Journal Through the Bible: Week 76 Tuesday

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Jeremiah 42:1-43:13

Here is something that I found interesting in the opening verses of chapter 42. The people came to Jeremiah and asked him to pray "to the LORD thy God" (verses 2, 3, and 5) and Jeremiah replied by saying that he would pray "to the LORD your God" for them. He reminded them that Jehovah was their God, or at least He should have been! They seemed to have claimed Him - briefly - in verse 6 when they call Him "the LORD our God." They soon proved that they really did not consider Jehovah to be their God! As a result, Jeremiah found himself in Egypt under duress.


Does God issue any commands?

• In answer to the prayer that Jeremiah made on behalf of the people, God told Jeremiah to tell them that He would protect the remnant that remained in the land but that they were not to go to Egypt! They were to trust God and not in the safety that they perceived they would find in Egypt.
• In Egypt, God told Jeremiah to take large stones and hide them in the clay in the brick kiln near Pharaoh's palace. Then he was to tell the Jews that Nebuchadnezzar would conquer the Egyptians and would set his throne upon those stones.

Does God make any promises?

• God promised to protect the remnant as long as they remained in Judah but He promised that the sword, pestilence, and famine would overtake them if they went to Egypt. They would not return to Judah.
• God promised that Nebuchadnezzar would destroy the idols and idol houses of Egypt.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• Like Nebuchadnezzar, Jesus will destroy all false forms of worship and idolatry when He comes as triumphant conqueror and servant of God.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• God promised that Nebuchadnezzar would set his throne upon the stones hidden by Jeremiah signifying that God was going to set up Nebuchadnezzar as ruler over Egypt. God has promised that He will set up the throne of Jesus upon the earth and this prophecy will one day be fulfilled just as the prophecies concerning Nebuchadnezzar were. God sets up rulers and He takes them away. God's prophecies are always fulfilled because God keeps His promises.