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Then all the military commanders came, among them Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Hoshaiah, together with all the people, from the least to the greatest,
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and they said to the prophet Jeremiah, “Please let our petition come before you! Pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant; for out of many we are left but a few, as you can see with your own eyes.
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May the LORD your God show us the way we should go and what we should do.”
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Then the prophet Jeremiah said to them, “I have heard your request! Look, I will pray to the LORD your God, as you have asked, and whatever word the LORD gives in answer I will declare to you; I will not keep a single word back from you!”
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Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to every word that the LORD your God sends you to tell us.
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Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
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After ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.
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Then Jeremiah called Johanan son of Kareah and all the military commanders who were with him, and all the people, from the least to the greatest.
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He said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before him:
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If you will indeed remain in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am sorry for the disaster I have brought upon you.
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Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand.
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I will grant you mercy, so that he will have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land.
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But if you say, ‘We will not stay in this land,’ and do not obey the voice of the LORD your God,
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saying, ‘No, we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war, or hear the sound of the trumpet, or suffer hunger; there we will live,’
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then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah: Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you are determined to go to Egypt and do go there to live as foreigners,
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then the sword that you fear shall overtake you in the land of Egypt, and the famine that you dread shall follow hard after you in Egypt, until you die there.
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All the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there as foreigners shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.
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For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath shall be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You shall become an object of curse, of horror, of imprecation, and of reproach; and you shall see this place no more.
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The LORD has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah: Do not go to Egypt! Know for certain that I warn you today.
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You have deceived yourselves and put your lives in danger, when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us to the LORD our God, and tell us exactly what the LORD our God says, so that we may do it!
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But though I have told it to you today, you have not listened to the voice of the LORD your God, that is, you have not obeyed all that he commanded me to speak to you.
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Therefore know for certain that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go and live there as foreigners.”
🙏🌾🏃 Summary of Jeremiah 42 – Asking for Guidance, Yet Rejecting the Answer
Jeremiah 42 tells the story of the people of Judah who pretended to want obedience, yet rejected the word of the Lord when it did not match their wishes. After Gedaliah was killed (Jeremiah 41), the leaders and the people feared Babylon’s retaliation, so they asked Jeremiah to pray and inquire of God’s will. God answered clearly: do not go to Egypt; remain in the land of Judah, and I will protect you. Yet the chapter ends with the hint that their hearts had already decided to flee, and they only wanted God to approve their plan.
📌 1. Request for Guidance from Jeremiah (verses 1–6)
“Pray to the LORD… show us the way we should go.”
➡️ Johanan son of Kareah and all the people came to Jeremiah humbly.
➡️ They said they would obey whatever answer God gave — whether pleasing or not.
🎯 Words may sound spiritual, but the heart may already have its own plan.
📌 2. The Word of the Lord Through Jeremiah (verses 7–12)
“I will build you up and not tear you down…”
➡️ After 10 days, the Lord gave the answer:
- Remain in the land of Judah
- Do not fear Babylon; I will be with you and save you
- I will relent concerning the disaster that I have brought
🎯 The Lord gives a way of peace and restoration, not escape.
📌 3. A Strong Warning: Do Not Go to Egypt (verses 13–18)
“If you say… we do not want to stay in this land…”
➡️ The Lord warns: if you still go to Egypt:
- You will die by the sword, by famine, and by disease
- The place you consider safe will become a place of ruin
- You will not return or escape from the disaster
🎯 Running from fear is not the answer, especially when refusing the word of the Lord.
📌 4. An Accusation Against a Hardened Heart (verses 19–22)
“You have deceived yourselves…”
➡️ Jeremiah rebukes them: you had already decided to go, but wanted the word of the Lord to support your personal plan.
➡️ Because you did not obey, the Lord’s judgment will follow you in Egypt.
🎯 Asking for prayer without willingness to obey is spiritual hypocrisy.
📖 Main Teaching
- The Lord speaks to His people, but a hardened heart does not want to receive the truth
- Fear can blind faith and make us run from the will of the Lord
- God wants to build and restore, but obedience is the condition
- Hiding personal plans behind false spirituality is self-deception
- The word of the Lord is not to be compromised, but obeyed
✨ Spiritual Meaning (New Testament)
📖 Matthew 7:21
“Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord…’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven…”
➡️ Like the people of Judah — outwardly religious, but not truly obedient.
📖 Luke 9:62
“No one who looks back is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
➡️ The plan to “flee to Egypt” reflects a heart turning back from faith.
📖 Hebrews 3:15
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”
➡️ God’s word is given — the issue is our response.
📖 James 1:22
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.”
➡️ The people of Judah heard the word, but refused to do it.
🕊️ “Stay in this land… I will build you up.” – Jeremiah 42:10
🕊️ “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon…” – Jeremiah 42:11
🕊️ “You have deceived yourselves…” – Jeremiah 42:20
🕊️ “If you go to Egypt… you will die by the sword…” – Jeremiah 42:16
