HUMAN WILL OR DIVIDE?
“Do not be afraid of the King of Babylon, of whom you are afraid;
do not be afraid him,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am with you,
to save you and deliver you from his hand”
(Jeremiah 42:11).
Many Jews returned from the countries where they had taken refuge (see Jeremiah 40:11, 12). They came back to their agricultural activities and they became accustomed to serving the king of Babylon. When they heard that the Ammonites were making plans to assassinate the new governor, Gedaliah, one of the officials of the army gathered the few inhabitants left and they decided to flee to Egypt. But first they decided to consult with the prophet Jeremiah, and they promised that they would obey whatever God told them to do.
The request of these men was not sincere. Although they were Jews, they referred to the Lord as though He were someone else’s God: «pray for us to the Lord your God” (Jeremiah 42:2). The humble prophet replied prudently, “I will pray to the Lord your God” (verse 4). They had promised to obey, but they had other plans. Why ask to know God’s will if we are not willing to follow it? Don’t ask God to direct your steps if you aren’t willing to move your feet according to what He says.
Jeremiah advised them to stay under the protection of Babylon: God would act and the king would treat them fairly. But they decided to flee to Egypt for fear of being accused of Gedaliah’s death. Fear always leads us to make bad decisions. In Egypt, they found famine and death, although it had seemed to them to be safe, peaceful, and abundant in food. They trusted themselves more than God’s divine will. Fear and doubt led to their stubbornness. God assured them of what the consequences would be if they rejected His message: “then it shall be thar the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt: and there you shall die” (Jeremiah 42:16).
Why pray if in the end you are going to do your own will? Do you think that if God sees your firm will, He will bless you? All the evils that the Jews had tried to avoid by going to Egypt caught up with them. They lost their dignity in the eyes of the Egyptians: they had lek there by the saving hand of God, and now they returned as ones abandoned by God. Divine instructions can be ignored, but they can’t be erased. We cannot flee from the presence of God nor from the consequences of going against His will.
When men cease to depend upon men, when they make God their efficiency, then there will be more confidence manifested one in another. Our faith in God is altogether too feeble and our confidence in one another together too meager. “—Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, ch. 29, p. 263.
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Taken from: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2023
“DAUGHTER OF MINE” Do Not Be Afraid
From: Arsenia Fernandez-Uckele
Collaborators: Angelica Cuate & Esteban Cortes