Jeremiah 43 “The Heart of God”

Jeremiah 43 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:      

• Keith & Kristyn Getty – He Will Hold Me Fast
• Keith & Kristyn Getty – The Lord Is My Salvation
• Lauren Daigle – Hold On To Me

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• Jesus Calls Peter by Saddleback Kids – Lesson for Kids
• I Have Decided | Cave Quest VBS Music Video | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Jesus is Caring For You – Song Video  – Song for Kids
• Give It Away – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

When Jeremiah delivers the message he received from the Lord, Johanan and all the people reject it (vv. 1–2). Their earlier request—begging Jeremiah to pray for them and promising to obey the Lord whether the answer was pleasing or not (42:1–3)—turns out to have been empty words. They suspect that Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, is plotting against them and trying to hand them over to the Babylonians (v. 3). Johanan and the military commanders then take the people of Judah who are following them and go down to Egypt (vv. 4–7). At this time, Jeremiah also goes down to Egypt with them.

When they cross the Egyptian border and arrive at Tahpanhes, the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah (v. 8). There was a temporary palace there that had been prepared for the king of Egypt. God tells Jeremiah to take large stones, tear up the pavement in front of the palace courtyard, and bury them there (v. 9). After doing so, he is to proclaim that before long, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will invade Egypt and set his throne on top of the stones Jeremiah has buried (v. 10). At that time, Egypt will suffer calamity like it has never experienced before, and disaster will fall upon everyone (vv. 11–13).

Meditation:

Jeremiah travels with the people of Judah who have decided to go down to Egypt. Because Jeremiah strongly warned them not to go to Egypt, many assume he must have been forced to go there. However, when we consider how deeply he cared for the people of Judah, it seems far more likely that he voluntarily chose to go with them. Knowing that going down to Egypt would bring disaster, he would not have wanted to remain alone in Judah. His love for his own people moved him to accompany them. He could not change their decision; the only choice left to him was to go with them, share in their suffering, and continue proclaiming God’s will.

Another reason we can believe Jeremiah acted this way is that this reflects the very heart of the God he worshiped. When we reject God’s will and choose to follow our own desires, God does not forcefully drag us back. When we insist on going our own way, He allows it. Yet even when we make tragic choices that lead us down a path of disaster, God remains with us to the very end. When we suffer, He suffers with us. When we weep, He weeps with us. Jeremiah knew God’s heart, and it was likely that very heart that led him to follow his people into Egypt—even though it was a path toward death.

The story of Pastor Do Bok-il, who was martyred during the Korean War, comes to mind. At that time, he was serving a church in Sapgyo-eup, Asan, South Chungcheong Province. When Communist forces advanced, his congregation pleaded with him to flee south with the refugees, because pastors were among the first to be executed by the Communist army. He hesitated but began to leave with them. Yet a few days later, he returned to Sapgyo-eup. His heart would not allow him to leave his congregation; he believed he must share in their suffering. By then, the town had already been occupied. He hid in a member’s barn for several days while caring for the people. But the Communist soldiers discovered he had returned and announced over a loudspeaker that if he did not surrender, they would execute one church member each day. That day, after sharing what would be his last meal with his family, he turned himself in and was executed by gunshot at the Asan embankment.

This is the story of my wife’s grandfather—someone who showed with his life and death what it means to carry the heart of God, the heart of Christ.

Prayer:

We do not truly understand Your heart, O Lord. Even though Your heart is clearly revealed at the cross, we choose to ignore it. Yet we still say that we believe. O Lord, have mercy on us. Help us to see the heart of Christ displayed on the cross and enable us to live by that heart. Grant us also the suffering that comes from following Your will. May the mark of the cross be seen in the story of our lives. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God never forces us to follow Him, but He never leaves us—even when we make wrong choices. Like Jeremiah and Pastor Do Bok-il, God walks with His people in their suffering, showing love, loyalty, and a heart that stays with us until the end.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • When someone you love makes a bad choice, how do you feel? Why do you think Jeremiah still stayed with the people even though they didn’t listen to God?
  • Have you ever stayed with a friend who was sad or scared? What made you do that?
  • What do you think it means that God stays with us even when we don’t listen well?
    
• Youth:
  • Jeremiah couldn’t change the people’s decision, but he chose to suffer with them. When is it important for Christians to stay with someone even when the situation is difficult?
  • Pastor Do Bok-il chose to return to his congregation even though it meant danger. What does his choice reveal about Christlike love? How is this different from simply “agreeing” with others?
  • In what ways do you sense God staying with you in your own moments of fear, stress, or failure? How might God be inviting you to show this same heart to someone else?