Good day People of God in Christ Jesus. You are all welcome to another new day. Glory to God for the gift of life.
In our today’s episode 532 of studying and understanding the Bible, we shall be examining Jeremiah Chapter 42 titled:
Hypocrisy Exposed, When The People Asked Prophet Jeremiah For Prayers.
Captain Johanan and other people remaining in Judah asked Prophet Jeremiah to pray for them and ask God on their behalf whether to remain in Judah or to migrate to Egypt.
They wanted to know the next line of action.
However, according to verses 20-21, their hearts were never sincere.
As usual, they were not going to follow God’s instruction. They already had their plan and answer. They only wanted to know if God’s own plan would align with theirs.
If it aligns, all well and good and if otherwise, they would go ahead with their own plan.
Jeremiah went into prayers and for 10 days, he sought the Lord on the matter and God gave him an answer for the people.
They were instructed not to migrate to Egypt but to remain in Judah and that God knows how He would touch the heart of Nebuchadnezzar so that he wont hurt them anymore and those already in captivity would be repatriated to Judah.
In short, they were assured of total protection from harm if they remain in Judah.
But if they disobey again and decide to move to Egypt, they would encounter destruction. You will find this in verses 4-18.
Jeremiah already knew they were not sincere about their request and therefore scolded them for being hypocritical.
Hypocritical in the sense that they asked for counsel from God which they didn’t intend to follow. Read verses 19-22.
Lesson To Learn
Not everyone that comes to church programs are truly seeking God. They already have their own answer and they were only waiting for the man of God to help them validate it. Anything short of their answer will be trashed.
This is why Prophets of God must be extra careful and be wary of this category of transactional people.
Another lesson derived here is that if anyone thinks he knows more than God and decides to disregard godly counsels, such people usually end up facing grave consequences.
Another important thing to pay attention to is that as a prophet, if anyone comes to you for counsels, tell them you will pray about it.
Don’t allow pressure to push you saying things God has not asked you to say immediately. It always leads to errors.
And to people seeking the face of God through Prophets, always remember that in the New Covenant dispensation, God speaks to every believer. Read Hebrews 1:1-2
Therefore, learn to wait on God yourself to hear from Him directly. Any counsel you receive from Prophets will then be in from of confirmation.
Each time God communicates to His children, He always confirms it through other people. So, learn to hear from God yourself first. It takes discipline and consistent waiting on God through prayers and the Word of God.
What did you learn from this Chapter? Kindly drop it in the comment section.
To be continued…stay tuned and stay blessed.
Let us pray:
- I declare, the Lord God will answer you speedily regarding your request from Him, in Jesus name.
- Every tempter trying to pull you down or creating confusion around your life, you are disconnected from them, in Jesus name.
- Receive clarity of purpose regarding that endeavour laid before you, in Jesus name.
Bible Readings For Today: Job Chapters 10, 11 & 12 with Psalm 121
I call you blessed now and always.
Friday September 11, 2020 (DDMI)