The story of Johanan, hero of chapter 41, continues. They ask Jeremiah for direction…

Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan… and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant…that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.”

…and promise to obey:

Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your request, and whatever the LORD answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”  (Jeremiah 42.1 – 6, ESV)

So after 10 days, Jeremiah gives a clear answer:

Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your plea for mercy before him: If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon…for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. (Jeremiah 42.9 – 11, ESV)

The story continues in chapter 43. To recap:

• People: Jeremiah, should we go to Egypt? Whatever you tell us, we’ll do.
• Jeremiah: No. Don’t go to Egypt. That’s a really bad idea. (See Jeremiah 42)

So, naturally, the people said, “Your word from the Lord is clear. We won’t go to Egypt.”

I crack myself up. Here’s what they really said:

When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the LORD their God, with which the LORD their God had sent him to them, Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The LORD our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there.'” (Jeremiah 43.1, 2, ESV)

They acted immediately:

But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they arrived at Tahpanhes. (Jeremiah 43.5 – 7, ESV)

So Jeremiah has to deliver another message of judgment:

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. He shall come and strike the land of Egypt, giving over to the pestilence those who are doomed to the pestilence, to captivity those who are doomed to captivity, and to the sword those who are doomed to the sword. (Jeremiah 43.10, 11, ESV)

An obvious lesson.

Don’t merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says! (James 1.22, NIV)