Whose God?

Read Jeremiah 40:7-16, 41-44
 
Jeremiah 42:1-3 Then all the guerrilla leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, approached 2 Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the LORD your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to what we were before. 3 Pray that the LORD your God will show us what to do and where to go.”
&
Jeremiah 43:1-2 When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the LORD their God to all the people, 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The LORD our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt!”  
 
THE Scriptures tell another sad story of God’s people rejecting his Word. In addition, this is a very tragic record of two godly men who become victims of sin’s crush on the human heart. Gedaliah, the faithful leader, is murdered. Jeremiah, the true prophet, is kidnapped into Egypt.
   It is also surprising to learn that even after Babylon had utterly destroyed Jerusalem, a remnant of Jews led by military men had escaped Babylon’s capture and wanted to go to Egypt. They believed safety awaited them there. Yet, God’s message to them said, “Stay in Judah, or you will die in Egypt.” Jeremiah 42:12 “I will be merciful to you by making him (Nebuchadnezzar) kind, so he will let you stay here in your land.”
   But when Jeremiah told this to Johanan and the others, they cried, “You lie!” Then they took Jeremiah to Egypt against his will.
   We can understand the Jews’ response when we read how they spoke of God. They told Jeremiah to “pray to the LORD your God.” And when Johanan rejected God’s Word, he said, “The LORD our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt!” “Ask your God, Jeremiah. But our God said something else. Our God would never say such a thing. Your God is for you. Our God is for us.”
   This spiritual battle is very obvious in the Christian life and culture today. There are too many teachings that seem to say God is awaiting our decision about our lives. The misinformation is something like this: “Certainly he would not ask you to do something you don’t want to do. God doesn’t force himself on anyone.” This false teaching is spoken by pastors and churches who have a good reputation. This is putting ourselves above God, and this was Johanan’s self-view. This man had his mind set on his desires. He absolutely refused to believe God’s gracious words of peace and restoration. He was the same as Zedekiah. Their unbelief led to their deaths. This is Adam’s sin corrupting hearts and minds through the ages.
   We need to know our LORD God is the LORD God. “My LORD.” can only be spoken if you submit to and absolutely follow the LORD God. He is not your LORD if you do not believe and trust all of his Word. You cannot pretend you want an answer from him when you’ve decided to do as you please.
   Yes, these stories are very difficult to read. God’s continual will to bring his people to peace is rejected for warfare, rebellion, exile and death. You wonder when people will learn. Tragically, most won’t know until the LORD God’s final judgment. We must be different than the culture. We must strive to completely know, believe and live in God’s Word, so we can truly call him, “Our LORD God.”