Day 208 – Gedaliah (Southern Governor 7 months)

• So, what happened in the aftermath of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the exile? Well, some people were left. Mostly these were the very poor, left to look after the land. Today we read what they decided to do.
• Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the invading Babylonians, decided to appoint a governor to look after Judah now that the king was gone. Who did he appoint?
• You may be surprised to hear that Gedaliah was not from Babylon. He was a Jew. The people come to him for help, and in 2 Kings 25:24, he reassured them that they should stay where they were in the city. In verse 25, however, what happened to Gedaliah? Why do you think a fellow Jew might have wanted to kill him?
• Look at Jeremiah 42. The army officers and a large crowd came to speak with Jeremiah. What did the people ask Jeremiah to do, and how did he respond? What encouraging decision was made by the people in Jeremiah 42:5-6?
• How long did it take for Jeremiah to hear from God? What does this show you about patience? It also helps us to understand that Jeremiah faithfully waited on God instead of sharing a false message.
• What did the message from God say? What warning did they have about what would happen if they went to Egypt? Don’t miss the absolute clarity of God’s message. Almost the entire second half of the chapter is given to the loud and clear message to STAY IN JUDAH and NOT GO TO EGYPT!
• What was the reaction of some of the people to this message, in the opening words of Jeremiah 43? Where did all the people decide to go? Notice that they (forcefully) made Jeremiah go with them as a hostage, to add insult to injury!
• Why do you think the people inquired about what God wanted them to do if they weren’t going to listen to Him? Do you ever pray for help in something without any intention of doing it? Or sing words of praise that you don’t mean? Why do you do this?

As you read the pleas of the people for Jeremiah’s help, and their promise to “obey the voice” of God, you might have been pretty confident that they *finally* meant what they said this time. The people might have ignored God in the past, mistaking his patience and grace with them as a ticket to sin, but surely now, after the exile of their countrymen to Babylon and the dire realisation of God’s prior warnings, now would be time to start listening to God? Yeah?

But Jeremiah 43 shows that the hearts of men are so easily deceived, despite knowing the word from Jeremiah and the situation in front of their eyes. Trouble makers in the camp thought that they knew better – even still! – than God. The people listened to them rather than God.

Do you see yourself in this? I think I do sometimes. Often I know God’s view on my sin, and can see the destruction it has caused in my life, and in the lives of others. It should be easy, with this evidence, and the trust I have in Jesus, to faithfully put that sin to death, just as we assume that it should be about time that the people in Judah starting listening to God in their situation.

Listening to God and obeying him is difficult, because we will be called to do things that go against our earthly natures and our limited human understanding. That doesn’t mean we give up at the first hurdle though! It means we fight onward, trusting that God’s way is always better than our way.

Spend a moment thinking about the prayers you have prayed recently, and whether you really do want God to help you to change in this area.