Jehovah...God

Jeremiah 42:1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 2) and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we pray thee, our supplication be presented before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: 3) that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do. 4) Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto Jehovah your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass that whatsoever thing Jehovah shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

Perspective...it changes things. How we look at...well, whatever we're looking at. I love Jeremiah. I empathize with this poor prophet, who sees the things that are coming to pass with the people, the city, yes the very land that he loves, yet with all of his effort...he can change nothing.

The captains and the people come to him asking for 'advice'. Advice from, 'Jehovah--your God'. (It reminds me of Peter and Jesus, "Yea, Lord, you know I love thee".) They say whatever Jehovah--thy God-- shall say that we shall do.

And Jeremiah says, "I have heard you, I will pray unto Jehovah YOUR God". Ten days later Jehovah God tells them to stay in the land they were in. Do not go to Egypt or I will curse you, and you will die unhappy, miserable, and you will see the war that you want to escape. Stay where you are and I will bless you; go there and I will curse you.

Several things from this passage that applies to all of humankind. They had their mind made up...don't confuse them with the truth. God was someone else's God in the first place, not theirs, but they wanted His blessing to do what they had already decided to do. Even so, Jeremiah reminds them that 'Jehovah is their God' also.

Jeremiah 42:19 Jehovah hath spoken concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have testified unto you this day. 20) For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God, saying, Pray for us unto Jehovah our God; and according unto all that Jehovah our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it: 21) and I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah your God in anything for which he hath sent me unto you. 22) Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go to sojourn there.

They had their mind made up, they knew what they wanted to do. They sought the Lord's blessing, but...

Way back several hundred years earlier another person, a king instructs his wife to:
"And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who..."(1Kings 14:2)

Jeroboam's wife does disguise herself, and goes to the old blind prophet, Ahijah, but...

Is God a God of the outside of a person only? What are these people thinking? That Jehovah God-- the creator and sustainor--of all life doesn't know the thoughts and intents of their hearts? That they can disguise the outside, and the prophet--old and blind in the case of Ahijah-- won't know their intent or who they are?

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:13 And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Jeroboam's wife didn't decieve Ahijah:
1Kings 14:6 "And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another?..."

The captains, and the people chose to disobey, but they did not trick God either. God told them through Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 20) "For ye have dealt deceitfully against your own souls; for ye sent me unto Jehovah your God,..."

We are instructed through the wise old saying: "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time". And we should add, you might be able to fool a good many people, even yourself, but you can't ever fool Jehovah God.

Hallelujah! What a Saviour!