 So Johanan son of Kareah, all the commanders of the armies, and all the people failed to obey Yahveh ‘s command to stay in the land of Judah.
Jeremiah 43:5 Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies led away the whole remainder of Judah, those who had returned to stay in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been banished.
Jeremiah 43:6 They led away the men, women, children, king’s daughters, and everyone whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, had allowed to remain with Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. They also led the prophet Jeremiah and Baruch son of Neriah away.
Jeremiah 43:7 They went to the land of Egypt because they did not obey Yahveh. They went as far as Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah 43:8 Then the word of Yahveh came to Jeremiah at Tahpanhes:
Jeremiah 43:9 “Pick up some large stones and set them in the mortar of the brick pavement that is at the opening of Pharaoh’s palace at Tahpanhes. Do this in the sight of the Judean men
Jeremiah 43:10 and tell them, ‘This is what Yahveh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will place his throne on these stones that I have embedded, and he will erect his canopy over them.
Jeremiah 43:11 He will come and strike down the land of Egypt – those destined for death, to death; those destined for captivity, to captivity; and those destined for the sword, to the sword.
Jeremiah 43:12 I will kindle a fire in the temples of Egypt’s gods, and he will burn them and take them captive. He will clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd picks lice off his clothes, and he will leave there untouched.
Jeremiah 43:13 He will smash the sacred pillars of the sun temple in the land of Egypt and burn the temples of the Egyptian gods.'”

escape to Egypt, or not

Our Lord Jesus had to go to Egypt to escape death at the hands of Herod. His parents brought him there at God’s command. But these contemporaries of Jeremiah went to Egypt because they refused God’s command, and claimed that it was a lie.

Apparently, Joseph and Mary and Jesus prospered while in Egypt, and were able to return when Herod’s reign of terror was over. But these contemporaries of Jeremiah brought terror on themselves by going where God had warned them not to go. The Lord even told Jeremiah where Nebuchadnezzar would set up his battle throne as he conquered that land.

God has a purpose for this time, and this generation. We should seek that purpose and make our decisions on the basis of that purpose.

Lord, show us your purpose and plan for this time, and give us the courage to obey, whether your purpose is go or stay.