Jeremiah 40
COMMENTARY:
: 4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, COME; and I will look well unto thee: BUT if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, FORBEAR: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seems good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. (3477 “convenient” [yashar] means straight, right, upright, correct, pleasing, level or righteous. 5869 “convenient” [‘ayin] means eye, sight, well or presence.)
DEVOTION: The Babylonians had come to town. They found Jeremiah in prison. They found him in handcuffs. They released him and confirmed that his message was from the LORD. Even the heathens knew that the children of Judah had sinned against the LORD.
Jeremiah was given three choices regarding his freedom: he could go to Babylon or he could stay in the land with Gedaliah (the man set up as governor by Babylon) or he could go anywhere in the land he would like to go.
This word is a combination of two words. Jeremiah was to pick what was “correct in his sight.” The world was placed before him and he had to choose where he wanted to go. One minute he was in prison in chains and the next he was given this choice. Not only given this choice but also given gifts of victuals and a reward.
Jeremiah chose to go with Gedaliah to Mizpah. Jeremiah still felt he had a ministry to the people that were left in the land. He knew that the LORD had Daniel and Ezekiel in the land of Babylon to minister to those who were taken there.
What would we chose if we were given freedom to go anywhere? Would we choose where we are right now? Are we thankful to the LORD for where HE has placed us right now?
The LORD wants us to realize that we do have a choice. HE wants us to choose what is “correct in our sight,” as long as, it agrees with what is correct in HIS sight.
Have we taken an eye test lately? Remember what may be pleasing in our sight, might not be pleasing in HIS. Remember Lot. He looked over the land before him and picked the land that was close to a city and looked like good pasture for his flocks. He made the wrong choice because he was influenced by the society of the city of Sodom. It cost him his family. It caused problems in the future for the children of Israel.
We have a tendency to think that the grass is always greener somewhere else. Stay where the LORD has a ministry for you!!! That is the GOOD place. HE opens doors and closes doors. We need to be patient to wait for the right open door before us. Paul often stated that the Holy Spirit had open or closed a door that he wanted to go through.
CHALLENGE: When given a choice take time for prayer and fasting, so that, you make a right decision.
: 5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seems convenient to you to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go. (4864 “reward” [mas’eth] means tribute, present, something acquired or given without compensation in return, portion, present, or gift.)
DEVOTION: Gedaliah the governor of the area of Israel gave Jeremiah a choice. HE could stay with him or go anywhere he wanted to go. He was set free to do what he wanted regarding where he was going to live. He could go to Babylon or say in Judah.
If he stayed in Judah he should go to live with the governor Gedaliah who would give him protection and provisions.
God is the one who gives us choices to follow. HE is the one who opens doors and closes doors in our life. It is hard at times to know what direction to go and it is only through our prayer life and listening to the LORD that we can know what to do at any given point in our lives.
It is not easy but we have to go to the LORD in prayer and wait on HIM to give us the answer HE wants us to follow.
There are turning points in all of our lives and we need to ask the LORD to speak to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and HIS word, the Bible, so that, we can make the right decision.
CHALLENGE: What are you praying about today regarding the direction your life should head? Is the LORD speaking to you? Are you listening? Our prayer is that we are all listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk with the LORD!
:11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (The New King James Version Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
DEVOTION: Peace and stability was returning to Israel after the destruction of the city by Babylon. The people were returning and settling down to do the work of the land and to bring the harvest in for the fall. But with the appearance of peace there is also the element of rebellion and hostility as well. Certain people were not willing to allow peace to occur as long as a foreign ruler was in control. Individuals that desire to have peace will often be the focus of insurrection and division. Gedaliah was serving Babylon and the people of Israel in a responsible way and this resulted in an assassination attempt. Allies are not always allies after the battle is over and reconstruction is taking place.
CHALLENGE: Today the world is seeing a flood of refugees and people that are fleeing war and civil strife. These people are trying to find a safe haven and security for their families and selves. Yet we are also seeing the attempts to disrupt and stop the peaceful movement so that unrest and war might continue. We need to pray that the governments and people that are affected by all this upheaval might be wise and discerning to those that are intent on destructive and selfish motivations. It is deplorable that innocent individuals are offended by this small group of rabble. (Dr. Brian Miller – Board Member)
: 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, You shalt not do this thing: for you speak falsely of Ishmael. (8267 “falsely” [sheqer] means falsehood, lie, deception, wrongfully, fraudulently, or vanity.)
DEVOTION: Can you think of a time when someone told you that a friend was deceptive? Have you ever been gossiped about by someone you considered a friend? Trust can be a real issue in life. It seems like those we think we can count on let us down.
Gedaliah was a trusting sort of guy. He wanted to believe that Ishmael was a genuine friend. He thought that Johanan was giving him a fraudulent report.
However, we learn in the next chapter that he did kill Gedaliah. So he had someone who was telling him the truth about another person but he didn’t want to believe him. It cost him his life.
We are sometimes warned who we can trust and who we can’t trust. Sometimes we listen to the person giving us these instructions but other times we think that we can have a good relationship with someone who seems genuine in their concern for our welfare.
We need to take all of our relationships to the LORD. HE can give us heavenly wisdom regarding who to trust and who not to trust. HE is our guide.
Those outside of Christ don’t have HIM as their guide. They think that they can trust everyone or no one. Without the Holy Spirit as a guide they don’t know who real friend is and who are not.
Our responsibility in relationships is to be honest. We are to be friends to as many people as we can in the LORD. We are to love all those who have accepted Christ as their Savior. The Bible commands us to “love one another” because we are all fighting the same enemies: the world, the flesh and the devil.
Our relationship with those outside of Christ needs to be guarded. We are to try to love them into a proper relationship with our LORD.
CHALLENGE: Our speech should be one that people can trust to be truthful. Honesty is the best policy.
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