776_Are you seeking security or God’s will (Jeremiah 42-44)
Jeremiah 44:24-28 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord God lives.’ 27 Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs.
A young man stood at the crossroads, trying to decide which road to take. He longed for some way to tell which way would guarantee a good future. But a wise man told him, “The important question is not which road looks safer, but which one is the right one.”
In our walk with God, this should govern our decisions. When we face uncertainty, we tend to wonder, “Which is the safest choice?” But the better question is, “What is God’s will?” What looks safe need not be His choice. Sometimes the place that looks most dangerous from our perspective is where we should be, and where He promises to be with us.
We see this tension very clearly in Jeremiah 42–44. Jerusalem had fallen to the powerful forces of Babylon. The people left in the land had just lost their governor, appointed by the king of Babylon, to Hebrew assassins. They feared the king would consider the killing an act of rebellion and swoop down to finish them off.
So they pleaded with Jeremiah to ask the Lord what they were to do. Should they flee to Egypt for safety, or remain in Judah? They promised, “Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
Unfortunately, they had already decided in their hearts that Egypt was the only safe choice. And what they really wanted was God’s approval of their decision.
There is a difference between seeking God’s guidance and seeking God’s approval. We may pray, “Lord, show me what to do,” while secretly hoping for God’s help to accomplish what we have already decided to do. We may look to Scripture for direction, but become uncomfortable when it contradicts our desires.
So what do we do when God’s answer is different from our decisions?
The Lord told Jeremiah that the people were to remain in Judah. He promised them, “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.” He reassured them that they had nothing to fear from the king of Babylon. He Himself would be with them and save them.
God was not requiring them to continue in fear and insecurity. He gave them clear direction and an abundant promise of blessing and protection. He warned them that Egypt would be their death, rather than a place of security, whereas Judah would be safe.
For the safest place is not always the place that looks secure, but the place where God directs us to be in.
The people, however, did not see it that way. Instead of trusting God’s promise, they accused Jeremiah of lying. They rejected God’s command and went to Egypt anyway. And they took Jeremiah and Baruch with them to the very place he had told them to avoid.
Yet Jeremiah remained faithful. He had spent years proclaiming God’s Word in Jerusalem, and he continued to proclaim it in Egypt. He did not change the truth because people refused to listen. He did not soften the message because he was in a foreign land.
Faithfulness means doing the will of God, regardless of the outcome. Whether people listen to us or agree with us, we need to persevere in obeying and in loving God, and proclaiming his word, whatever the cost.
But the people were not simply refusing God’s direction; they defended their disobedience. They openly confessed their devotion to the “queen of heaven,” and professed that it had brought them only prosperity. The goodness and kindness of God over the years was twisted into evidence that their idolatry and rebellion was right.
When we choose our own way rather than God’s, but things still go well, we readily conclude that we are in the right to disobey God, or assume He approves of us. When obedience becomes difficult, we are sure that we have misunderstood God’s will.
But circumstances do not decide the truth. God’s Word is the only impartial judge of our hearts and our lives.
The people of Judah had forgotten that God, and only God, was their Savior. Centuries earlier, their ancestors had been trapped under Pharaoh’s tyranny. God judged Egypt and delivered His people with a mighty hand. The Exodus revealed that God’s faithfulness and loyal love was the true security of his people.
Yet now, generations later, they fled back to the place of slavery, moved by terror of another human king. Indeed, we tend to turn back to the very things from which we were once delivered when we are afraid. Fear makes old patterns look attractive. Fear can make disobedience look practical. Fear can persuade us that God’s way is too risky to be acceptable.
Therefore Scripture reminds us, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). The warning is against relying on our own perception of safety rather than on God’s promise. The instruction is to trust His promise, even when we do not understand everything.
The people of Judah wanted security on their own terms. God freely offered them what was far better: His presence, His protection, and His will. Sadly, they chose what looked secure over what was truly secure.
Let us always ask: am I really seeking security or God’s will?
We all want our families to be safe, our finances to be stable, our future to be predictable, and our plans to succeed. But when these desires overwhelm our love for God and our longing to walk with Him, we have gone far astray.
For then we focus on decisions that make our lives easier, and not those that honor our Savior. We seek our comfort and not God’s leading. We pray for guidance while deciding that we will do only what appeals to our own intelligence. In short, we want God’s answer to agree with our will.
At the crossroads, let us learn to ask, not “What looks safest?” but “What has God said?” When His Word challenges your plans, let us be willing to change and follow him. We may have to stay when we want to run. We may need to wait when we want to act. We may have to surrender when we long to take control.
But let us remember that Egypt looked safer, but God’s promise of protection was in Judah. It is in returning and in rest that we find peace and safety.
Let us not seek merely God’s blessing upon our plans, but God’s will for our lives. Let us ask to hear, not what we want to hear, but what he wants us to do, and let us move to do it with faith and love.
For in such obedience, even when we do not know what tomorrow holds, we can rest in the words of Psalm 37:5: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.” God bless.
Reflection questions
What situations in your life make you most tempted to choose what appears secure rather than what God may be asking you to do?
Why is it sometimes difficult to accept God’s will when it conflicts with plans or desires you have already formed?
How can you distinguish between genuinely seeking God’s guidance and simply seeking God’s approval for a decision you have already made?
What “Egypt” might represent a place, habit, relationship, or source of security that you are tempted to run toward when fear takes over?
How can you practically cultivate greater trust in God’s Word when obedience requires you to move beyond what feels safe or predictable?
Let us pray
Heavenly Father, let me surrender to your will and seek your approval. I trust you even when you tell me to go a different way from the one I would choose. Let me not be controlled by fear but help me put my trust in you. Let me not seek security in my own plans but find confidence in your love for me. Let me follow you with love and faith each day, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
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