Strange names, aren't they? These are names right out of the book of Jeremiah. Johanan was an officer in the army who came to Jeremiah the prophet and said, "Please pray to the Lord the God for us. As you know we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. Beg the Lord your God to show us what to do and where to go."
"All right," Jeremiah replied, "I will pray to the Lord your God, and I will tell you everything He says. I will hide nothing from you."
Then they (Johanan and his officers) said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us." (Jeremiah 42)
What follows is a long reply from the Lord that He delivers through Jeremiah. Read this reply in the rest of chapter 42.
Now we skip to chapter 43. This is what Johanan and a bunch of other men replied.
"You lie! The Lord our God hasn't forbidden us to go to Egypt! (verse 2)"
Now skip to verse 7.
"The people refused to obey the Lord and went to Egypt."
Skip on down to Chapter 44 verse 7.
"And now the Lord God Almighty the God of Israel asks you: why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman or child among you who has come here from Judah..."
First of all, I think it is telling that in the first part of this story Johanan refers to the Lord as the Lord THE God and the Lord YOUR God. Then he changes it to the Lord OUR God.
It made me wonder how many times I have said to the Lord MY God, "Tell me exactly what You want me to do, and I'll do it." Then, I turn around and do just the opposite. Help me MY Lord, to learn from Johanan. Help me to "stay out of Egypt" if you are telling me not to go.
(Of course if you are telling me TO go, may I be quick to obey!)
"All right," Jeremiah replied, "I will pray to the Lord your God, and I will tell you everything He says. I will hide nothing from you."
Then they (Johanan and his officers) said to Jeremiah, "May the Lord your God be a faithful witness against us if we refuse to obey whatever He tells us to do! Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we send you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us." (Jeremiah 42)
What follows is a long reply from the Lord that He delivers through Jeremiah. Read this reply in the rest of chapter 42.
Now we skip to chapter 43. This is what Johanan and a bunch of other men replied.
"You lie! The Lord our God hasn't forbidden us to go to Egypt! (verse 2)"
Now skip to verse 7.
"The people refused to obey the Lord and went to Egypt."
Skip on down to Chapter 44 verse 7.
"And now the Lord God Almighty the God of Israel asks you: why are you destroying yourselves? For not one of you will survive—not a man, woman or child among you who has come here from Judah..."
First of all, I think it is telling that in the first part of this story Johanan refers to the Lord as the Lord THE God and the Lord YOUR God. Then he changes it to the Lord OUR God.
It made me wonder how many times I have said to the Lord MY God, "Tell me exactly what You want me to do, and I'll do it." Then, I turn around and do just the opposite. Help me MY Lord, to learn from Johanan. Help me to "stay out of Egypt" if you are telling me not to go.
(Of course if you are telling me TO go, may I be quick to obey!)
