Do not go down to Egypt

Do not go down to Egypt

Jeremiah 42:15~22

□ Praise and Sharing

Hymn #420: To sanctify you

 

How was your last week?

 

The theme for August is “Do not go down.” (Week 1 ‘Do not go down to Egypt’, Week 2 ‘Egypt, you are ruined’, Week 3 ‘I will bring you back’, Week 4 ‘Babylon will become an eternal ruin’). The remaining people of Judah promised to obey whatever God said, but they could not give up the idea that they would have to go to Egypt to survive. Although Jeremiah clearly conveyed God’s will to ‘remain in Judah,’ they chose Egypt to live. However, if you go against the word of God, it is not safe no matter where you go. Unless the disobedience is corrected, the disaster that befell Jerusalem will follow all the way to Egypt.

 

□ Words and Sharing

1. Jeremiah delivers God’s warning to the people going down to Egypt (verses 15-18)

1) What does God warn the people of Judah will experience when they enter Egypt? (verses 15-17)

 (Jer 42:15) Hear now the word of the LORD, you remnant of Judah: Thus saith the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel: If ye persist in going into Egypt and living there, Deuteronomy 17:16, Jer 44:12

(Jer 42:16) The sword you fear will follow you into the land of Egypt, and the famine you fear will follow you into the land of Egypt, and you will die there. Ezekiel 11:8

(Jer 42:17) So it will be with everyone who goes into Egypt and persists in remaining there; they will die by the sword and by the famine and by the pestilence; no one will escape from the evil I will bring on them. Jer 38:2

 

They will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.

 

2) What will the wrath that God pour out on Egypt be like? (verse 18)

 (Jer 42:18) This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Just as I poured out my anger and anger on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so I will pour out my anger on you when you come into Egypt. It will be a disgrace, and you will never see this land again.

Just as anger and anger were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah will become an abomination, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach.

 

<Sharing 1> The people remaining in Judah tried to flee to Egypt to save their lives, but paradoxically, that choice was a step toward disaster. Trying to avoid difficult situations for a while by not obeying the Word is not a solution. Let’s talk about a moment of choice when it was difficult to obey the Word.

 

There were threats from the Presbytery Political Committee that if I sent the Word of God again, the pastors who told me not to send the Word of God through text messages would take action, but I sent the Word of God following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and I had someone to defend me, so I did not experience any difficulties.

 

2. The people of Judah only say in words that they will follow God's will, but they do the exact opposite (verses 19-22).

1) What must the remnant of Judah clearly know? (Verse 19)

 

 (Jer 42:19) Know therefore, O remnant of Judah, that the LORD spake concerning you, saying, Ye shall not go into Egypt: and I also warn you this day.

 

The warning: “Do not go to Egypt”

 

2) How did the people of Judah deceive Jeremiah? (v. 20; cf. vv. 5-6)

 

 (Jer 42:20) And ye deceived your hearts, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God, and tell us all that the LORD our God saith, and we will do it.

 

 (Jer 42:5) And they said unto Jeremiah, We will do all that the LORD thy God shall send thee to us: the LORD be a witness between us, a true and faithful one. (Jer 42:6) That we may obey the voice of the LORD our God, whether it be good or bad, for we send thee unto him: that it may be well with us, if we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

 

The people of Judah asked Jeremiah to pray and made promises according to God's word, but they did not keep them, so they deceived Jeremiah.

 

3) What will happen to the people who disobey God’s word? (verses 21-22)

 

 (Jer 42:21) And because I have told you today all the words which the LORD your God sent me to command you, yet you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God at all; (Jer 42:22) then know for certain that you will die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you go to sojourn.

 

Those who disobey God's word will die by sword, famine, and pestilence.

 

<Sharing 2> Obedience is not a ‘word’ but a ‘life’. Saying you will follow and then not following is hypocrisy and deceiving God. Let's talk about whether there are things I do that I only talk about but don't actually do.

 

There were some people who said they would attend church when preaching or on the phone, but they never actually attended. I pray that they will abandon the hypocrisy that deceives God and change into faithful people of God.

 

<Sharing 3> The people of Judah were dependent on Egypt. They thought they would survive if they went to Egypt rather than staying in Judah. Let’s talk about “my Egypt,” the place we unconsciously reach for first when things get tough.

 

Since I received support and helped people in difficult situations, such as in Pakistan, there are cases where the recipients continue to ask for help, and at such times, I tend to check the balance in my bank account. When we face difficulties, we should rely on Almighty God more than on money or people.

 

□ Let's pray together

Let me lay down my will and obey the word of God!

Let us create a community that obeys not only with words but with life!

Let us rely on the Almighty God more than on money or people!

 

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