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Jeremiah 40:1-6: Set Free To Follow God’s Plan

Set Free To Follow God’s Plan

Jeremiah 40:1-6                                Kevin E. Jesmer

Jeremiah 40:3,4                                4-2-18

“And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. 4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”

Dear Lord, thank you for your word that comforts our hearts and plants eternal hope. Please help me to learn one point and understand your word today. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Jeremiah Was Released By God For A Purpose (1)

Verse 1, “The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon.”

When Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard found Jeremiah in chains among the prisoners being taken back to Babylon, he released him. King Nebuchadnezzar had instructed his imperial commander to take care of Jeremiah. They regarded him as pro-Babylonian.

He did not get some benefit from the Babylonians. He did not compromise with them in order to get some benefit and be set free. No. He stayed true to the God of the Bible. Jeremiah was living by the truth and obeying God no matter what the consequences were. If he was going to be imprisoned, thrown into exile of even killed, then so be it as long as he remained true to God. He did not seek rewards or favor from Babylon. Jeremiah was not on Babylon’s side; he was on God’s side.

We should never compromise in order to receive some benefit from those in charge. That is cowardice. We can never be happy nor blessed by compromising to escape suffering. You will always remember it your entire life. It will nag you and haunt your dreams.

This release was God’s mercy on Jeremiah’s life. God wanted him to be set free and so he allowed Jeremiah to find favor in the eyes of the Babylonian commander. God had a plan for Jeremiah’s life and he was leading him according to it. (Keep in mind that a life in chains could also be part of God’s plan. Think about Joseph.)

There are times when sincere believers are not set free from captivity. It may be God’s will that they endure suffering for his glory. Simply believing in and obeying Jesus is not the ticket to an easy exit from suffering. What is important is to remain faithful to the Lord and trust in the path that he has laid before you. There is a purpose either way. He will give you grace to follow.

It is amazing that the Babylonians did not see Jeremiah as the enemy, even though he was an Israelite living in Judah. Jeremiah was simply serving God. It just so happened that his mission actually supported the expansionist objectives of the Babylonians. The Babylonians had nothing to fear from Jeremiah. In fact, was helping them. Christians do not have a political objective as much as they have a spiritual objective. (Sometimes God leads Christians into a political agenda but not always.)

Part 2. Should I Stay or Should I Go?  (2-6)

Verses 2-6, “2 When the commander of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed this disaster for this place. 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned against the Lord and did not obey him. 4 But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the towns of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please. Then the commander gave him provisions and a present and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.”

The imperial commander understood the spiritual implications of the Babylonian conquest (2). The people of Jerusalem had sinned. The commander could see that this was why the Babylonian invasion was successful. It is amazing to me that the Babylonians understood the spiritual reason as to why God was working through them to defeat Judah. They could see and understand God’s plan and they were not even Israelites! The God of Israel was not their God and yet they understood his plan. This is very condemning to the king and official of Judah. If the Babylonians could understand then why not them? The Babylonian’s understanding is very convicting.

The Babylonian’s gave Jeremiah a choice. Look at verse 4, “But today I am freeing you from the chains on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.” The Babylonians carried many of the nobles, leaders and the people into exile. He gave fields and vineyards to the poor people he left behind (39:10) for the vineyards and the fields needed to be managed and harvested. This was a very wise move to make in order to get maximum benefit from the conquered land and to gain the loyalty and trust of the poor people.

The imperial commander respected Jeremiah and gave him the opportunity either to go to Babylon, and be taken care of, which could mean living in in ease with honor, or stay in Judah with the remnant. Jeremiah chose to stay.

I don’t think that living in Babylon would be a cake walk either. Yes, Jeremiah would be provided for, but there would be a whole lot of stress dealing with political issues and seeing his people suffering in exile, worries about his people back home and health issues. Whether he stayed or went there would involve hardships. But God gave him a choice and he chose to stay with the poor people of Judah and help his people who were left behind.

We all need to find the will of God for us. Should we stay or should we go? The answer to this will take a lot prayer and soul searching. One is not easier than the other.

A modern-day example is a Christian’s desire to be a missionary. We feel that if we stay we are choosing the way of ease and comfort. We long to be set free from all of our responsibilities and go to the mission field. That may or may not be God’s will. We need to pray and find God’s will. I know one man who was very successful in business. He retired and is now receiving training at a mission agency. He recently went on a mission trip to a pacific jungle tribe for three weeks. He prayed and God is leading him according to God’s unique plan for him. We all need to find God’s unique plan for our lives and commit to following it.

Prayer: “Lord, you have set me free from so much, from sin, from many vices, from fruitless ventures. I have been set free to serve you. I pray that you may show me my path and grant me grace and strength to follow it.”

One Word: Set free to choose God’s way.




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