The Voice of the LORD

It's great to see you all talking and getting to know each other.

Today, the passage is Jeremiah chapter 40, verse 1 through chapter 43, verse 7.

Jeremiah 40:1

Because it's a long passage, I'll be referencing it as I preach.

And in the beginning, I'm only going to read the first 12 verses of chapter 40.

Before I do that, let me pray and seek God's help.

Heavenly Father, we are here gathered in your presence as people who are indwelled by your spirit.

Seeking to grow in our knowledge of your voice.

In our ability to hear it.

And in our faith and commitment to follow it.

We ask that as we hear from you, from this passage of scripture.

That you speak to us.

That your spirit would open the eyes of our hearts.

That we might see your truth, believe it and live in accordance with it.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

So let me read Jeremiah 40, verses 1 to 12 to begin.

Jeremiah 40:1–12

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah.

When he took him bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.

The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him,

The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place.

The Lord has brought it about and has done as he said.

Because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you.

Now behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands.

If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well.

But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come.

See, the whole land is before you.

Go wherever you think it good and right to go.

If you remain, then return to Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah.

And dwell with him among the people.

Or go wherever you think it right to go.

So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present and let him go.

Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahicham at Mizpah and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.

When all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, governor in the land,

and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon,

they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah,

and Jeremiah, Johanan the son of Kariah,

Sariah the son of Tanhumeth,

the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,

Jezaniah the son of Mekathite,

they and their men.

Gedaliah the son of Ahicham, son of Shaphan,

swore to them and their men, saying,

Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans.

Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon,

and he shall be well with you.

As for me,

I will dwell at Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us.

But as for you,

gather wine and summer fruits and oil,

and store them in your vessels,

and dwell in your cities that you have taken.

Likewise,

when all the Judeans who were in Moab and among the Ammonites,

and in Edom and in other lands,

heard that the king of Babylon had left the remnant in Judah,

and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahicham,

son of Shaphan,

as governor over them,

then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven,

and came to the land of Judah,

to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

And they gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.

This is the word of the Lord.

Our depth of disappointment

is often directly proportional to our expectations,

how high our expectations were.

When we fully expect something to come through for us,

but it doesn't,

we become disappointed.

When we expect a certain favorable response from somebody,

but when we talk to them,

we get a different response,

we become disappointed.

When we are decidedly set on a course of action,

but our course gets derailed,

and we don't get our way,

we get disappointed, right?

With God, though,

God is not a person that we can manipulate

according to our own whims and wishes.

He is the sovereign king

who executes his own will,

and exerts his power over our lives,

and over the entire universe.

So, and as his subjects,

then,

whether it is agreeable to us or not,

we must obey the voice of the Lord,

and that's for our good.

But when God contradicts our desires,

alters our plans,

or upsets our expectations,

we can be disappointed,

even sullen and angry with God,

or we could resort to denial.

And this is exactly what happens

to the people of Judah

after the Babylonian conquest

and the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

And we see two characteristic responses

of sinful human beings when that happens.

And first, in chapter 40 and 41,

we see their defiance,

and in chapters 42 and 43,

we see their denial.

And the main point of this sermon,

really, and this passage,

is that whether it is agreeable to us or not,

we must obey the voice of the Lord for our good.

The people of Judah were complacent and secure

because they had Jerusalem as their city,

the capital city,

chosen,

and King David and his descendants

reigning over them.

And because they said among themselves,

their attitude was that God promised

to have the descendants of David

rule over this kingdom forever.

And he did, 2 Samuel 7.

And God lives here with us

because this is where the temple of the Lord is.

What can then possibly happen to this place?

Who can do us harm

when God is with us?

And that kind of assurance,

false assurance, really,

made them commit idolatry

in the complacency.

They did not pursue the Lord wholeheartedly,

and they became deaf

to the repeated warnings of Prophet Jeremiah

about God's impending judgment.

And because of that,

you can imagine their deep confusion,

disillusionment, and despair

when the city of Jerusalem was destroyed

and the temple was burned to the ground.

And chapter 40 tells us

what happened after that,

in particular to Prophet Jeremiah.

So we already saw

at the end of chapter 39,

verses 11 to 14,

it kind of gave us a high-level summary

of what happened to Jeremiah.

So Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

ordered Nebuchadnezzar,

the captain of the guard,

to deal well with Jeremiah.

He ordered him to do that

and to have him free to stay

in Judah under the care of Gedaliah,

the son of Ahicham,

the son of Shaphan.

And now chapter 40,

verses 1 to 6,

kind of gives us the low-level details

about how Nebuchadnezzar

executed this command.

So look at verse 1 with me.

It says,

The word that came to Jeremiah

from the Lord

after Nebuchadnezzar,

the captain of the guard,

had let him go from Ramah

when he took him bound in chains

along with all the captives

of Jerusalem and Judah

who were being exiled to Babylon.

So it appears that Jeremiah

wasn't released immediately

after Nebuchadnezzar told Nebuchadnezzar

to treat him well.

Instead, he was taken in chains

to transport along with the rest

of the captives of Judah

to Ramah,

where the official kind of Babylonian tribunal

was deciding the fate

of all the Judean captives.

And why Nebuchadnezzar,

the captain of the guard,

did this becomes apparent

in verses 2 to 6.

Read with me.

The captain of the guard

took Jeremiah and said to him,

The Lord your God

pronounced this disaster

against this place.

And the Lord has brought it about

and has done as he said,

because you sinned against the Lord

and did not obey his voice.

This thing has come upon you.

Now behold,

I release you today

from the chains on your hands.

If it seems good to you

to come with me to Babylon,

come,

and I will look after you well.

But if it seems wrong to you

to come with me to Babylon,

do not come.

See, the whole land is before you.

Go wherever you think

it's good and right to go.

If you remain,

then return to Getolah,

the son of Ike,

and the son of Shaphan,

whom the king of Babylon

appointed governor

of the cities of Judah,

and dwell with him

among the people.

Or go wherever you think

it right to go.

So the captain of the guard

gave him an allowance of food

and a present

and let him go.

Now,

it's a little bit unfortunate

that the English

second person pronoun,

you,

doesn't distinguish

the singular from the plural.

So it's just you.

It could be or you all.

But it's making

an important point here

because in the Hebrew,

when in verse 2,

Nebuchadnezzar then says,

the Lord,

your God,

pronounced this disaster

against this place.

The second person pronoun,

your,

is singular.

So the Babylonian

captain of the guard

is referring to the Lord

as Jeremiah's God,

your God.

But then in verse 3,

when he says,

because you sinned

against the Lord

and did not obey his voice,

this thing has come upon you.

The you there

is in the second person plural.

It's not,

he's not speaking there

to Jeremiah,

but he's speaking to

all the Judean captives

that are there

watching this public trial.

So this is a public trial,

Jeremiah,

that Nebuchadnezzar

intended

as a public rebuke

to the Judeans

who refused to surrender

to the Babylonians

in spite of repeated

urgings of Jeremiah.

So Nebuchadnezzar

then associates

God with Jeremiah.

He's your God,

but he associates

the sin and the disobedience

that brought this judgment

to all the Judeans,

you all.

And that's a frightful thing,

right?

There are some people here

for whom the Lord

is not your God,

but his God

or her God,

their God,

but he's not your God.

And that is a big problem.

Do you have a relationship

with God

so that you can say of him,

the Lord,

my God?

Have you aligned yourself

with God's purposes?

Or are you living for yourself

in rebellion

and disobedience?

If that's the case,

I urge you this morning

to not leave this place

until you know clearly

where you stand

in relation to God

and say in faith

that the Lord is your God.

So in short,

Nebuchadnezzar

then the pagan military commander

is bringing a stinging rebuke

to the people of Judah.

Your own prophet

spoke the word of God

whom you were supposed

to worship,

but you did not listen.

That's why this disaster

has come upon you.

And here's what will happen

to the friends of Babylon.

Jeremiah,

you're free to go

wherever you want.

You can go with us

to Babylon

where I will take good care

of you,

or you can remain here

under the care of Gedaliah

whom we have appointed governor.

In fact,

here's some food

that you can take with you,

even a present.

It's a public try

intended to rebuke the Judeans.

He's making a public example

of Jeremiah

to advance their political agenda.

And of course,

it's not exactly true

that Jeremiah

is a friend of Babylon

because he was warning Judah

for their own sake

so that they might follow the Lord

and repent of their sins.

But nevertheless,

what he was urging them to do

to surrender to Babylon

was a message

that the Babylonians approved.

And so they considered him

a friend of Babylon.

But even though

he's invited to Babylon,

Jeremiah's heart remains

with the people of God.

He does not see it fit

to go to Babylon.

So he stays in Judah

under the care of Gedaliah

the son of Ike,

son of Shaphan.

Now,

we keep reading that,

right?

It's a mouthful to read.

Gedaliah the son of Ike,

son of Shaphan.

But does that ring a bell

at all

as we've gone through

this book of Jeremiah?

Because Gedaliah's genealogy

is given here

because it's significant.

He's the grandson of Shaphan

who, as you might recall,

is the head of the noble family

who are frequently found

throughout the book of Jeremiah,

sheltering the prophet

and protecting him

using their political leverage.

Shaphan was the secretary

of King Josiah

during his reforms.

And his family

appears to have been

a godly, faithful people

who did their best

to shield Jeremiah.

So, for example,

in Jeremiah 26, 24,

it said,

The hand of Ike,

the son of Shaphan,

was with Jeremiah

so that he was not

given over to the people

to be put to death.

And in Jeremiah 36, 10 and 26,

another one of Shaphan's sons,

Gemariah,

urges King Jehoiakim

not to burn Jeremiah's scroll.

And here in chapter 40,

Shaphan's grandson

and Ike's son, Gedaliah,

takes charge of Jeremiah

and ensures his survival

after the fall of Jerusalem.

Isn't this a great example

of God's providence

in our lives?

Nebuchadnezzar could have chosen

from dozens of royal heirs

and nobility,

but of them all,

he chooses Gedaliah,

the grandson of Shaphan.

What luck, you might say,

for Jeremiah,

but this is not luck.

It's the providence of God.

Even in the small detail,

scripture reveals

God's gracious and provident

care for his servants.

Do you know that this is how

God cares for all of his children?

Even in the tumult of war

and captivity,

the Lord, your God,

is sovereign.

There's no corner of the earth

where his power does not reach,

and there's no event in history,

no detail in your own life

that does not follow

the course of God's will.

God cares for us.

He's watching over us.

And under Gedaliah's governorship,

the remnant of Judah

begins to come together again.

Verses 7 to 8,

read with me.

It says,

When all the captains

of the forces

in the open country

and their men

heard that the king of Babylon

had appointed Gedaliah,

the son of Aikim,

governor in the land,

and had committed to him

men, women, and children,

those of the poorest of the land

who had not been taken

into exile to Babylon,

they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah,

Johanan, the son of Kariah,

Sariah, the son of Tamimuth,

the sons of Ephi, the Netaphathite,

Jezaniah, the son of Macathite,

they and their men.

Now the captains

of the Judean army

and the people

under their supervision

had, some of them

had managed to escape

the Babylonian army.

And when they hear

of Gedaliah's appointment,

they all rally back

to him in Mizpah.

And in verses 9 to 10,

Gedaliah assures them

that he will represent them

faithfully to the Babylonians.

And he assures them

that they will be safe

if they continue

to resume their life,

resume their farming

to restore some normalcy

to their life

after becoming conquered

by Babylon.

And not only the Judeans

that were scattered

throughout Judah,

but also those refugees

from Moab and Edom,

they come back

to gather under

Gedaliah's leadership.

And he says,

in verse 12,

that they gathered

wine and summer fruits

in great abundance.

So the people

are resuming their life

and even though

the war was devastating,

the conditions now

seem to be improving.

They're doing better.

And Gedaliah seems

to be unifying the people.

But there's a plot twist here

at the end of verse 8.

Some of the captains

of the forces

that had joined Gedaliah

were named

at the end of verse 8

because they are

the main characters

in this plot twist

which now unfolds

in verses 13 to 15.

Read with me.

Now Johanan,

the son of Kareah,

and all the leaders

of the forces

in the open country

came to Gedaliah

at Mizpah and said to him,

Do you know

that Baalus,

the king of the Ammonites,

has sent Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

to take your life?

But Gedaliah,

the son of Ahikim,

would not believe them.

Then Johanan,

the son of Kareah,

spoke secretly

to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

Please,

let me go

and strike down Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

and no one will know it.

Why should he take your life

so that all the Judeans

who are gathered about you

would be scattered

and the remnant of Judah

would perish?

So one of the military commanders,

Johanan,

son of Kareah,

informs Gedaliah

of Ishmael's conspiracy

and he offers

a preemptive strike

to get rid of this

would-be assassin.

And Johanan seems

to understand

the importance

of Gedaliah

as a unifying figure

because he was

an effective leader

that was bringing back

the people of Judah.

And if he were assassinated,

the remnant

would be scattered again

and they would be

at risk of perishing

altogether.

But Gedaliah

doesn't believe Ahikim

and he said

to Johanan,

son of Kareah,

you shall not do this thing

for you are speaking

falsely of Ishmael.

Gedaliah does not believe

Johanan,

and instead believes

better of Ishmael.

We don't get

too many details

here on their motivations

and why,

but we may have

some clues

in the next chapter.

So turn with me

to chapter 41,

verse 1.

It says,

In the seventh month,

Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

son of Elishamah,

of the royal family,

one of the chief officers

of the king,

came with ten men

to Gedaliah,

the son of Ahikim,

at Mizpah.

So we learn here

that Ishmael came

from a very prominent

Judean family.

His grandfather

was one of the chief officers

of the king.

In fact,

he was of royal blood.

So for these reasons,

Ishmael may have felt

that he had better claimed

to be ruler of Judah

than Gedaliah

and may have resented

the fact that Gedaliah

was appointed

by the foreign intruders.

We can't know for sure,

but it's a possibility.

But Gedaliah,

on the other hand,

is very trusting of Ishmael.

Why could that be?

Elishamah,

Ishmael's grandfather

that's named here,

was the secretary

of King Joachim of Judah

who served with Gemariah,

the son of Shaphan.

So Ishmael's grandfather

was a close colleague

of Gedaliah's uncle

and they may have already

had prior relationship

because of that connection

and perhaps that familiarity

predisposed Gedaliah

to trust Ishmael

and accuse Johanan

of speaking falsely

of Ishmael.

And since Johanan and Ishmael

were kind of both captains

of the forces,

rival leaders

jockeying for more influence

within this new Judean coalition,

Gedaliah may have suspected

Johanan of simply wanting

to eliminate a rival.

But Ishmael betrays

Gedaliah's trust

and it says in verses 2-3,

as they ate bread together

there at Mizpah,

Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah

and the ten men with him

rose up and struck down

Gedaliah,

the son of Aikim,

son of Shaphan,

with the sword

and killed him

whom the king of Babylon

had appointed governor

in the land.

Ishmael also struck down

all the Judeans

who were with Gedaliah

at Mizpah

and the Chaldean soldiers

who happened to be there.

The stories written

in scripture

don't give us

unnecessary details

and everything written here

is there to tell us something

because it says

that the assassination

took place

as they ate bread together.

That highlights

how shameful

and a hateful act this was

because in the ancient Near East

hospitality was taken

extremely seriously

and the mutual trust

and obligation

between the host

and guest

was a sacred bond.

But Ishmael

betrays him

while Gedaliah

was providing for him

with his own food

and protecting him

under his own roof.

Gedaliah,

Ishmael rises up

to strike Gedaliah

and down with the sword.

And sin always

begets more sin

and his murder here

leads to a string of others

because he kills

all the Judeans

that were with Gedaliah

at Mizpah

and all the Babylonian soldiers

who happened to be there.

Presumably because he wanted

to eliminate all witnesses

so that the word doesn't get out

to the Babylonian empire

that he has done this.

And that's a big problem, right?

Because the narrator

reminds us that

Ishmael killed Gedaliah

who was

whom the king of Babylon

had appointed

governor in the land.

So not only is this

a gross violation

of that ancient Near Eastern trust

and the laws of hospitality,

this was treachery

and rebellion

against the Babylonian rule

which was sure to bring

swift reprisal

from the Babylonians.

But Ishmael's crime

doesn't end there.

Verses 4-5 tells us

that on the day

after the murder

of Gedaliah,

before anyone knew of it,

80 men arrived

from Shechem and Shiloh

and Samaria

with their beard shaped

and their clothes torn

and their bodies gashed,

bringing grain offerings

and incense

to present at the temple

of the Lord.

So Shechem, Shiloh,

and Samaria

are all kind of centers

of worship

in northern Israel.

Israel,

and that their origin

as well as the fact

that they brought

grain offerings

and incense

to present the temple

of the Lord,

tell us that they're

worshipers of the true God.

They're pilgrims

and they've come to worship

and they have come mourning

because it says

that their beards are shaven,

their clothes are torn,

their bodies are gashed.

They're mourning

the destruction of the temple

for the fall of Jerusalem

and they're coming

to pledge their ongoing allegiance

and faithfulness to God.

And when you get

these innocent guests coming,

Ishmael acts like

a complete snake.

Read verses 6 to 8 with me.

And Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

came out from Mizpah

to meet them,

weeping as he came.

As he met them,

he said to them,

come in to Gedaliah,

the son of Ahicham.

Ishmael greets them

in Gedaliah's name,

probably because these pilgrims

had come to see Gedaliah,

which shows that Gedaliah,

like his father and grandfather

before him,

was a worshiper of the true God

and they saw him,

for that reason,

as a safe figure.

So Gedaliah,

so he uses,

invokes Gedaliah's name

and earns their trust

by faking his mourning.

But when they came

into the city,

it says,

Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah

and the men with him,

slaughtered them

and cast them into a cistern.

But there were ten men

among them

who said to Ishmael,

do not put us to death

for we have stores

of wheat, barley, oil

and honey hidden in the fields.

So he refrained

and did not put them to death

with their companions.

He spares only ten of them,

not because he has mercy on them,

but because of his greed.

He wants to acquire

their hidden wheat,

barley, oil and honey.

And then it tells us

in verse 10,

Ishmael took captive

all the rest of the people

who were in Mizpah,

the king's daughters

and all the people

who were left in Mizpah,

whom Nebuchadnezzar,

the captain of the guard,

had committed to Gedaliah,

the son of Ahicham.

Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

took them captive

and set out to cross over

to the Ammonites.

So Nebuchadnezzar

then had entrusted

certain prominent people

to Gedaliah,

including the king's daughters

and as we saw

in chapter 40,

Jeremiah.

But now those people

whom Nebuchadnezzar

had freed,

Ishmael takes captive again

and likely fearing

the Babylonian retaliation,

he begins to flee again

to the territory

of the Ammonites.

Ishmael is a classic example

of human defiance

against God.

As a proud citizen of Judah,

Ishmael resisted

the Babylonian rule

over Judah,

even though God

had clearly revealed

through his prophet

that the Babylonian invasion

was his judgment,

which they ought

to submit to.

As a proud descendant

of royalty,

Ishmael resisted

Gedaliah's governorship

of Judah,

even though he was

a godly and clearly

effective and unifying leader.

This is how we often respond

to God's will

in our lives too,

isn't it?

We might not murder

anyone in retaliation,

but we nonetheless

get angry with God

and with others.

We defy God

by resisting his will

and disobeying his commands.

We think we deserve

better than what God

has given us.

When we don't get

the job or promotion

that we thought

we deserved.

When we don't get

into the school

or the program

that we thought

we deserved.

When we don't get

the good night of sleep

that we thought

we deserved

because of a crying baby.

When we don't get

the quiet morning

with a cup of coffee

and the Bible in hand.

when we don't get

a quiet evening

to relax

after a long day

at work

with a good book

or a good show

that we thought

we deserved.

In short,

when we disapprove

of the twists

and turns of life,

the dips and bumps

of our lives,

we get sullen

and angry.

We take our anger

out on other people,

on other things,

but really we're angry

at God

who in his sovereign

will fit

fit to send these

our way.

How we handle

suffering

and other undesirable

circumstances

of our lives,

whether with humble

submission

or with prideful

defiance,

reveals our true character.

Whether it is

agreeable to us

or not,

we must obey

the voice of the Lord

and that's for our good.

Now look at what

happens to Ishmael.

Verses 11 to 12.

But when Johanan,

the son of Cariah,

and all the leaders

of the forces with him

heard of all the evil

that Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

had done,

they took all their men

and went to fight

against Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah.

When Johanan

and his soldiers

intercept Ishmael

in Gibeon,

verses 13 to 14

tell us that all

the people that

had been taken

captive by Ishmael

rejoiced to see

this,

I guess,

their savior

in Johanan

and they defected

to him

so that Ishmael,

instead of

returning to the

Ammonites triumphantly

with his spoils

and captives,

barely managed

to escape

with only

eight men

running for their lives.

And Johanan

then recovers

all the people

that Ishmael

had taken captive

and brings them,

it says,

to Gareth-Chimhem

near Bethlehem.

And it says

in verses 17 to 18

that they were

intending to go

to Egypt

because of

the Chaldeans.

For they were

afraid of them

because Ishmael,

the son of Nethaniah,

had struck down

Gedali,

the son of Ikem,

whom the king

of Babylon

had made governor

over the land.

Even though

they themselves

had not killed

Gedaliah

and rebelled

against Babylon,

it looked like

they had

because of

what Ishmael

had done.

So instead of

waiting in Judah

to find out

what the Babylonians

would do to them,

they figured

they'd be better off

fleeing to Egypt.

And we can deduce

that they were

already set

on going to Egypt

by where they went

because Bethlehem,

where they went,

is six miles

southwest of Jerusalem,

well on their way

to Egypt already.

And that brings us

to chapter 42

and my second point,

denial,

which is another way

that sinful human beings

typically respond

when God's will

is not agreeable

to them.

But first,

in verses 1 to 3,

we see a hopeful

development.

It says,

Then all the commanders

of the forces

and Johanan,

the son of Kerea,

and Jezaniah,

the son of Hoshiah,

and all the people

from the least

to the greatest,

came near

and said to Jeremiah

the prophet,

Let our plea

for mercy

come before you

and pray to the Lord

your God for us

for all this remnant

because we are left

with but a few

as your eyes see us,

that the Lord

your God

may show us

the way we should go

and the thing

that we should do.

So while at a rest stop

in Bethlehem

on their way to Egypt,

the remnant of Judah

determined

it would be best

for them

to consult Jeremiah

since this

prominent prophet

was already

with them.

So all the commanders

and all the people

from the least

to the greatest,

it says,

the whole community,

they plead with Jeremiah,

come together

and inquire of God

to find out

where they should go

and what they should do.

So this is a big,

weighty decision for them

because there's only

a few of them left

and they're afraid

that the remnant,

all the people of Judah,

would perish altogether.

And as they are

pleading with him,

Jeremiah tells them

in verse 4,

I have heard you,

behold,

I will pray

to the Lord your God

according to your request

and whatever the Lord

answers you,

I will tell you,

I will keep nothing

back from you.

And then the people

respond by expressing

their sincerity

and they vow to obey

whatever the Lord says.

In verses 5 to 6,

may the Lord be a true

and faithful witness

against us

if we do not act

according to all the word

with which the Lord

your God sends you

to us.

Whether it is good

or bad,

we will obey

the voice of the Lord

our God

to whom we are sending you

that it may be well

with us

when we obey

the voice

of the Lord

our God.

So when making a pledge

to do something,

it was common

in this culture

to call people

as a witness

against them

should they fail

to do that.

And so if I don't do

such and such,

he will be a witness

against me.

Now when you wanted

to be extra emphatic,

you would call someone

to be a faithful witness.

If I don't do

such and such,

he will be a faithful witness

against me.

You see that

throughout scripture.

But here the people

are even more emphatic

than that.

They say,

if we don't do this,

may the Lord

be a true

and faithful witness

against us

if we do not act

according to all the word

with which the Lord

your God

sends you to us.

And they say that

whether it's good

or bad,

they will obey

the voice of the Lord.

Whether we like it

or not,

whether it seems

good to us

or not,

no matter what

the Lord says,

we will obey.

It's encouraging

to hear them say that,

right,

after all the unfaithful

and disobedience

we've seen

throughout the book

of Jeremiah.

It seems like

finally people

have learned

their lesson

after the fall

of Jerusalem

and are now

about to sincerely

obey the Lord

and follow him.

But God keeps them

waiting for a little while.

In verse 7,

it tells us that

at the end of 10 days,

the word of the Lord

came to Jeremiah.

This is instructive

for us

because it shows us

once again

that Jeremiah

was a true prophet.

Jeremiah could have

manipulated this situation

by simply telling them

his personal preference

and styling it

as the word of the Lord.

But he doesn't do that.

He waits on the Lord

and listens

until he hears from him

and it takes 10 days.

Especially here

in Cambridge

and nowadays,

I feel like it's rare

to find people

really earnestly

praying and waiting

on the Lord.

I think sometimes

it's because

we've let our hearts

get too busy.

We're hurried.

We've become

too preoccupied

with our own purposes

and priorities

that we don't wait

to find out

what God wants.

Other times,

we don't wait on God

because we no longer

believe that God speaks.

we think that we're

on our own

in our decision making

so we create a chart,

weigh the pros and cons,

make a decision

using our pragmatic wisdom.

I'm not saying

you shouldn't do those things.

Making a chart

is great.

Weighing the pros

and cons

is great.

Using our practical wisdom

is great.

And yes,

God can

and he does

use those processes

to lead us.

but what about

waiting on the voice

of the Lord?

God still speaks.

And sometimes

his will

confounds

the best

of human wisdom.

The same

Spirit of God

who spoke

to prophet Jeremiah

now indwells

every follower

of Jesus Christ

and we can

hear from him.

People often

ask me,

how do I hear

from God?

How can I

recognize his voice?

The Bible

doesn't explicitly

answer that question

because it was

never supposed

to be

mysterious.

Voice recognition

is a pretty

remarkable thing.

Nowadays,

we have

caller ID

on all of our phones

so we don't

really have to

use that anymore.

But back in the day

when you were

using landlines,

people would call

and you would

pick up and say

hello and as soon

as you hear

their hello,

you could tell

who it was

because you

recognized

the person's

voice.

Our voices

are unique,

right?

That's why

voice recognition

works with Siri

and Google Assistant

and such,

right?

And we learn

someone's voice

how?

By spending

time

with that person.

By getting

to know

that person

through repetition,

hearing that

person's voice

again and again.

It's the same

in our relationship

with God.

Galatians 5.25

speaks of

keeping in step

with the Spirit.

We're supposed

to walk with Him,

keep up with Him.

1 Corinthians 2.14-16

teaches that

a Christian is taught

by the Spirit of God

and therefore

have the mind

of Christ.

When you walk

closely with Christ,

when you seek

God's mind

regularly in His

Word and Scriptures,

when you're

accustomed to

obeying the

impressions of the

Spirit on your

heart,

you come to have

the mind of Christ

so that you

think like Him.

You know what

He would think

or say or do

in a given

situation.

In John,

Jesus says,

I am the good

shepherd.

In John 10,

He says that

when the shepherd

has brought out

all his own,

he goes before

them and the

sheep follow Him

for they know

His voice.

A stranger

they will not

follow,

but they will

flee from Him

for they do not

know the voice

of strangers.

There's an

incredible YouTube

video I saw

recently.

It's entitled,

Do Sheep Only

Obey Their

Master's Voice?

I guess some of

you guys seen

that.

I don't know.

It takes place

at a farm in

Norway.

Several strangers

try to mimic

the call of

the shepherd

and try to

bring the

flock of sheep

back to the

fold.

Several visitors

attempt it,

but as they're

trying their best,

the sheep

completely ignore

them.

They don't even

lift their head,

they just keep

eating the grass.

It's really

entertaining to

watch.

And then after

they've all taken

their turns,

the shepherd

calls out to

them.

They immediately

look up,

turn their heads

toward the shepherd.

They start

bawling in response,

and then they

all run over

to the fold.

It's amazing

to see.

It's almost

moving to

watch it.

Yeah.

And Jesus

said,

My sheep

hear my

voice,

and I know

them,

and they

follow me.

You may not

hear the audible

voice of God,

but God speaks

through his

word.

God speaks

through his

spirit,

and God often

uses his people,

the church,

to speak as

well.

Are you

familiar with

the voice

of the Lord?

Is it

your habit

to wait

on the

voice of

the Lord?

It was a

good thing

that Jeremiah

waited,

because God's

word challenged

in this case

their common

sense.

Jeremiah says

in verses

10 to 12,

If you will

remain in this

land,

then I will

build you up

and not

pull you down.

I will plant

you and not

pluck you up,

for I relent

of the disaster

that I did

to you.

Do not

fear the

king of

Babylon,

of whom

you are

afraid.

Do not

fear him,

declares

the Lord,

for I am

with you

to save

you and

to deliver

you from

his hand.

I will

grant you

mercy,

that he

may have

mercy on

you,

and let

you remain

in your

own land.

It's a

wonderful

promise.

God says

he has

relented

of the

disaster

that he

brought

to them.

His

justice

has been

satisfied,

and he's

no longer

pouring out

his wrath

upon them,

and if

they obey

him now,

the same

promise that

God had

made to

the

exiles

will be

theirs.

They will

not be

plucked out,

they will

be planted

and restored

to the

land.

But,

Jeremiah

continues in

verses 13

to 18,

if you

say,

we will

not remain

in this

land,

disobeying

the voice

of the

Lord your

God,

and saying,

no,

we will

go to

the land

of Egypt,

where we

shall not

see war,

or hear

the sound

of the

trumpet,

or be

hungry for

bread,

and we

will dwell

there.

Then,

hear the

word of the

Lord,

O remnant

of Judah.

Thus,

says the

Lord of

hosts,

the God

of Israel,

if you

set your

faces to

enter Egypt

and go to

live there,

then the

sword that

you fear

shall overtake

you there

in the land

of Egypt,

and the

famine of

which you

are afraid

shall follow

close after

you to

Egypt,

and there

you shall

die.

All the

men who

set their

faces to

go to

Egypt to

live there

shall die

by the

sword,

by famine,

and by

pestilence.

They shall

have no

remnant or

survivor from

the disaster

that I

will bring

upon them.

The people

were considering

fleeing to

Egypt because

they feared

that the

remnant of

Judah would

perish.

They would

not survive

if they

stayed in

the land

because of

the Babylonian

retaliation.

But Jeremiah

warns them

instead that

if you flee

to Egypt,

what you

fear will

exactly happen

to you,

and there

will be no

remnant or

survivor left

from the

disaster that

I will bring

upon those

who flee to

Egypt.

And as

Jeremiah is

relaying this

word of

God to

them,

he must be

looking at

their faces

or something

and seeing

their disapproval

or disbelief

because he

anticipates what

their response

will be in

verses 19

to 22.

Jeremiah says,

The Lord has

said to you,

O remnant

of Judah,

do not go

to Egypt.

Know for a

certainty that

I have warned

you this day

that you have

gone astray

at the cost

of your lives.

For you sent

me to the

Lord your God

saying,

Pray for us,

the Lord our God,

and whatever

the Lord our God

says,

declare to us

and we will

do it.

And I have

this day

declared it to

you,

but you have

not obeyed

the voice

of the Lord

your God

in anything

that he has

sent me to

tell you.

Now therefore

know for a

certainty that

you shall die

by disorder,

by famine,

and by pestilence

in the place

where you desire

to go live.

These Judeans

just did not

see this coming.

They were so

sure that

God's word

would agree

with their own

view of things

that they

had vowed

to obey God

no matter what,

whether for

good or bad.

But it turns

out that they

were not

actually prepared

to obey God

at all costs.

They were only

prepared to obey

God as long

as his word

agreed.

with their

own.

They wanted

God to

confirm their

own opinions,

not contradict

them.

And so they

respond tragically.

They don't

respond.

They disobey

the voice

of the Lord.

In fact,

they accuse

Jeremiah

of telling

a lie.

And they

accuse Baruch,

his scribe,

of setting

him up,

of pressuring

him to do

this.

And at

the end

of,

in verse

seven,

it says,

and they

came into

the land

of Egypt,

for they

did not

obey the

voice of

the Lord,

and they

arrived at

Tephenus.

They fell

into denial.

They were

so persuaded

that going

to Egypt

was the

only way

to ensure

their safety,

their mind

was completely

closed off

to any

other possibility.

and they

don't dare

say that

God is

wrong,

but they

deny that

that's

what God

really

said.

And note

the repetition

of the phrase

the voice

of the

Lord here.

In verse

four and

verse seven,

it says the

voice of the

Lord,

they did not

obey the

voice of

the Lord.

Earlier

in chapter

40,

verse 3,

Nebuchadrach

accused the

people of

Judah of

sinning against

the Lord

and not

obeying

his voice.