Johanan and the captains being strongly bent upon
going into Egypt, either their affections or politics advising them
to take that course, they had a great desire that God should direct
them to do so too like Balaam, who, when he was determined to go
and curse Israel, asked God leave. Here is, I. The fair bargain
that was made between Jeremiah and them about consulting God in
this matter,
1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 3 That the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. 4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. 6 Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
We have reason to wonder how Jeremiah the
prophet escaped the sword of Ishmael; it seems he did escape, and
it was not the first time that the Lord hid him. It is strange also
that in these violent turns he was not consulted before now, and
his advice asked and taken. But it should seem as if they knew not
that a prophet was among them. Though this people were as brands
plucked out of the fire, yet have they not returned to the
Lord. This people has a revolting and a rebellious
heart; and contempt of God and his providence, God and his
prophets, is still the sin that most easily besets them. But
now at length, to serve a turn, Jeremiah is sought out, and all
the captains, Johanan himself not excepted, with all the
people from the least to the greatest, make him a visit; they
came near (
I. They desire him by prayer to ask
direction from God what they should do in the present critical
juncture,
II. Jeremiah faithfully promises them to
pray for direction for them, and, whatever message God should send
to them by him, he would deliver it to them just as he received it
without adding, altering, or diminishing,
III. They fairly promise that they will be
governed by the will of God, as soon as they know what it is
(
7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the
word of the Lord came unto
We have here the answer which Jeremiah was sent to deliver to those who employed him to ask counsel of God.
I. It did not come immediately, not till
ten days after,
II. When it did come he delivered it publicly, both to the captains and to all the people, from the meanest to those in the highest station; he delivered it fully and faithfully as he received it, as he had promised that he would keep nothing back from them. If Jeremiah had been to direct them by his own prudence, perhaps he could not have told what to advise them to, the case was so difficult; but what he has to advise is what the Lord the God of Israel saith, to whom they had sent him, and therefore they were bound in honour and duty to observe it. And this he tells them,
1. That it is the will of God that they
should stay where they are, and his promise that, if they do so, it
shall undoubtedly be well with them he would have them still
to abide in this land,
2. That as they tender the favour of God
and their own happiness they must by no means think of going into
Egypt, not thither of all places, not to that land out of which God
had delivered their fathers and which he had so often warned them
not to make alliance with nor to put confidence in. Observe here,
(1.) The sin they are supposed to be guilty of (and to him that
knew their hearts it was more than a supposition): "You begin to
say, We will not dwell in this land (
3. That God knew their hypocrisy in their
enquiries of him, and that when they asked what he would have them
to do they were resolved to take their own way; and therefore the
sentence which was before pronounced conditionally is made
absolute. Having set before them good and evil, the blessing and
the curse, in the close he makes application of what he had said.
And here, (1.) He solemnly protests that he had faithfully
delivered his message,