WHERE SHOULD WE GO? WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 Then Johanan, son of Kareah, and all the army officers who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived, whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon.  And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt to escape the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, had killed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

Then all the army officers, including Johanan, son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”

Jeremiah 41:16-18, 42:1-3

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Jeremiah, Chapter 41 opens, disaster strikes the Jewish community of Mizpah, a community comprised of the poor who were not taken into exile in Babylon but rather left behind to harvest wine, summer fruit, and olive oil.

Scripture tells us that Gedaliah, the man who had been appointed by the Babylonian king to govern Mizpah, was assassinated by a man named Ishmael and ten men who were with him. Also killed in the slaughter were all the men of Judah and the Babylonian soldiers who were with the governor. Then, as if there had not been enough murderous bloodshed, Ishmael and his men killed all but ten of eighty men who had come bringing grain offerings and incense to the house of the Lord. All the bodies of those massacred were piled in a cistern.

Ishmael then proceeded to take the rest of the people of Mizpah captive and tried to take them away into the land of the Ammonites but was stopped by Johanan, his army officers, and all the men they took with them. When Johanan and his forces confronted Ishmael, all the Jews who had been held captive ran back to Johanan’s side while Ishmael fled with his men to the land of the Ammonites.

And that’s where things ended in yesterday’s devotion. An enemy who had been in the midst of the Jews struck and, as mentioned before, brought disaster on what was a peaceful community.

As we see in today’s scripture passage, the killing done by Ishmael had further reaching implications because we read that the Jews who survived the onslaught, now led by Johanan, could not return to Mizpah out of fear of Babylonian retribution over the murder of Gedaliah, the Babylonian appointed governor. The group headed to Egypt with the hope of safe refuge and on the way, approached the one man who had the ability to give them guidance straight from God.

Who was that man?

None other than the prophet Jeremiah himself.

Note that the people came to Jeremiah asking him to hear their petition to pray to the Lord on behalf of the remnant who were once many but now were reduced to a few.

What did they ask for?

Simply direction as found in the following two questions:

“Where should we go?” and “What should we do?”

Through their request, the Jews who made up the remnant were confessing their need for the Lord’s wisdom and instruction while acknowledging that they could not comprehend where to go or what to do on their own.

Rather, they admitted they needed God’s help.  

Friends, through the opening verses of Jeremiah 42, we find the key as to how we’re to respond when the way does not seem clear for us or when we find ourselves in the midst of the chaotic aftermath of a major difficulty or hardship in life. In those times, we simply need to stop, turn our attention towards God, and ask Him:

“Where should I go?” and “What should I do?”

When we do, we can bank on Him giving us just what we ask for because, like the Old Testament Jews who comprised the remnant of Mizpah, we will be confessing our need for God’s direction while admitting our own inadequacy to know the right way to go and the right thing to do.

One thing is certain.

The Lord will never lead us wrong.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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