In the book of Jeremiah I have reached a section where the prophet has been contacted by a group of men who have just killed the governor the King of Babylon put in place to rule over Judah. After this, we hear that those men are considering fleeing to Egypt to escape the invasion from Babylon. They come to Jeremiah to ask for the Lord’s wisdom.

Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God Jeremiah 42:5-6

At this point we would have to commend their willingness to obey regardless of the instruction. Ten days later we are told that the Lord speaks to Jeremiah

If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. Jeremiah 42:10

However, Jeremiah tells them that if they decide to disobey the Lord and go to Egypt it would not go well for them.

then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Jeremiah 42:16

This should be simple. They asked and promised they would obey regardless of the instruction. But, when Jeremiah had finished telling them what the Lord had said, this is what occurred

Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’Jeremiah 43:2

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD’s command to stay in the land of Judah. Jeremiah 43:4

In the end, it doesn’t go well for them.

Obedience is an amazing thing. The word used in Hebrew is šāmaʽ and elsewhere in the Old Testament it is translated into hear, listen, or understand. To obey suggests that we have heard another, that we have understood. The reason we require obedience in our lives is because there are other ways we might choose to go more naturally without it. We don’t need obedience to do something we already desire to do, but we deeply require it when the opposite is true.

I want to encourage each of us to make a decision for obedience today. Lets make it before we need to use, before the temptation to do the opposite arises. Lees do as these men said they would do rather than what they actually did!