The Choice to Obey

Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to do and where to go. Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.      Jeremiah 42:3, 6

Nebuchadnezzar had come to Judah and carried most of the people away as captives to Babylon.  A few folks had been left behind, including the prophet Jeremiah.  

So the people who had been left behind, knowing that Jeremiah was God's messenger, came to him with a request.  "Ask God what we should do, and we will do it."  

You see, for years Jeremiah had been warning all of the people about the trouble that was coming.  He had pleaded with them to repent so that God would not follow through on His plans for the captivity of Judah.  But the leaders and the people decided to arrest Jeremiah rather than heed his warnings.  And what he had warned them about had happened.

So these people who had been left behind knew who Jeremiah was, and they knew that they needed to change their ways.  They needed to start following God.  So they asked Jeremiah to get them some specific instructions from God, with a promise that they would do what God said this time.

Jeremiah knew that the people weren't really going to obey, but he went to the Lord for them anyway.  He brought them back clear, specific instructions.  And the people did the exact opposite.

God said, "Stay here."  They didn't.

God said, "Don't go to Egypt."  They went to Egypt.

God said, "Don't be afraid."

I don't know how much of the motivation behind the people's behavior was fear, or how much was just plain arrogance.  Perhaps at the heart of most of what we interpret as arrogance is actually fear.

Not that fear is better than arrogance.  Both are faithlessness.

Fear says, "I'm not sure I can trust God."  Arrogance says, "My plan is better than God's."

The solution to both of these problems is the same: obedience.

Obedience gives us a point of reference when the world is spinning and the ground feels shaky.  But the really awesome thing about obedience is that it is very freeing.

It's a bit of a paradox, but it is so very true.  We may not understand the reason behind the instruction, but as we obey, an interesting thing begins to happen.  Trust begins to grow, and with trust comes freedom.

I tell this to my kids all the time.  They want freedom, but I need to be able to trust that they are ready for the freedom.  That trust is built through obedience.  Without obedience, there is no freedom because there is not trust.  It's not about control - it is about safety.  

The things I ask of the kids is for their good and for their protection.  The things God asked of the people of Judah was for their good and for their protection.

I have a kid in my home right now who reminds me so much of this remnant who came to Jeremiah.  He says he wants to follow God.  He says he wants to hear from God.  But he is arrogant and rebellious.  I think he's really just afraid.  He wants freedom, and he fights and pushes and demands his way in an effort to get what he thinks he deserves.  

And so daily, with as much patience as I can muster, I calmly explain again that the freedom and the blessings are within reach.  What is necessary is to simply and consistently do what is asked in the most basic aspects of life.  

It's what God wanted from His people.

It's what He wants from us.

Follow His instructions They're pretty simple.  For the people who came to Jeremiah, the instruction was simply, "Stay here."  

Had they just followed the instructions, the benefits would have been great:

If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you... I am with you and will save you and rescue you... I will be merciful to you... Jeremiah 42:9-12

The choice seems pretty simple - obedience or rebellion, safety or danger, freedom or bondage.

Choose well.

...Just a thought...