If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down

Jeremiah 42:1-22

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”

Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. He said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:  ‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.  Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’

Remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle.

Why?

The army officers, led by Johanan asked Jeremiah to pray to the Lord about where they should go. And the Lord answered Jeremiah, the Lord will protect them if they stay in their land.

The prayer without the heart of obey is in vain. They has make the decision to go to Egypt, but still asked the Lord where they should go. 

no matter where we go it is under the control of the Lord, in Isreal or in Egypt, the Lord has the authority. 

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約哈難準備進入埃及，來問耶利米，求耶利米為他們禱告。v11不要怕他，我要使他發憐憫.....這個使猶太人不敢相信。約哈拿稱呼耶和華你的神。後來改稱我們的神。是否真的將耶和華視為他們的神。會來求問因為感到危險。他們來求問，找一個支持我決定的正當性，應該我們要支持神！

我們是否也一直禱告，求神支持我的目標。神把人要去埃及的心中盤算也都說出來了！理由那裏沒有戰爭，有東西吃，住在強盛者，征服者的地方比較有保障，但是身份較低，是俘虜的身份。去巴比倫好像去曠野，努力不一定有好成果，要人更多依靠神，依靠神的恩典。

埃及可以自己耕種，自己努力，可以得成果，沒有餓死的問題。有大好的機會，這都是人所看的，重點在是否有神同在。人以為安全的地方，人的判斷反而是危險的。當我們知道神的心意我們是否認同，願意遵行呢?

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How?

Obey the word of the Lord is the foundation of our faith! Pray with the obeying heart.