Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law

You Really Do Not Want to Know God's Will

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2016-06-12

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Jeremiah 42–43, where the remnant of Judah asks Jeremiah to seek God's will, promising to obey regardless of the answer. After ten days, God instructs them to remain in the land, promising blessing and protection, and warns against fleeing to Egypt. The people reject God's word, accuse Jeremiah of lying, and forcibly go to Egypt, bringing judgment upon themselves. Weaver argues that most people who claim to want God's will actually seek approval for their own plans, and that rebellion destroys common sense. He applies the passage by urging genuine seeking of God's revealed will and repentance rather than self-justification.

[John Weaver] Title of the message today is this You really do not want to know God's will do you? So you'll understand Jeremiah 42 beginning in verse 1 then all the captains of the forces of Johanna the son of Korea and Jezaniah the son of Hoshia and all the people from the least even of the greatest came near and And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let we beseech you our supplication, be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us, that the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you. Behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall come to pass that once everything the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.

[John Weaver] I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us, whether it be good or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee, that it may be well with thee when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

[John Weaver] In my 50 years of preaching, I've heard a multitude of Christians make a simple statement hundreds of times, and that simple statement is simply this, I only want the will of God for my life. Or, it's equivalent would be something like this, I only want the will of God in this matter. Strangely enough, those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God, never really seek it for their lives, or for the situation that they're involved. And so I could only conclude that they really and truly did not want God's will because they never really sought God's will. So what they were saying when they made the statement they wanted God's will for their life was nothing more than a pious platitude or spiritual exaggeration or simply a hypocritical statement. Similarly, when most people come for counsel They really and truly do not want counsel.

[John Weaver] They will tell you, I need counseling. I need help. I want your advice. I want to know what the Bible says. They will tell you that, and then you discover what they really want is not your counsel, not your advice, not what the Word of God says, but what they want is your stamp of approval upon what they've already determined that they're going to do. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Jeremiah encountered such individuals in his ministry. Now we just read the first six verses of chapter 42. If you took just those first six verses alone, it would be enough to make any pastor's heart rejoice. I mean, because here's the people that come and say, we want the will of God. We want it and we're willing to do God's will whether we like it or not whether it's good or bad We want you just tell us what God's will is and that's exactly what we're going to do So they came to Jeremiah Jeremiah said fine I'm going to seek God's will for you and I'm going to give it to you if you look in verse 4 and Look what Jeremiah says. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you. Behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words, and it shall come to pass that once everything the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.

[John Weaver] I will keep nothing back from you. So these people then professed to desire and covet and want the will of God. Jeremiah said, wonderful. When God gives it to me, I'm going to give it to you. Full speed full force. I will hold nothing back now look in verses 5 and 6 after Jeremiah told them he would give it to them straight verse 5 then they said to Jeremiah the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord by God shall send thee to us whether it be good or Or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send thee, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just kind of give you the background so that you can understand the significance of this dialogue. What many people do not realize when you read the first six verses here is that Judah and Jerusalem have basically been destroyed. The temple has been destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has come in and there has been a multitude of Judahites killed and a multitude already taken into captivity as well. And so what Nebuchadnezzar has done is he took a Judahite by the name of Gadaliah and he made him governor over Judah and Jerusalem. And then he left just a few soldiers in that area as well. And basically, Gadaliah was to see that the people continue to support Nebuchadnezzar, but all they had to do was support him and they could go about their business because he had left in the land the very poorest of the people.

[John Weaver] Well, before they could ever really get settled down and start their farming and start their homes and get their lives back together again, tragedy struck. Because now all of a sudden, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, comes along and he murders Gadaliah, his assistants, and the Babylonian soldiers that Nebuchadnezzar had left. Wow. These people now realize they're in danger. They are in a very volatile situation. Because the country has basically been destroyed, and they're there, and before they ever have a chance to begin to rebuild, this happens again.

[John Weaver] And so they come to Jeremiah, and they said, look, we need to know God's will. We are in trouble. We are in desperate straits. You know, I wish folks in America could come to that realization as well of how desperate we really are, and we really need to know God's will. Now, they promised Jeremiah that if he would seek God's will and God revealed it to him, and he told God's will to them, that they would obey it whether they liked it or not. In fact, They even called God to be a witness for instance look at Jeremiah 42 in verse 5 Then they said to Jeremiah the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us If we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord by God shall send thee unto us Wow so now they call God himself as a Witness now I want you to stop and think about this These people are in a dangerous situation.

[John Weaver] They have not murdered Gedoliah. They have not murdered his assistants, nor the Babylonian soldiers. But they are assured that Nebuchadnezzar probably has heard by now, and he's probably going to take his wrath out upon the few people that are left. So they're In an emergency situation, so to speak, that's why they're asking Jeremiah, you better tell us what to do, and you better tell us what to do now.

[John Weaver] But look in verse 7. The Bible says it came to pass after 10 days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Isn't that amazing? We're in an emergency situation, and God doesn't speak for 10 days. Which teaches us something. It teaches us we may be impatient, but God is not. And we may be frightful and upset, but God is not. And it teaches us that God has absolute and total control even over the heathen. You remember the Bible says in Proverbs 21 and verse 1, listen carefully, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he willeth. So God has them in absolute control. The Babylonians, the enemy. Want you to look he understood that and he understood the people were afraid of Nebuchadnezzar So if you'll skip down to verse 11, and I'll come back to that verse momentarily, but look in verse 11 He says be not afraid of the king of Babylon of whom you were afraid Be not afraid of him said the Lord for I'm with you to save you and deliver you out of his hand well God says you don't have to be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar.

[John Weaver] I have him under control as well So they have come now to ask Jeremiah to seek God's will Jeremiah said look I'm going to do this and I promise you I'm going to tell you exactly what God says so if you'll skip down now to verse 7 and let's read through verse 9 and it came to pass after 10 days that the word of the Lord came into Jeremiah and Then called he Johanan the son of Korea and all the captains of the forces which were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest and said unto them Thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto whom you sent me to present your supplications before him now wait a minute go back if you would to verse 1 look at this then all the captains of the forces and And Johanna the son of Korea, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshea, and all the people from the least of the greatest came near." So it's a whole group of people that came to him and said, we want you to intercede for us.

[John Weaver] Now he calls this whole group back and said, I did. I did.

[John Weaver] Now the interesting thing is, Jeremiah is telling these people very plainly, Have that which you asked for I have the will of God for your lives and for your situation He could have bluntly said you asked for it You got it. I'm giving it to you Here is what God has said now. I want you to watch in verses 10 through 12. I God's will is revealed and at the same time God gives a promise Watch it Jeremiah 42 and verse 10 if you will still abide in this land Then I will build you and not pull you down and I will plant you and not pluck you up For I repent me of the

[John Weaver] evil that I've done unto you. I Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Be not afraid of him, said the Lord, for I am with you to save you and to deliver you out of his hand.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to be honest. I don't think it could be any plainer. God says, here is my will. I want you to abide in the land. As long as you stay in the land, I'm going to build you. I'm going to plant you. I'm going to sustain you. I'm going to provide for you. I'm going to protect you. That's all there is to it. It's my will that you stay in the land. Moreover, I not only want you to stay in the land, I want you to not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. And remember, he's called My servant by God. In other words, God had him on the leash. He was God's servant. He couldn't do anything except what God allowed. So God says, here's my will. You stay in the land. You be obedient. You do not be afraid. I'm going to take care of you.

[John Weaver] Now, watch if you would. Once God has given his will, along with the promises, he now gives a warning along with a curse. Look at it in verse 13. Verses 13 through 19. But if you say, we will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God, saying no, but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger or bread, and there will we dwell. And now therefore I hear the word of the Lord, you remnant of Judah. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, If you wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and to go to sojourn there, then it shall come to pass that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt. And the famine, whereof you were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt, and there you shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt, that sojourn there.

[John Weaver] They shall die by the sword, by the famine, by the pestilence, and none of them shall return or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, As my anger and my fury have been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so shall my fury be poured forth when you shall enter into Egypt, and you shall be in execration, and in astonishment, and in a curse, and in a reproach, and you shall see this place no more. The Lord hath said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Go you not into Egypt.

[John Weaver] Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. Now, I want you to note, God says, I'm going to give you a warning. My warning is this, you obey me, do not disobey me, do not go into Egypt. If you go into Egypt, you're going to be cursed. In fact, the curse is going to be the very thing that you're afraid of. The curse is going to be the very thing that you're running from right at this particular moment. Do not go into Egypt. You want to avoid the sword? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the pestilence? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the famine? Stay in the land. If you go to Egypt, you're running into it.

[John Weaver] Now, I hope, just reading this passage right now, I hope it makes you think of two passages in the Bible. The first one is Leviticus 26. And the second one is Deuteronomy 28. Because both of those passages deal with the blessings and the curses. So I want you to turn to Deuteronomy 28. I won't deal with Leviticus 26. But I want you to just see this. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 28. And we're going to first look at verses 1 and 2. By the way, when you hear the word Deuteronomy, Deuteros, is to or second and no mosses law it just simply means a second giving of the law first time the law was given was an exodus the second time in the book of Deuteronomy so look what he says in verses 1 and 2 of Deuteronomy chapter 28 God says, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments, which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the

[John Weaver] earth. And all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. Now, note if you would what God said. If you will obey me, then all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you.

[John Weaver] Now, skip down, if you would please, to verse 14. And by the way, all those blessings are enumerated from verse 3 through verse 13.

[John Weaver] Now, in verse 14, he said, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee to say to the right hand or to the left to go after other gods to serve them. It shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God to observe thee to all his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day, that all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. Now, I don't know if you put two and two together or not, but if you'll go back to verse two, he said, and all these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee. Now skip down to verse 15, and he said, and all these curses shall come upon thee and overtake thee. In other words, the wording is the same for the blessings and the curses. The blessings follow obedience and the curses follow disobedience. Like what he said and he said if you obey then all these things Shall come upon thee and notice this next phrase and overtake thee And then he also said the same thing in verse 15 if we disobey all these curses will come upon us And overtake us.

[John Weaver] So if you can just picture this in your mind Here you are obeying God to the best of your ability by his grace and God is blessing you like you would not believe and you you just say I just can't take it anymore I've got so many blessings. I just I I just don't need anymore. I can't handle them anymore. And you say, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to just run away from all these blessings.

[John Weaver] And here you are running down the road as fast, as furiously as you can. God says, my blessings will only come upon you. They'll overtake you. Lord, you can't run from them. God said they will catch up with you, knock you down and fall all over you. But he also said, if you disobey me, These curses are going to do the same thing. You can't outrun the curses of God. They will chase you down and knock you down and fall all over you.

[John Weaver] So God's Word has sanctions. There are negative sanctions. There are positive sanctions. The positive sanctions are the blessings and the negative sanctions are the curses. So this is exactly what Jeremiah is telling these people in Jeremiah chapter 42. He said, look, if you obey, Then I'm gonna build you. I'm gonna plant you. I'm gonna protect you. I'm gonna promote you I'm gonna provide for you, but if you don't obey and you go into Egypt Everything that you're afraid of that's exactly what you're going to run into now I want you to go back to Jeremiah 42 and I want you to look at verse 20 Jeremiah 42 and verse 20 look what Jeremiah tells him after he tells them God says do not go into Egypt and Verse 20, For you dissembled in your hearts when you sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord our God shall say,

[John Weaver] So declare unto us, and we will do it. Ah, Jeremiah said, You dissembled in your heart. What in the world does that mean? When he says you dissembled in your hearts, it meant you erred, you went astray, you were led astray, you were deceived, you played the hypocrite. They did not deceive God. And in our probability, they did not even deceive Jeremiah. They deceive themselves flip back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 17 and look at verses 9 and 10 Jeremiah 17 verses 9 and 10 Here's what God says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it For I, the Lord, search the heart, I try the reins, even

[John Weaver] to give to every man according to his doings, and according to the fruit of his doings." Now, he says in verse 9, the heart's deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and then this question, who can know it? And yet I've heard preachers say, and I've heard Christians say, well, if I know my heart then, and the truth of the matter is, you don't know your heart.

[John Weaver] And if you're honest with yourself, there are times that you have been serving the Lord and doing certain things and you think I'm doing this for God's honor and God's glory. I'm doing this for him. And all of a sudden God pulls the veil back from your eyes. And all of a sudden you see your pride and your wrong motives and your desire for vainglory. And you have to confess, Lord, I really wasn't doing this for you. I thought I was. But I'm trying to get something out of this for myself. That's what he said. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately weak. Who can know it? And only God knows our hearts perfectly, totally, and completely. So, the heart then is deceitful.

[John Weaver] And these men deceived their own selves. In Isaiah 44 and verse 20, which I'm going to deal with that passage in the not too distant future, But the Word of God says, talking about the wicked, he feedeth on ashes, a deceived heart hath turned him aside. And that's what happened here. A deceived heart had turned them aside.

[John Weaver] Now, let me be blunt with you. God knows our hearts. He knows our hypocrisy. He knows when we're trying to deceive Him. He knows when we're not being truthful and when we're not being honest. And when we think we're going to deceive God, we're only deceiving ourselves. It is impossible to deceive the omniscient, sovereign God of heaven and earth. It is absolutely impossible. What can you say about these people who came to Jeremiah and said, seek the Lord's will for us.

[John Weaver] You tell us, you tell us what it is. We're going to do it, whether we like it or not, we're going to do it. And they knew they were not going to do it. The only thing you can say, what a miserable, incorrigible people. I mean, ingratitude, hypocrisy, rebellion and cruelty. Was seemingly enthralled in their hearts they could care less for God and his will No You see man may think himself to be wise and astute and crafty, but the truth of the matter is You cannot fool the one true and the living God you cannot do so They assumed now listen to me They assumed Because of all the trouble in the land, and because of the possibility of Nebuchadnezzar coming back, they assumed that God would direct them to go into Egypt. And when He did not, they could not reconcile themselves to that reality and to that fact.

[John Weaver] So, let me just emphasize this again. It should be made clear that they consulted God not in an effort to determine what his will was so that they may do it they consulted God so that God could put his stamp of approval upon what they had already decided and determined to do whether it was God's will or not they just said We want to go into Egypt. I know God's going to tell us to go into Egypt. I just know it. And consequently, when he did not tell them that, they lost their common sense. I'm going to show you that. I want you to look, if you would, back to Jeremiah 42. Because these people are not going to obey God, the only thing left for them is the judgment of God. God's gonna judge them. God's gonna chastise them. So look in Jeremiah 42 beginning there verse 21 He says now I have this day declared it to you But you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God nor anything for which that he has sent me unto you now therefore know certainly That you shall die by the sword By

[John Weaver] the famine by the pestilence and the place with you desire to go and sojourn Wow Did you hear what he just said? Jeremiah said, I told you what God's will was. You didn't want it. I knew you weren't going to do it. And the only thing left for you and look what he said in verse 22.

[John Weaver] Now, therefore, no, certainly, in other words, mark it down. This is absolutely sure you're going to die by the sword, by the famine, by the pestilence. God's going to kill you. That's all there is to it.

[John Weaver] Now listen, when we disobey the Word of God, the only thing that we're doing is basically condemning ourselves. When we despise God's blessings, the only thing left are His curses. When we refuse life, the only thing left is death. When we refuse to obey, the only thing left is disobedience. The only thing left is that we are to die in our sins. Now I want you to listen to what God said to these people through the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 33 in verse 11, God said this, saying to them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? So when you refuse to repent, when you refuse to turn, the only thing left is death and judgment. That's it.

[John Weaver] It'd be wonderful if the people in this land could see that truth. Now, let me show you something. What happens next would be absolutely hilarious if it was not so pathetic. Do you realize that by nature man always tries to justify himself? And he always tries to justify his decisions, his actions. I've had people tell me over the years such things as this, when they have done wrong and they've been caught in it. They'll usually say something like this, You'd have done the same thing I did if you'd been in my shoes. You'd have said what I said if you'd been there.

[John Weaver] I had no other choice in the matter. I had to do what I had to do. Really? That's justifying yourself. That's saying, I did wrong, but, you know, I've got this taking care of.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to see what our Lord said. I want you to turn hold Jeremiah 42 We're coming right back. But look in your Bible. So Luke chapter 16 Luke chapter 16 and notice if you would verse 15 Look what he says Luke 16 verse 15 He's talking to the Pharisees In fact, if you look down in verse 14, and the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him. So now he's rebuking them. Watch in verse 15.

[John Weaver] And he said unto them, You are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Wow. He said, justify yourself all you want to. And you can have all the praise and recognition of men that you want to have, but it's an abomination in the sight of God. So, usually, when we sin, instead of confessing it, acknowledging it, and repenting of it, we try to justify our actions.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. How do these people try to justify their actions? They have come to Jeremiah and said, pray for us, intercede for us, give us God's will. We're going to do this. Whatever God says, that's exactly what we're going to do. And then he comes and tells them, and they don't want to hear what he has to say. I want you to notice something.

[John Weaver] This is why I said it would be hilarious if it was not so pathetic. How did they try to justify their sins and their rebellion? First of all, they tried to justify themselves by attacking Jeremiah and calling him a liar. Look in chapter 43, verses 1 and 2. And it came to pass that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words, Now watch verse 2. There's an interesting word that is found in verse 2. Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshehiah, and Johanan the son of Koreah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely. The Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there. What? Now wait a minute.

[John Weaver] One hand they're coming to him and saying pray for us intercede for us. You're God's man You're the prophet of God. You're the preacher of God now. They're saying fuck You're lying to us God never sent you to tell us not to go down into Egypt. What did they do? They vilified Jeremiah and And their vilification was extremely insolent and reproachful. They had already testified that he was God's man, that he was God's preacher, that he was God's prophet, and now they're saying he's a liar. He does not bring forth God's truth. So now they're accusing him of substituting his word for God's word. So basically now, they tell him off. You're just lying to us. You are not God's prophet. God did not send you to say this to us.

[John Weaver] Let me ask you a question. Why did they attack Jeremiah? You know the old concept, if you don't like the message, attack the messenger. Why did they attack Jeremiah? Here's why. Think about this. They're seeking to justify their rebellion. They're seeking to justify their sins. Now, Jeremiah comes and says, God said, do not go into Egypt. Do not go into Egypt. You stay in the land. They said, You're speaking this falsely. God did not say that and God did not send you to tell us that. So they're denying then that what he said is of God and of God's word. Therefore, it cannot be God's will. So now watch this. So now they're justifying their rebellion in their sins by saying this. In essence, we're not fighting against God. We're not resisting God. We're not in rebellion against God. What we're resisting is that preacher that's not telling the truth. It's all him. We're fighting against him. We're not fighting against God. So how do I justify my sin? How do I justify my rebellion?

[John Weaver] Well, that's his interpretation of scripture. That's not what God said. Well, I don't believe that. That's not the way I was taught. I've never heard that in my entire life. I've been in church all my life. I just don't believe that. I'll keep doing what I want to do. God hasn't convicted me of it. He's just making that up. And so now, I'm not in rebellion against God, I'm just resisting this preacher who's lying to me and not telling me the truth.

[John Weaver] So in essence, they're still trying to justify themselves. Men will oftentimes do that, and God's men oftentimes bear the brunt from a rebellious people who do not wish to appear to be in rebellion to God. I've known a number of godly men that have been run off from churches because the people did not want the word of God and did not want the will of God but yet at the same time they didn't want to appear to be fighting against God wow I heard one woman say it like this after they had run their preacher off well 21 Holy Ghost people could not be wrong really? they could if they are Going contrary to scripture? Sure they could. So, here's how they try to justify their attack on Jeremiah. Watch secondly. Here's another attack look in Jeremiah chapter 43 and verse 3 after they tell Jeremiah.

[John Weaver] He's preaching falsely He's lying now it gets even worse They say in verse 3 but Baruch the son of Nehemiah said of the young against us for deliver us for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans that they might put us to death and carry us away captives in the Babylon and Now I want you to mark something down the greatest integrity in God's men does not absolve them from reproaches Now look at what they're saying, but Baruch the son of Nehemiah saideth thee own against us now Jeremiah according to these people is such a numb skull and so weak brain. He can't even think for No, it's Baruch who sets him on the people. Baruch happened to be his scribe, his secretary, his amanuasis, and also happened to be a much younger man as well. And they're saying, It's Baroque. He hates us. He hates his own countrymen.

[John Weaver] He wants to see us slain. He wants Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of us. Jeremiah, the problem with you is you've been listening to your scribe. You've been listening to this much younger man. You've got to remember something. Back in the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, old men didn't listen to young men. Young men listen to old men, read the book of Job. And by the way, you have to remember, in the New Testament, in our Lord's day, a man was not even considered a man until he was 30 years of age. And so now they're saying, Baruch is the man who sets you on. And now, what they're doing is they're not only accusing Jeremiah of being a false prophet and speaking lies and giving his own message instead of God's message, Now they are accusing him of fraud and misrepresentation and allowing himself to be used for a very villainous purpose. And in actuality what he's doing is impersonating a prophet of God.

[John Weaver] Which of course merits a death penalty. I want you to understand something. This is not even logical. Their thinking is so perverted They cannot even think straight. Let me put it to you bluntly. Rebellion and sin destroy even common sense. You cannot fight against God and be in your right mind. And that's what these people were doing. They were fighting against God.

[John Weaver] Now, what was the result of their vile and vain accusations. Well, the result was that they had previously determined to go into Egypt and watch what happens beginning in verse 4 No matter what God says, watch verse 4, Jeremiah 43, so Johanan the son of Korea and all the captains of the force and all the people obeyed not the voice of the Lord to dwell in the land of Judah, but Johanan the son of Korea and all the captains of the forces all the remnant of Judah that were returned from all nations, whether they had been driven to dwell in the land of Judah, even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, had left with Gadaliah, the son of Hicam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neariah. So they came into the land of Egypt, for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord. Thus they came to Tampines.

[John Weaver] So, what did they do? They kidnapped Jeremiah, and they kidnapped Baruch, and probably some of the other people as well. They forced them to go into Egypt. Boy, you talk about intent on rebellion, and intent on sin. So, the question has to be asked, well, what are the consequences for what they have done? Well, I want you to see it. Let's begin in verse 8. We'll read through verse 13.

[John Weaver] Here's what's going to happen. Jeremiah chapter 43 verse 8. Here's what God says. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tampines, saying, So he's in Egypt. God speaks to him there. And God says, Take great stones in thine hand and hide them in the clay in the brick hill, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tampines. In the sight of the men of Judah, that is, those men who carried him down there, and say to them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have

[John Weaver] hid, and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as for death to death, and such as for captivity to captivity, and such as for the sword to the sword. And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captives. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on a garment, and he shall go forth from He shall break also the images of Beth Shemesh that is in the land of Egypt and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians Shall he burn with fire in other

[John Weaver] words God says here's the problem folks You are going to run into the very thing that you're running away from You wanted to get out of Judah because of the war and the famine and the pestilence guess what? You're going to need you You wanted to get out of Judah because of Nebuchadnezzar. Are you afraid of him? Guess what? He's going to be in Egypt. He's going to destroy Egypt and he's going to destroy you.

[John Weaver] When you have disobedience, you have destruction. I read years ago fable a story that was very impressive to me and It was told it was setting was in in Persia modern-day Iraq or Iran it is and About the man who was walking down the street or one of the cities And he met death Death was walking The opposite way and he and death stared each other in the eyes and the man turned around and ran and Death looked shocked And when the man escaped Someone looked at death and said Why were you so shocked? When you saw this man, he said well I'm surprised that he was here.

[John Weaver] Because I have an appointment with him tonight at midnight in Baghdad. So he ran from death and ran right into death. That's what these people were doing. That's what these people were doing. They said they wanted to know God's will. But they didn't. Let me tell you. Most people really do not want to know God's will. What we want to do is what we want to do. We want to do what we've determined in our hearts that needs to be done.

[John Weaver] These folks believe they needed to go to Egypt and get out of Judah and get out of harm's way. And yet they ran right into it. If they had listened to God, they would have been out of harm's way. I don't want to forget to say this, so let me say it now. The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God. That's the safest place. Okay?

[John Weaver] Now, let me make just two applications. The first one is this. Do you want the will of God in your life? Do you really, genuinely, and truly want the will of God in your life? If you want the will of God, you would read and study and listen to his word and apply it. If you really, truly, genuinely wanted the will of God, you would attend the preaching and teaching of his word with an open heart and a prayerful attitude.

[John Weaver] You would be asking the Lord to lead you, guide you, direct you, order your steps, establish your paths. You would have to say, it is not in man, O Lord, to direct his paths. You would have to say, order my steps in thy word, direct my paths, O Lord. And here's the truth. The truth is there's absolutely no excuse for a child of God not to know the will of God because we have his revealed will right in front of us. We know what God's revealed will is. I may not know his secretive will, but right now that's none of my business. My business is his revealed will. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 29, 29. One of my favorite verses, Deuteronomy 29, 29. Look at what the scripture says. Interestingly, Deuteronomy 29, 29. He says, The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. So I'm not to concern myself about God's secretive will.

[John Weaver] He will work that out in His providence. I'm to be concerned about His revealed will. And the Bible says in Ephesians 5 and verse 17, Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So He's commanded us to understand His will. The second application is very simple as well. When we sin, we must acknowledge it. We must confess and we must repent. We must turn from it.

[John Weaver] We can't sit back and try to justify our actions. There's no reason to justify our actions or justify our attitudes or justify our decisions. If they're wrong, they're wrong. The thing to do is to repent and acknowledge them. What does the Bible say in Proverbs 28 verse 13? Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy, but whosoever covereth his sin shall not prosper. So we cannot do like these people. We cannot try to justify those things which are wrong in our lives. We must acknowledge them and confess them and repent of them. And we must make sure that we stay right smack dab in the middle of the will of God. And when we ask God for His will, and He shows us, we need to do it and not make excuses. Let's pray.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask for Your blessing and Your help and Your direction. Lord, we do need Thy will. We do want Thy will. And we know that Thou art too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. Help us to trust Thee because Thou art our Father. Thou art our God. We love Thee and confess our need of Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, help us to live for Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

You Really Do Not Want to Know God's Will

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	112316143581
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-06-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	63

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Pious Claim of Wanting God's Will

Weaver notes that many Christians claim to want God's will but never genuinely seek it, revealing their statement as a pious platitude or hypocrisy.

In my 50 years of preaching, I've heard a multitude of Christians make a simple statement hundreds of times, and that simple statement is simply this: I only want the will of God for my life. Or, its equivalent would be something like this: I only want the will of God in this matter. Strangely enough, those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God never really seek it for their lives, or for the situation that they're involved in. And so I could only conclude that they really and truly did not want God's will, because they never really sought God's will. So what they were saying when they made the statement they wanted God's will for their life was nothing more than a pious platitude or spiritual exaggeration or simply a hypocritical statement. Similarly, when most people come for counsel, they really and truly do not want counsel.

The Remnant's Request and Promise (Jeremiah 42:1-6)

The remnant of Judah, in a desperate situation after Gedaliah's murder, asks Jeremiah to seek God's will and vows to obey it whether good or evil, calling God as witness.

Title of the message today is this: You really do not want to know God's will, do you? So you'll understand Jeremiah 42, beginning in verse 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, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: that the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.

I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.

God's Delayed Answer and Revealed Will (Jeremiah 42:7-12)

After ten days, God tells Jeremiah to instruct the people to remain in the land, promising to build, plant, and protect them, and to not fear Nebuchadnezzar.

But look in verse 7. The Bible says it came to pass after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Isn't that amazing? We're in an emergency situation, and God doesn't speak for ten days. Which teaches us something. It teaches us we may be impatient, but God is not. And we may be frightful and upset, but God is not. And it teaches us that God has absolute and total control even over the heathen. You remember the Bible says in Proverbs 21 and verse 1, listen carefully, The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. So God has them in absolute control. The Babylonians, the enemy. I want you to look, he understood that and he understood the people were afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. So if you'll skip down to verse 11, and I'll come back to that verse momentarily, but look in verse 11: He says, Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand. Well, God says you don't have to be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar.

I have him under control as well. So they have come now to ask Jeremiah to seek God's will. Jeremiah said, look, I'm going to do this and I promise you I'm going to tell you exactly what God says. So if you'll skip down now to verse 7 and let's read through verse 9: And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplications before him. Now wait a minute, go back if you would to verse 1, look at this: 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 unto the greatest, came near. So it's a whole group of people that came to him and said, we want you to intercede for us.

Now he calls this whole group back and said, I did. Now the interesting thing is, Jeremiah is telling these people very plainly, have that which you asked for. I have the will of God for your lives and for your situation. He could have bluntly said, you asked for it, you got it. I'm giving it to you. Here is what God has said. Now, I want you to watch in verses 10 through 12. God's will is revealed and at the same time God gives a promise. Watch it: Jeremiah 42 and verse 10, If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand.

evil that I've done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand. Now, I'm going to be honest. I don't think it could be any plainer. God says, here is my will. I want you to abide in the land. As long as you stay in the land, I'm going to build you. I'm going to plant you. I'm going to sustain you. I'm going to provide for you. I'm going to protect you. That's all there is to it. It's my will that you stay in the land. Moreover, I not only want you to stay in the land, I want you to not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. And remember, he's called my servant by God. In other words, God had him on the leash. He was God's servant. He couldn't do anything except what God allowed. So God says, here's my will. You stay in the land. You be obedient. You do not be afraid. I'm going to take care of you.

The Warning and Curse for Disobedience (Jeremiah 42:13-19)

God warns that if they flee to Egypt, the very sword, famine, and pestilence they fear will overtake them there, and they will die.

Now, watch if you would. Once God has given his will, along with the promises, he now gives a warning along with a curse. Look at it in verse 13. Verses 13 through 19: But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God, saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: and now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there.

They shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt. Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. Now, I want you to note, God says, I'm going to give you a warning. My warning is this: you obey me, do not disobey me, do not go into Egypt. If you go into Egypt, you're going to be cursed. In fact, the curse is going to be the very thing that you're afraid of. The curse is going to be the very thing that you're running from right at this particular moment. Do not go into Egypt. You want to avoid the sword? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the pestilence? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the famine? Stay in the land. If you go to Egypt, you're running into it.

The Principle of Blessings and Curses (Deuteronomy 28)

Weaver connects the passage to Deuteronomy 28, showing that blessings overtake obedience and curses overtake disobedience, and one cannot outrun either.

Now, I hope, just reading this passage right now, I hope it makes you think of two passages in the Bible. The first one is Leviticus 26. And the second one is Deuteronomy 28. Because both of those passages deal with the blessings and the curses. So I want you to turn to Deuteronomy 28. I won't deal with Leviticus 26. But I want you to just see this. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 28. And we're going to first look at verses 1 and 2. By the way, when you hear the word Deuteronomy, Deuteros, is two or second, and nomos, law; it just simply means a second giving of the law. First time the law was given was in Exodus, the second time in the book of Deuteronomy. So look what he says in verses 1 and 2 of Deuteronomy chapter 28. God says, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

Now, note if you would what God said. If you will obey me, then all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you. Now, skip down, if you would please, to verse 14. And by the way, all those blessings are enumerated from verse 3 through verse 13.

Now, in verse 14, he said, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. Now, I don't know if you put two and two together or not, but if you'll go back to verse 2, he said, and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee. Now skip down to verse 15, and he said, and all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. In other words, the wording is the same for the blessings and the curses. The blessings follow obedience and the curses follow disobedience. Like what he said, and he said if you obey then all these things shall come upon thee and notice this next phrase, and overtake thee. And then he also said the same thing in verse 15, if we disobey all these curses will come upon us and overtake us.

So if you can just picture this in your mind. Here you are obeying God to the best of your ability by his grace and God is blessing you like you would not believe and you just say, I just can't take it anymore. I've got so many blessings. I just don't need anymore. I can't handle them anymore. And you say, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to just run away from all these blessings.

And here you are running down the road as fast, as furiously as you can. God says, my blessings will only come upon you. They'll overtake you. Lord, you can't run from them. God said they will catch up with you, knock you down and fall all over you. But he also said, if you disobey me, these curses are going to do the same thing. You can't outrun the curses of God. They will chase you down and knock you down and fall all over you.

So God's Word has sanctions. There are negative sanctions. There are positive sanctions. The positive sanctions are the blessings and the negative sanctions are the curses. So this is exactly what Jeremiah is telling these people in Jeremiah chapter 42. He said, look, if you obey, then I'm going to build you. I'm going to plant you. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to promote you. I'm going to provide for you. But if you don't obey and you go into Egypt, everything that you're afraid of, that's exactly what you're going to run into. Now I want you to go back to Jeremiah 42 and I want you to look at verse 20. Jeremiah 42 and verse 20, look what Jeremiah tells him after he tells them God says do not go into Egypt. Verse 20: For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

The People's Deception and Rebellion Exposed (Jeremiah 42:20-22)

Jeremiah accuses them of dissembling in their hearts; they had already decided to go to Egypt and only sought God's stamp of approval. Their rebellion leads to certain judgment.

Ah, Jeremiah said, Ye dissembled in your hearts. What in the world does that mean? When he says you dissembled in your hearts, it meant you erred, you went astray, you were led astray, you were deceived, you played the hypocrite. They did not deceive God. And in all probability, they did not even deceive Jeremiah. They deceived themselves. Flip back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 17 and look at verses 9 and 10. Jeremiah 17 verses 9 and 10: Here's what God says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Now, he says in verse 9, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and then this question, who can know it? And yet I've heard preachers say, and I've heard Christians say, well, I know my heart. And the truth of the matter is, you don't know your heart. And if you're honest with yourself, there are times that you have been serving the Lord and doing certain things and you think, I'm doing this for God's honor and God's glory. I'm doing this for him. And all of a sudden God pulls the veil back from your eyes. And all of a sudden you see your pride and your wrong motives and your desire for vainglory. And you have to confess, Lord, I really wasn't doing this for you. I thought I was. But I'm trying to get something out of this for myself. That's what he said. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And only God knows our hearts perfectly, totally, and completely. So, the heart then is deceitful.

And these men deceived their own selves. In Isaiah 44 and verse 20, which I'm going to deal with that passage in the not too distant future, but the Word of God says, talking about the wicked, he feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside. And that's what happened here. A deceived heart had turned them aside.

Now, let me be blunt with you. God knows our hearts. He knows our hypocrisy. He knows when we're trying to deceive Him. He knows when we're not being truthful and when we're not being honest. And when we think we're going to deceive God, we're only deceiving ourselves. It is impossible to deceive the omniscient, sovereign God of heaven and earth. It is absolutely impossible. What can you say about these people who came to Jeremiah and said, seek the Lord's will for us.

You tell us, you tell us what it is. We're going to do it, whether we like it or not, we're going to do it. And they knew they were not going to do it. The only thing you can say, what a miserable, incorrigible people. I mean, ingratitude, hypocrisy, rebellion and cruelty was seemingly enthralled in their hearts. They could care less for God and his will. No. You see, man may think himself to be wise and astute and crafty, but the truth of the matter is, you cannot fool the one true and the living God. You cannot do so. They assumed, now listen to me, they assumed because of all the trouble in the land, and because of the possibility of Nebuchadnezzar coming back, they assumed that God would direct them to go into Egypt. And when He did not, they could not reconcile themselves to that reality and to that fact.

So, let me just emphasize this again. It should be made clear that they consulted God not in an effort to determine what his will was so that they may do it; they consulted God so that God could put his stamp of approval upon what they had already decided and determined to do, whether it was God's will or not. They just said, we want to go into Egypt. I know God's going to tell us to go into Egypt. I just know it. And consequently, when he did not tell them that, they lost their common sense. I'm going to show you that. I want you to look, if you would, back to Jeremiah 42. Because these people are not going to obey God, the only thing left for them is the judgment of God. God's going to judge them. God's going to chastise them. So look in Jeremiah 42 beginning at verse 21: He says, Now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. 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 and to sojourn.

Wow. Did you hear what he just said? Jeremiah said, I told you what God's will was. You didn't want it. I knew you weren't going to do it. And the only thing left for you—and look what he said in verse 22.

Now therefore know certainly, in other words, mark it down. This is absolutely sure: you're going to die by the sword, by the famine, by the pestilence. God's going to kill you. That's all there is to it.

Justifying Sin by Attacking the Messenger (Jeremiah 43:1-3)

The people call Jeremiah a liar, claiming Baruch set him against them, thus justifying their rebellion by discrediting the prophet rather than obeying God.

Now, let me ask you a question. How do these people try to justify their actions? They have come to Jeremiah and said, pray for us, intercede for us, give us God's will. We're going to do this. Whatever God says, that's exactly what we're going to do. And then he comes and tells them, and they don't want to hear what he has to say. I want you to notice something.

This is why I said it would be hilarious if it was not so pathetic. How did they try to justify their sins and their rebellion? First of all, they tried to justify themselves by attacking Jeremiah and calling him a liar. Look in chapter 43, verses 1 and 2: And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words, now watch verse 2. There's an interesting word that is found in verse 2: Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there. What? Now wait a minute.

On one hand they're coming to him and saying, pray for us, intercede for us. You're God's man. You're the prophet of God. You're the preacher of God. Now they're saying, you're lying to us. God never sent you to tell us not to go down into Egypt. What did they do? They vilified Jeremiah. And their vilification was extremely insolent and reproachful. They had already testified that he was God's man, that he was God's preacher, that he was God's prophet, and now they're saying he's a liar. He does not bring forth God's truth. So now they're accusing him of substituting his word for God's word. So basically now, they tell him off. You're just lying to us. You are not God's prophet. God did not send you to say this to us.

Let me ask you a question. Why did they attack Jeremiah? You know the old concept, if you don't like the message, attack the messenger. Why did they attack Jeremiah? Here's why. Think about this. They're seeking to justify their rebellion. They're seeking to justify their sins. Now, Jeremiah comes and says, God said, do not go into Egypt. Do not go into Egypt. You stay in the land. They said, You're speaking this falsely. God did not say that and God did not send you to tell us that. So they're denying then that what he said is of God and of God's word. Therefore, it cannot be God's will. So now watch this. So now they're justifying their rebellion and their sins by saying this. In essence, we're not fighting against God. We're not resisting God. We're not in rebellion against God. What we're resisting is that preacher that's not telling the truth. It's all him. We're fighting against him. We're not fighting against God. So how do I justify my sin? How do I justify my rebellion?

Well, that's his interpretation of scripture. That's not what God said. Well, I don't believe that. That's not the way I was taught. I've never heard that in my entire life. I've been in church all my life. I just don't believe that. I'll keep doing what I want to do. God hasn't convicted me of it. He's just making that up. And so now, I'm not in rebellion against God, I'm just resisting this preacher who's lying to me and not telling me the truth.

So in essence, they're still trying to justify themselves. Men will oftentimes do that, and God's men oftentimes bear the brunt from a rebellious people who do not wish to appear to be in rebellion to God. I've known a number of godly men that have been run off from churches because the people did not want the word of God and did not want the will of God, but yet at the same time they didn't want to appear to be fighting against God. Wow. I heard one woman say it like this after they had run their preacher off: well, 21 Holy Ghost people could not be wrong. Really? They could if they are going contrary to scripture. Sure they could. So, here's how they try to justify their attack on Jeremiah. Watch secondly. Here's another attack. Look in Jeremiah chapter 43 and verse 3, after they tell Jeremiah he's preaching falsely, he's lying, now it gets even worse.

They say in verse 3: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. Now I want you to mark something down: the greatest integrity in God's men does not absolve them from reproaches. Now look at what they're saying: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us. Now Jeremiah, according to these people, is such a numbskull and so weak-brained, he can't even think for himself. No, it's Baruch who sets him on the people. Baruch happened to be his scribe, his secretary, his amanuensis, and also happened to be a much younger man as well. And they're saying, It's Baruch. He hates us. He hates his own countrymen.

He wants to see us slain. He wants Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of us. Jeremiah, the problem with you is you've been listening to your scribe. You've been listening to this much younger man. You've got to remember something. Back in the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, old men didn't listen to young men. Young men listen to old men, read the book of Job. And by the way, you have to remember, in the New Testament, in our Lord's day, a man was not even considered a man until he was 30 years of age. And so now they're saying, Baruch is the man who sets you on. And now, what they're doing is they're not only accusing Jeremiah of being a false prophet and speaking lies and giving his own message instead of God's message, now they are accusing him of fraud and misrepresentation and allowing himself to be used for a very villainous purpose. And in actuality what he's doing is impersonating a prophet of God.

Forced Flight to Egypt and Consequences (Jeremiah 43:4-13)

The remnant disobeys, kidnaps Jeremiah and Baruch, and goes to Egypt. God pronounces that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and bring the very destruction they sought to escape.

So, what did they do? They kidnapped Jeremiah, and they kidnapped Baruch, and probably some of the other people as well. They forced them to go into Egypt. Boy, you talk about intent on rebellion, and intent on sin. So, the question has to be asked, well, what are the consequences for what they have done? Well, I want you to see it. Let's begin in verse 8. We'll read through verse 13.

Here's what's going to happen. Jeremiah chapter 43 verse 8: Here's what God says. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, So he's in Egypt. God speaks to him there. And God says, Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; that is, those men who carried him down there, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them. And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword. And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.

In other words, God says here's the problem folks. You are going to run into the very thing that you're running away from. You wanted to get out of Judah because of the war and the famine and the pestilence, guess what? You're going to meet it. You wanted to get out of Judah because of Nebuchadnezzar. Are you afraid of him? Guess what? He's going to be in Egypt. He's going to destroy Egypt and he's going to destroy you.

Applications: Genuinely Seeking God's Will and Repentance

Weaver challenges hearers to truly seek God's revealed will through Scripture and preaching, and to repent rather than justify sin, staying in the center of God's will.

Now, let me make just two applications. The first one is this. Do you want the will of God in your life? Do you really, genuinely, and truly want the will of God in your life? If you want the will of God, you would read and study and listen to his word and apply it. If you really, truly, genuinely wanted the will of God, you would attend the preaching and teaching of his word with an open heart and a prayerful attitude. You would be asking the Lord to lead you, guide you, direct you, order your steps, establish your paths. You would have to say, it is not in man, O Lord, to direct his paths. You would have to say, order my steps in thy word, direct my paths, O Lord. And here's the truth. The truth is there's absolutely no excuse for a child of God not to know the will of God because we have his revealed will right in front of us. We know what God's revealed will is. I may not know his secretive will, but right now that's none of my business. My business is his revealed will. Let me show you.

Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 29:29. One of my favorite verses, Deuteronomy 29:29. Look at what the scripture says. Interestingly, Deuteronomy 29:29: He says, The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. So I'm not to concern myself about God's secretive will. He will work that out in His providence. I'm to be concerned about His revealed will. And the Bible says in Ephesians 5 and verse 17, Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So He's commanded us to understand His will. The second application is very simple as well. When we sin, we must acknowledge it. We must confess and we must repent. We must turn from it.

We can't sit back and try to justify our actions. There's no reason to justify our actions or justify our attitudes or justify our decisions. If they're wrong, they're wrong. The thing to do is to repent and acknowledge them. What does the Bible say in Proverbs 28 verse 13? He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. So we cannot do like these people. We cannot try to justify those things which are wrong in our lives. We must acknowledge them and confess them and repent of them. And we must make sure that we stay right smack dab in the middle of the will of God. And when we ask God for His will, and He shows us, we need to do it and not make excuses. Let's pray.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Hypocrisy in Seeking God's Will

Summary: Many profess to want God's will but only seek approval for their predetermined plans, revealing a hypocritical heart.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God never really seek it for their lives... what they were saying... was nothing more than a pious platitude or spiritual exaggeration or simply a hypocritical statement.'

The Deceitfulness of the Human Heart

Summary: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, and people often deceive themselves about their own motives.

Evidence: Weaver cites Jeremiah 17:9-10 and says, 'the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked... you don't know your heart.'

Blessings and Curses as Sanctions of God's Law

Summary: Obedience brings blessings that overtake us; disobedience brings curses that overtake us, as outlined in Deuteronomy 28.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'the wording is the same for the blessings and the curses. The blessings follow obedience and the curses follow disobedience... you can't outrun the curses of God.'

Rebellion Destroys Common Sense

Summary: When people rebel against God, their thinking becomes perverted and illogical, leading them to justify sin irrationally.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Rebellion and sin destroy even common sense. You cannot fight against God and be in your right mind.'

The Danger of Self-Justification

Summary: Instead of repenting, people often justify their sins by attacking the messenger or rationalizing their actions, which is an abomination to God.

Evidence: Weaver references Luke 16:15 and says, 'justify yourself all you want to... it's an abomination in the sight of God.'

The Safety of Being in God's Will

Summary: The safest place for a child of God is in the center of His will, even when circumstances seem dangerous.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God.'

Key Arguments

People who claim to want God's will often do not genuinely seek it.

Summary: Weaver argues that the common Christian claim of wanting God's will is often a pious platitude, as evidenced by a lack of actual seeking.

Evidence: He says, 'those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God never really seek it for their lives.'

The remnant only sought God's approval, not His direction.

Summary: The people had already decided to go to Egypt and only consulted Jeremiah to get divine endorsement for their plan.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'they consulted God so that God could put his stamp of approval upon what they had already decided and determined to do.'

God's delayed answer demonstrates His sovereignty and our impatience.

Summary: The ten-day wait before God spoke shows that God is not bound by human emergencies and has absolute control over all rulers.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'We may be impatient, but God is not... God has absolute and total control even over the heathen.'

Disobedience leads to the very consequences we fear.

Summary: By fleeing to Egypt, the remnant ran directly into the sword, famine, and pestilence they sought to avoid, illustrating the principle of curses overtaking the disobedient.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you go to Egypt, you're running into it... the curse is going to be the very thing that you're afraid of.'

Attacking God's messenger is a common tactic to justify rebellion.

Summary: The people called Jeremiah a liar to avoid admitting they were rebelling against God, a pattern seen when people reject biblical preaching.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'if you don't like the message, attack the messenger... they're justifying their rebellion and their sins by saying... we're not fighting against God.'

We are accountable to God's revealed will, not His secret will.

Summary: Believers must focus on obeying the clear commands of Scripture rather than speculating about God's hidden purposes.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 29:29 and says, 'I may not know his secretive will, but right now that's none of my business. My business is his revealed will.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 42:1-6

Context: The remnant asks Jeremiah to seek God's will and vows to obey.

Jeremiah 42:4

Context: Jeremiah promises to declare everything God says without holding back.

Jeremiah 42:5-6

Context: The people call God as witness that they will obey His will.

Jeremiah 42:7-9

Context: After ten days, God's word comes to Jeremiah, and he summons the people.

Jeremiah 42:10-12

Context: God's will: remain in the land, and He will build, plant, and protect them.

Jeremiah 42:13-19

Context: Warning against going to Egypt; the feared calamities will overtake them there.

Jeremiah 42:20

Context: Jeremiah accuses them of dissembling in their hearts.

Jeremiah 42:21-22

Context: Judgment pronounced: they will die by sword, famine, and pestilence in Egypt.

Jeremiah 43:1-3

Context: The people accuse Jeremiah of lying and claim Baruch set him against them.

Jeremiah 43:4-7

Context: The remnant disobeys, takes Jeremiah and Baruch, and goes to Egypt.

Jeremiah 43:8-13

Context: God's prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and destroy them.

Jeremiah 17:9-10

Context: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; God searches the heart.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 14-15

Context: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, both overtaking the person.

Proverbs 21:1

Context: The king's heart is in the Lord's hand; He turns it wherever He wills.

Ezekiel 33:11

Context: God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires repentance.

Luke 16:15

Context: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for justifying themselves before men.

Deuteronomy 29:29

Context: Secret things belong to God; revealed things belong to us to obey.

Ephesians 5:17

Context: Be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Proverbs 28:13

Context: He who covers his sins will not prosper; confessing and forsaking brings mercy.

Isaiah 44:20

Context: A deceived heart turns a person aside; he feeds on ashes.

Historical References

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon

Context: The Babylonian king who destroyed Jerusalem and took many into captivity; the remnant feared his retaliation after Gedaliah's murder.

Gedaliah, governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar

Context: A Judahite made governor over the remnant; murdered by Ishmael, sparking the crisis.

Ishmael, son of Nethaniah

Context: The assassin who murdered Gedaliah, his assistants, and the Babylonian soldiers.

Baruch, son of Neriah

Context: Jeremiah's scribe and secretary; falsely accused by the remnant of inciting Jeremiah against them.

Johanan, son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah

Context: Leaders among the remnant who approached Jeremiah and later led the rebellion into Egypt.

Tahpanhes, a city in Egypt

Context: The location in Egypt where the remnant settled and where Jeremiah pronounced God's judgment.

Bethshemesh (in Egypt)

Context: A place in Egypt whose idols Nebuchadnezzar would break, mentioned in Jeremiah 43:13.

Important Quotes

I only want the will of God for my life.

Significance: Weaver identifies this as a common but often insincere statement among Christians.

what they really want is not your counsel, not your advice, not what the Word of God says, but what they want is your stamp of approval upon what they've already determined that they're going to do.

Significance: Highlights the core hypocrisy of seeking God's will while already having a predetermined plan.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Significance: Quoted to show that self-deception is inherent to human nature and only God truly knows the heart.

if you don't like the message, attack the messenger.

Significance: Summarizes the tactic used by the remnant to justify their rebellion against God's word.

Rebellion and sin destroy even common sense.

Significance: A key observation that persistent sin leads to irrational thinking and self-destruction.

The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God.

Significance: A practical application that obedience, not human calculation, provides true safety.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Significance: Quoted to emphasize that believers are responsible for obeying God's revealed will, not speculating about hidden purposes.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Significance: The biblical alternative to self-justification: honest confession and repentance.

Discussion Questions

In what ways might we be like the remnant, asking for God's will but really wanting His stamp on our own plans?

Context: Weaver argues that most people who claim to want God's will are actually seeking approval for their predetermined decisions.

How does the ten-day delay in God's answer challenge our expectations of immediate guidance?

Context: God waited ten days to answer the remnant's urgent request, teaching that He is not bound by our timetables.

Why is it so difficult to trust God's will when it seems counterintuitive or dangerous, like staying in the land?

Context: God commanded the remnant to remain in a seemingly vulnerable position, promising protection.

What are some modern examples of 'running to Egypt'—seeking safety or solutions outside of God's revealed will?

Context: The remnant fled to Egypt to escape perceived threats, only to encounter the very things they feared.

How can we guard against the self-deception described in Jeremiah 17:9?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the heart is deceitful and that we often do not know our own motives.

In what ways do we 'attack the messenger' today when confronted with uncomfortable biblical truth?

Context: The remnant called Jeremiah a liar to avoid obeying God's word.

What does it practically look like to 'stay in the middle of God's will' in daily decisions?

Context: Weaver concludes that the safest place is in God's will, which is found in His revealed Word.

How does the principle of Deuteronomy 29:29 free us from anxiety about God's secret will?

Context: We are responsible for obeying what God has revealed, not for figuring out His hidden purposes.

Applications

Genuinely seek God's will through Scripture and preaching.

Summary: If we truly want God's will, we will read, study, and listen to His Word with an open heart and prayerful attitude.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'If you want the will of God, you would read and study and listen to his word and apply it... attend the preaching and teaching of his word with an open heart and a prayerful attitude.'

Focus on God's revealed will, not His secret will.

Summary: We are accountable to obey the clear commands of Scripture rather than speculating about God's hidden purposes.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 29:29 and says, 'My business is his revealed will.'

Repent and confess sin rather than justify it.

Summary: When we sin, we must acknowledge, confess, and turn from it instead of making excuses or blaming others.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We can't sit back and try to justify our actions... The thing to do is to repent and acknowledge them.'

Stay in the center of God's will as the safest place.

Summary: Obedience to God's commands, even when it seems risky, is the place of true safety and blessing.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God.'

Do not seek God's approval for predetermined plans.

Summary: We must come to God with a willingness to change our plans, not merely to get endorsement for what we already want to do.

Evidence: Weaver warns against the attitude of 'what they want is your stamp of approval upon what they've already determined that they're going to do.'

Trust God's timing even in urgent situations.

Summary: God's delays are not denials; He is sovereign over all circumstances and His timing is perfect.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'We may be impatient, but God is not... God has absolute and total control even over the heathen.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:52:00Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T23:01:37Z

Clean Transcript

You Really Do Not Want to Know God's Will

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Title of the message today is this: You really do not want to know God's will, do you? So you'll understand Jeremiah 42, beginning in verse 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, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: that the Lord thy God may show us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.
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I will keep nothing back from you. Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us. Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
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In my 50 years of preaching, I've heard a multitude of Christians make a simple statement hundreds of times, and that simple statement is simply this: I only want the will of God for my life. Or, its equivalent would be something like this: I only want the will of God in this matter. Strangely enough, those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God never really seek it for their lives, or for the situation that they're involved in. And so I could only conclude that they really and truly did not want God's will, because they never really sought God's will. So what they were saying when they made the statement they wanted God's will for their life was nothing more than a pious platitude or spiritual exaggeration or simply a hypocritical statement. Similarly, when most people come for counsel, they really and truly do not want counsel.
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They will tell you, I need counseling. I need help. I want your advice. I want to know what the Bible says. They will tell you that, and then you discover what they really want is not your counsel, not your advice, not what the Word of God says, but what they want is your stamp of approval upon what they've already determined that they're going to do. It's just that simple.
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Jeremiah encountered such individuals in his ministry. Now we just read the first six verses of chapter 42. If you took just those first six verses alone, it would be enough to make any pastor's heart rejoice. I mean, because here's the people that come and say, we want the will of God. We want it and we're willing to do God's will whether we like it or not, whether it's good or bad. We want you just tell us what God's will is and that's exactly what we're going to do. So they came to Jeremiah. Jeremiah said, fine, I'm going to seek God's will for you and I'm going to give it to you. If you look in verse 4, look what Jeremiah says. Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you.
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I will keep nothing back from you. So these people then professed to desire and covet and want the will of God. Jeremiah said, wonderful. When God gives it to me, I'm going to give it to you. Full speed, full force. I will hold nothing back. Now look in verses 5 and 6, after Jeremiah told them he would give it to them straight. Verse 5: Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us; whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
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Now, let me just kind of give you the background so that you can understand the significance of this dialogue. What many people do not realize when you read the first six verses here is that Judah and Jerusalem have basically been destroyed. The temple has been destroyed. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has come in and there has been a multitude of Judahites killed and a multitude already taken into captivity as well. And so what Nebuchadnezzar has done is he took a Judahite by the name of Gedaliah and he made him governor over Judah and Jerusalem. And then he left just a few soldiers in that area as well. And basically, Gedaliah was to see that the people continue to support Nebuchadnezzar, but all they had to do was support him and they could go about their business because he had left in the land the very poorest of the people.
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Well, before they could ever really get settled down and start their farming and start their homes and get their lives back together again, tragedy struck. Because now all of a sudden, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, comes along and he murders Gedaliah, his assistants, and the Babylonian soldiers that Nebuchadnezzar had left. Wow. These people now realize they're in danger. They are in a very volatile situation. Because the country has basically been destroyed, and they're there, and before they ever have a chance to begin to rebuild, this happens again.
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And so they come to Jeremiah, and they said, look, we need to know God's will. We are in trouble. We are in desperate straits. You know, I wish folks in America could come to that realization as well of how desperate we really are, and we really need to know God's will. Now, they promised Jeremiah that if he would seek God's will and God revealed it to him, and he told God's will to them, that they would obey it whether they liked it or not. In fact, they even called God to be a witness. For instance, look at Jeremiah 42 in verse 5: Then they said to Jeremiah, The Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee unto us. Wow. So now they call God himself as a witness. Now I want you to stop and think about this. These people are in a dangerous situation.
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They have not murdered Gedaliah. They have not murdered his assistants, nor the Babylonian soldiers. But they are assured that Nebuchadnezzar probably has heard by now, and he's probably going to take his wrath out upon the few people that are left. So they're in an emergency situation, so to speak. That's why they're asking Jeremiah, you better tell us what to do, and you better tell us what to do now.
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But look in verse 7. The Bible says it came to pass after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. Isn't that amazing? We're in an emergency situation, and God doesn't speak for ten days. Which teaches us something. It teaches us we may be impatient, but God is not. And we may be frightful and upset, but God is not. And it teaches us that God has absolute and total control even over the heathen. You remember the Bible says in Proverbs 21 and verse 1, listen carefully, The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. So God has them in absolute control. The Babylonians, the enemy. I want you to look, he understood that and he understood the people were afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. So if you'll skip down to verse 11, and I'll come back to that verse momentarily, but look in verse 11: He says, Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand. Well, God says you don't have to be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar.
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I have him under control as well. So they have come now to ask Jeremiah to seek God's will. Jeremiah said, look, I'm going to do this and I promise you I'm going to tell you exactly what God says. So if you'll skip down now to verse 7 and let's read through verse 9: And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least to the greatest, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplications before him. Now wait a minute, go back if you would to verse 1, look at this: 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 unto the greatest, came near. So it's a whole group of people that came to him and said, we want you to intercede for us.
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Now he calls this whole group back and said, I did.
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Now the interesting thing is, Jeremiah is telling these people very plainly, have that which you asked for. I have the will of God for your lives and for your situation. He could have bluntly said, you asked for it, you got it. I'm giving it to you. Here is what God has said. Now, I want you to watch in verses 10 through 12. God's will is revealed and at the same time God gives a promise. Watch it: Jeremiah 42 and verse 10, If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand.
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evil that I've done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you out of his hand.
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Now, I'm going to be honest. I don't think it could be any plainer. God says, here is my will. I want you to abide in the land. As long as you stay in the land, I'm going to build you. I'm going to plant you. I'm going to sustain you. I'm going to provide for you. I'm going to protect you. That's all there is to it. It's my will that you stay in the land. Moreover, I not only want you to stay in the land, I want you to not be afraid of Nebuchadnezzar. And remember, he's called my servant by God. In other words, God had him on the leash. He was God's servant. He couldn't do anything except what God allowed. So God says, here's my will. You stay in the land. You be obedient. You do not be afraid. I'm going to take care of you.
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Now, watch if you would. Once God has given his will, along with the promises, he now gives a warning along with a curse. Look at it in verse 13. Verses 13 through 19: But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the Lord your God, saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: and now therefore hear the word of the Lord, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die. So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there.
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They shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more. The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt.
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Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. Now, I want you to note, God says, I'm going to give you a warning. My warning is this: you obey me, do not disobey me, do not go into Egypt. If you go into Egypt, you're going to be cursed. In fact, the curse is going to be the very thing that you're afraid of. The curse is going to be the very thing that you're running from right at this particular moment. Do not go into Egypt. You want to avoid the sword? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the pestilence? Stay in the land. You want to avoid the famine? Stay in the land. If you go to Egypt, you're running into it.
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Now, I hope, just reading this passage right now, I hope it makes you think of two passages in the Bible. The first one is Leviticus 26. And the second one is Deuteronomy 28. Because both of those passages deal with the blessings and the curses. So I want you to turn to Deuteronomy 28. I won't deal with Leviticus 26. But I want you to just see this. Look at Deuteronomy chapter 28. And we're going to first look at verses 1 and 2. By the way, when you hear the word Deuteronomy, Deuteros, is two or second, and nomos, law; it just simply means a second giving of the law. First time the law was given was in Exodus, the second time in the book of Deuteronomy. So look what he says in verses 1 and 2 of Deuteronomy chapter 28. God says, And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
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Now, note if you would what God said. If you will obey me, then all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you.
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Now, skip down, if you would please, to verse 14. And by the way, all those blessings are enumerated from verse 3 through verse 13.
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Now, in verse 14, he said, And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them. But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. Now, I don't know if you put two and two together or not, but if you'll go back to verse 2, he said, and all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee. Now skip down to verse 15, and he said, and all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. In other words, the wording is the same for the blessings and the curses. The blessings follow obedience and the curses follow disobedience. Like what he said, and he said if you obey then all these things shall come upon thee and notice this next phrase, and overtake thee. And then he also said the same thing in verse 15, if we disobey all these curses will come upon us and overtake us.
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So if you can just picture this in your mind. Here you are obeying God to the best of your ability by his grace and God is blessing you like you would not believe and you just say, I just can't take it anymore. I've got so many blessings. I just don't need anymore. I can't handle them anymore. And you say, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to just run away from all these blessings.
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And here you are running down the road as fast, as furiously as you can. God says, my blessings will only come upon you. They'll overtake you. Lord, you can't run from them. God said they will catch up with you, knock you down and fall all over you. But he also said, if you disobey me, these curses are going to do the same thing. You can't outrun the curses of God. They will chase you down and knock you down and fall all over you.
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So God's Word has sanctions. There are negative sanctions. There are positive sanctions. The positive sanctions are the blessings and the negative sanctions are the curses. So this is exactly what Jeremiah is telling these people in Jeremiah chapter 42. He said, look, if you obey, then I'm going to build you. I'm going to plant you. I'm going to protect you. I'm going to promote you. I'm going to provide for you. But if you don't obey and you go into Egypt, everything that you're afraid of, that's exactly what you're going to run into. Now I want you to go back to Jeremiah 42 and I want you to look at verse 20. Jeremiah 42 and verse 20, look what Jeremiah tells him after he tells them God says do not go into Egypt. Verse 20: For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us unto the Lord our God; and according unto all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.
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Ah, Jeremiah said, Ye dissembled in your hearts. What in the world does that mean? When he says you dissembled in your hearts, it meant you erred, you went astray, you were led astray, you were deceived, you played the hypocrite. They did not deceive God. And in all probability, they did not even deceive Jeremiah. They deceived themselves. Flip back in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 17 and look at verses 9 and 10. Jeremiah 17 verses 9 and 10: Here's what God says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
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Now, he says in verse 9, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and then this question, who can know it? And yet I've heard preachers say, and I've heard Christians say, well, I know my heart. And the truth of the matter is, you don't know your heart.
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And if you're honest with yourself, there are times that you have been serving the Lord and doing certain things and you think, I'm doing this for God's honor and God's glory. I'm doing this for him. And all of a sudden God pulls the veil back from your eyes. And all of a sudden you see your pride and your wrong motives and your desire for vainglory. And you have to confess, Lord, I really wasn't doing this for you. I thought I was. But I'm trying to get something out of this for myself. That's what he said. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? And only God knows our hearts perfectly, totally, and completely. So, the heart then is deceitful.
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And these men deceived their own selves. In Isaiah 44 and verse 20, which I'm going to deal with that passage in the not too distant future, but the Word of God says, talking about the wicked, he feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside. And that's what happened here. A deceived heart had turned them aside.
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Now, let me be blunt with you. God knows our hearts. He knows our hypocrisy. He knows when we're trying to deceive Him. He knows when we're not being truthful and when we're not being honest. And when we think we're going to deceive God, we're only deceiving ourselves. It is impossible to deceive the omniscient, sovereign God of heaven and earth. It is absolutely impossible. What can you say about these people who came to Jeremiah and said, seek the Lord's will for us.
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You tell us, you tell us what it is. We're going to do it, whether we like it or not, we're going to do it. And they knew they were not going to do it. The only thing you can say, what a miserable, incorrigible people. I mean, ingratitude, hypocrisy, rebellion and cruelty was seemingly enthralled in their hearts. They could care less for God and his will. No. You see, man may think himself to be wise and astute and crafty, but the truth of the matter is, you cannot fool the one true and the living God. You cannot do so. They assumed, now listen to me, they assumed because of all the trouble in the land, and because of the possibility of Nebuchadnezzar coming back, they assumed that God would direct them to go into Egypt. And when He did not, they could not reconcile themselves to that reality and to that fact.
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So, let me just emphasize this again. It should be made clear that they consulted God not in an effort to determine what his will was so that they may do it; they consulted God so that God could put his stamp of approval upon what they had already decided and determined to do, whether it was God's will or not. They just said, we want to go into Egypt. I know God's going to tell us to go into Egypt. I just know it. And consequently, when he did not tell them that, they lost their common sense. I'm going to show you that. I want you to look, if you would, back to Jeremiah 42. Because these people are not going to obey God, the only thing left for them is the judgment of God. God's going to judge them. God's going to chastise them. So look in Jeremiah 42 beginning at verse 21: He says, Now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. 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 and to sojourn.
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Wow. Did you hear what he just said? Jeremiah said, I told you what God's will was. You didn't want it. I knew you weren't going to do it. And the only thing left for you—and look what he said in verse 22.
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Now therefore know certainly, in other words, mark it down. This is absolutely sure: you're going to die by the sword, by the famine, by the pestilence. God's going to kill you. That's all there is to it.
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Now listen, when we disobey the Word of God, the only thing that we're doing is basically condemning ourselves. When we despise God's blessings, the only thing left are His curses. When we refuse life, the only thing left is death. When we refuse to obey, the only thing left is disobedience. The only thing left is that we are to die in our sins. Now I want you to listen to what God said to these people through the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel 33 and verse 11, God said this, Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? So when you refuse to repent, when you refuse to turn, the only thing left is death and judgment. That's it.
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It'd be wonderful if the people in this land could see that truth. Now, let me show you something. What happens next would be absolutely hilarious if it was not so pathetic. Do you realize that by nature man always tries to justify himself? And he always tries to justify his decisions, his actions. I've had people tell me over the years such things as this, when they have done wrong and they've been caught in it. They'll usually say something like this, You'd have done the same thing I did if you'd been in my shoes. You'd have said what I said if you'd been there.
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I had no other choice in the matter. I had to do what I had to do. Really? That's justifying yourself. That's saying, I did wrong, but, you know, I've got this taken care of.
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Now I want you to see what our Lord said. I want you to turn to—hold Jeremiah 42, we're coming right back. But look in your Bible to Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16 and notice if you would verse 15. Look what he says: Luke 16 verse 15. He's talking to the Pharisees. In fact, if you look down in verse 14, And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. So now he's rebuking them. Watch in verse 15.
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And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Wow. He said, justify yourself all you want to. And you can have all the praise and recognition of men that you want to have, but it's an abomination in the sight of God. So, usually, when we sin, instead of confessing it, acknowledging it, and repenting of it, we try to justify our actions.
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Now, let me ask you a question. How do these people try to justify their actions? They have come to Jeremiah and said, pray for us, intercede for us, give us God's will. We're going to do this. Whatever God says, that's exactly what we're going to do. And then he comes and tells them, and they don't want to hear what he has to say. I want you to notice something.
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This is why I said it would be hilarious if it was not so pathetic. How did they try to justify their sins and their rebellion? First of all, they tried to justify themselves by attacking Jeremiah and calling him a liar. Look in chapter 43, verses 1 and 2: And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, even all these words, now watch verse 2. There's an interesting word that is found in verse 2: Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there. What? Now wait a minute.
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On one hand they're coming to him and saying, pray for us, intercede for us. You're God's man. You're the prophet of God. You're the preacher of God. Now they're saying, you're lying to us. God never sent you to tell us not to go down into Egypt. What did they do? They vilified Jeremiah. And their vilification was extremely insolent and reproachful. They had already testified that he was God's man, that he was God's preacher, that he was God's prophet, and now they're saying he's a liar. He does not bring forth God's truth. So now they're accusing him of substituting his word for God's word. So basically now, they tell him off. You're just lying to us. You are not God's prophet. God did not send you to say this to us.
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Let me ask you a question. Why did they attack Jeremiah? You know the old concept, if you don't like the message, attack the messenger. Why did they attack Jeremiah? Here's why. Think about this. They're seeking to justify their rebellion. They're seeking to justify their sins. Now, Jeremiah comes and says, God said, do not go into Egypt. Do not go into Egypt. You stay in the land. They said, You're speaking this falsely. God did not say that and God did not send you to tell us that. So they're denying then that what he said is of God and of God's word. Therefore, it cannot be God's will. So now watch this. So now they're justifying their rebellion and their sins by saying this. In essence, we're not fighting against God. We're not resisting God. We're not in rebellion against God. What we're resisting is that preacher that's not telling the truth. It's all him. We're fighting against him. We're not fighting against God. So how do I justify my sin? How do I justify my rebellion?
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Well, that's his interpretation of scripture. That's not what God said. Well, I don't believe that. That's not the way I was taught. I've never heard that in my entire life. I've been in church all my life. I just don't believe that. I'll keep doing what I want to do. God hasn't convicted me of it. He's just making that up. And so now, I'm not in rebellion against God, I'm just resisting this preacher who's lying to me and not telling me the truth.
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So in essence, they're still trying to justify themselves. Men will oftentimes do that, and God's men oftentimes bear the brunt from a rebellious people who do not wish to appear to be in rebellion to God. I've known a number of godly men that have been run off from churches because the people did not want the word of God and did not want the will of God, but yet at the same time they didn't want to appear to be fighting against God. Wow. I heard one woman say it like this after they had run their preacher off: well, 21 Holy Ghost people could not be wrong. Really? They could if they are going contrary to scripture. Sure they could. So, here's how they try to justify their attack on Jeremiah. Watch secondly. Here's another attack. Look in Jeremiah chapter 43 and verse 3, after they tell Jeremiah he's preaching falsely, he's lying, now it gets even worse.
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They say in verse 3: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon. Now I want you to mark something down: the greatest integrity in God's men does not absolve them from reproaches. Now look at what they're saying: But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us. Now Jeremiah, according to these people, is such a numbskull and so weak-brained, he can't even think for himself. No, it's Baruch who sets him on the people. Baruch happened to be his scribe, his secretary, his amanuensis, and also happened to be a much younger man as well. And they're saying, It's Baruch. He hates us. He hates his own countrymen.
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He wants to see us slain. He wants Nebuchadnezzar to kill all of us. Jeremiah, the problem with you is you've been listening to your scribe. You've been listening to this much younger man. You've got to remember something. Back in the Old Testament, even in the New Testament, old men didn't listen to young men. Young men listen to old men, read the book of Job. And by the way, you have to remember, in the New Testament, in our Lord's day, a man was not even considered a man until he was 30 years of age. And so now they're saying, Baruch is the man who sets you on. And now, what they're doing is they're not only accusing Jeremiah of being a false prophet and speaking lies and giving his own message instead of God's message, now they are accusing him of fraud and misrepresentation and allowing himself to be used for a very villainous purpose. And in actuality what he's doing is impersonating a prophet of God.
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Which of course merits a death penalty. I want you to understand something. This is not even logical. Their thinking is so perverted they cannot even think straight. Let me put it to you bluntly. Rebellion and sin destroy even common sense. You cannot fight against God and be in your right mind. And that's what these people were doing. They were fighting against God.
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Now, what was the result of their vile and vain accusations? Well, the result was that they had previously determined to go into Egypt and watch what happens beginning in verse 4. No matter what God says, watch verse 4, Jeremiah 43: So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the Lord, to dwell in the land of Judah. But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah; even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the Lord: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
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So, what did they do? They kidnapped Jeremiah, and they kidnapped Baruch, and probably some of the other people as well. They forced them to go into Egypt. Boy, you talk about intent on rebellion, and intent on sin. So, the question has to be asked, well, what are the consequences for what they have done? Well, I want you to see it. Let's begin in verse 8. We'll read through verse 13.
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Here's what's going to happen. Jeremiah chapter 43 verse 8: Here's what God says. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, So he's in Egypt. God speaks to him there. And God says, Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; that is, those men who carried him down there, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
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And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword. And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace. He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
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In other words, God says here's the problem folks. You are going to run into the very thing that you're running away from. You wanted to get out of Judah because of the war and the famine and the pestilence, guess what? You're going to meet it. You wanted to get out of Judah because of Nebuchadnezzar. Are you afraid of him? Guess what? He's going to be in Egypt. He's going to destroy Egypt and he's going to destroy you.
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When you have disobedience, you have destruction. I read years ago a fable, a story that was very impressive to me. And it was told, its setting was in Persia, modern-day Iraq or Iran it is. And about the man who was walking down the street of one of the cities, and he met Death. Death was walking the opposite way, and he and Death stared each other in the eyes, and the man turned around and ran. And Death looked shocked. And when the man escaped, someone looked at Death and said, Why were you so shocked when you saw this man? He said, Well, I'm surprised that he was here, because I have an appointment with him tonight at midnight in Baghdad. So he ran from death and ran right into death. That's what these people were doing. That's what these people were doing. They said they wanted to know God's will. But they didn't. Let me tell you. Most people really do not want to know God's will. What we want to do is what we want to do. We want to do what we've determined in our hearts that needs to be done.
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These folks believed they needed to go to Egypt and get out of Judah and get out of harm's way. And yet they ran right into it. If they had listened to God, they would have been out of harm's way. I don't want to forget to say this, so let me say it now. The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God. That's the safest place. Okay?
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Now, let me make just two applications. The first one is this. Do you want the will of God in your life? Do you really, genuinely, and truly want the will of God in your life? If you want the will of God, you would read and study and listen to his word and apply it. If you really, truly, genuinely wanted the will of God, you would attend the preaching and teaching of his word with an open heart and a prayerful attitude.
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You would be asking the Lord to lead you, guide you, direct you, order your steps, establish your paths. You would have to say, it is not in man, O Lord, to direct his paths. You would have to say, order my steps in thy word, direct my paths, O Lord. And here's the truth. The truth is there's absolutely no excuse for a child of God not to know the will of God because we have his revealed will right in front of us. We know what God's revealed will is. I may not know his secretive will, but right now that's none of my business. My business is his revealed will. Let me show you.
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Look in your Bibles to Deuteronomy 29:29. One of my favorite verses, Deuteronomy 29:29. Look at what the scripture says. Interestingly, Deuteronomy 29:29: He says, The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. So I'm not to concern myself about God's secretive will.
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He will work that out in His providence. I'm to be concerned about His revealed will. And the Bible says in Ephesians 5 and verse 17, Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. So He's commanded us to understand His will. The second application is very simple as well. When we sin, we must acknowledge it. We must confess and we must repent. We must turn from it.
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We can't sit back and try to justify our actions. There's no reason to justify our actions or justify our attitudes or justify our decisions. If they're wrong, they're wrong. The thing to do is to repent and acknowledge them. What does the Bible say in Proverbs 28 verse 13? He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. So we cannot do like these people. We cannot try to justify those things which are wrong in our lives. We must acknowledge them and confess them and repent of them. And we must make sure that we stay right smack dab in the middle of the will of God. And when we ask God for His will, and He shows us, we need to do it and not make excuses. Let's pray.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask for Your blessing and Your help and Your direction. Lord, we do need Thy will. We do want Thy will. And we know that Thou art too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. Help us to trust Thee because Thou art our Father. Thou art our God. We love Thee and confess our need of Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, help us to live for Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we do ask for Your blessing and Your help and Your direction. Lord, we do need Thy will. We do want Thy will. And we know that Thou art too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake. Help us to trust Thee because Thou art our Father. Thou art our God. We love Thee and confess our need of Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, help us to live for Thee. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:52:00Z

You Really Do Not Want to Know God's Will

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Jeremiah 42–43, where the remnant of Judah asks Jeremiah to seek God's will, promising to obey regardless of the answer. After ten days, God instructs them to remain in the land, promising blessing and protection, and warns against fleeing to Egypt. The people reject God's word, accuse Jeremiah of lying, and forcibly go to Egypt, bringing judgment upon themselves. Weaver argues that most people who claim to want God's will actually seek approval for their own plans, and that rebellion destroys common sense. He applies the passage by urging genuine seeking of God's revealed will and repentance rather than self-justification.

Introduction: The Pious Claim of Wanting God's Will

Weaver notes that many Christians claim to want God's will but never genuinely seek it, revealing their statement as a pious platitude or hypocrisy.

The Remnant's Request and Promise (Jeremiah 42:1-6)

The remnant of Judah, in a desperate situation after Gedaliah's murder, asks Jeremiah to seek God's will and vows to obey it whether good or evil, calling God as witness.

God's Delayed Answer and Revealed Will (Jeremiah 42:7-12)

After ten days, God tells Jeremiah to instruct the people to remain in the land, promising to build, plant, and protect them, and to not fear Nebuchadnezzar.

The Warning and Curse for Disobedience (Jeremiah 42:13-19)

God warns that if they flee to Egypt, the very sword, famine, and pestilence they fear will overtake them there, and they will die.

The Principle of Blessings and Curses (Deuteronomy 28)

Weaver connects the passage to Deuteronomy 28, showing that blessings overtake obedience and curses overtake disobedience, and one cannot outrun either.

The People's Deception and Rebellion Exposed (Jeremiah 42:20-22)

Jeremiah accuses them of dissembling in their hearts; they had already decided to go to Egypt and only sought God's stamp of approval. Their rebellion leads to certain judgment.

Justifying Sin by Attacking the Messenger (Jeremiah 43:1-3)

The people call Jeremiah a liar, claiming Baruch set him against them, thus justifying their rebellion by discrediting the prophet rather than obeying God.

Forced Flight to Egypt and Consequences (Jeremiah 43:4-13)

The remnant disobeys, kidnaps Jeremiah and Baruch, and goes to Egypt. God pronounces that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and bring the very destruction they sought to escape.

Applications: Genuinely Seeking God's Will and Repentance

Weaver challenges hearers to truly seek God's revealed will through Scripture and preaching, and to repent rather than justify sin, staying in the center of God's will.

You Really Do Not Want to Know God's Will

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	112316143581
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: Promises Of The Law
Genre	Sermon
Date	2016-06-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 042: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: God's Answer to America's Problems — Chapter 16
Source Timed Segments	63

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Pious Claim of Wanting God's Will: Weaver notes that many Christians claim to want God's will but never genuinely seek it, revealing their statement as a pious platitude or hypocrisy.
The Remnant's Request and Promise (Jeremiah 42:1-6): The remnant of Judah, in a desperate situation after Gedaliah's murder, asks Jeremiah to seek God's will and vows to obey it whether good or evil, calling God as witness.
God's Delayed Answer and Revealed Will (Jeremiah 42:7-12): After ten days, God tells Jeremiah to instruct the people to remain in the land, promising to build, plant, and protect them, and to not fear Nebuchadnezzar.
The Warning and Curse for Disobedience (Jeremiah 42:13-19): God warns that if they flee to Egypt, the very sword, famine, and pestilence they fear will overtake them there, and they will die.
The Principle of Blessings and Curses (Deuteronomy 28): Weaver connects the passage to Deuteronomy 28, showing that blessings overtake obedience and curses overtake disobedience, and one cannot outrun either.
The People's Deception and Rebellion Exposed (Jeremiah 42:20-22): Jeremiah accuses them of dissembling in their hearts; they had already decided to go to Egypt and only sought God's stamp of approval. Their rebellion leads to certain judgment.
Justifying Sin by Attacking the Messenger (Jeremiah 43:1-3): The people call Jeremiah a liar, claiming Baruch set him against them, thus justifying their rebellion by discrediting the prophet rather than obeying God.
Forced Flight to Egypt and Consequences (Jeremiah 43:4-13): The remnant disobeys, kidnaps Jeremiah and Baruch, and goes to Egypt. God pronounces that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and bring the very destruction they sought to escape.
Applications: Genuinely Seeking God's Will and Repentance: Weaver challenges hearers to truly seek God's revealed will through Scripture and preaching, and to repent rather than justify sin, staying in the center of God's will.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

People who claim to want God's will often do not genuinely seek it.

Weaver argues that the common Christian claim of wanting God's will is often a pious platitude, as evidenced by a lack of actual seeking.

He says, 'those who say that they really genuinely and truly want the will of God never really seek it for their lives.'

The remnant only sought God's approval, not His direction.

The people had already decided to go to Egypt and only consulted Jeremiah to get divine endorsement for their plan.

Weaver states, 'they consulted God so that God could put his stamp of approval upon what they had already decided and determined to do.'

God's delayed answer demonstrates His sovereignty and our impatience.

The ten-day wait before God spoke shows that God is not bound by human emergencies and has absolute control over all rulers.

Weaver notes, 'We may be impatient, but God is not... God has absolute and total control even over the heathen.'

Disobedience leads to the very consequences we fear.

By fleeing to Egypt, the remnant ran directly into the sword, famine, and pestilence they sought to avoid, illustrating the principle of curses overtaking the disobedient.

Weaver says, 'If you go to Egypt, you're running into it... the curse is going to be the very thing that you're afraid of.'

Attacking God's messenger is a common tactic to justify rebellion.

The people called Jeremiah a liar to avoid admitting they were rebelling against God, a pattern seen when people reject biblical preaching.

Weaver explains, 'if you don't like the message, attack the messenger... they're justifying their rebellion and their sins by saying... we're not fighting against God.'

We are accountable to God's revealed will, not His secret will.

Believers must focus on obeying the clear commands of Scripture rather than speculating about God's hidden purposes.

Weaver cites Deuteronomy 29:29 and says, 'I may not know his secretive will, but right now that's none of my business. My business is his revealed will.'

Scripture References

Jeremiah 42:1-6: The remnant asks Jeremiah to seek God's will and vows to obey.
Jeremiah 42:4: Jeremiah promises to declare everything God says without holding back.
Jeremiah 42:5-6: The people call God as witness that they will obey His will.
Jeremiah 42:7-9: After ten days, God's word comes to Jeremiah, and he summons the people.
Jeremiah 42:10-12: God's will: remain in the land, and He will build, plant, and protect them.
Jeremiah 42:13-19: Warning against going to Egypt; the feared calamities will overtake them there.
Jeremiah 42:20: Jeremiah accuses them of dissembling in their hearts.
Jeremiah 42:21-22: Judgment pronounced: they will die by sword, famine, and pestilence in Egypt.
Jeremiah 43:1-3: The people accuse Jeremiah of lying and claim Baruch set him against them.
Jeremiah 43:4-7: The remnant disobeys, takes Jeremiah and Baruch, and goes to Egypt.
Jeremiah 43:8-13: God's prophecy that Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and destroy them.
Jeremiah 17:9-10: The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; God searches the heart.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 14-15: Blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, both overtaking the person.
Proverbs 21:1: The king's heart is in the Lord's hand; He turns it wherever He wills.
Ezekiel 33:11: God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked but desires repentance.
Luke 16:15: Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for justifying themselves before men.
Deuteronomy 29:29: Secret things belong to God; revealed things belong to us to obey.
Ephesians 5:17: Be not unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Proverbs 28:13: He who covers his sins will not prosper; confessing and forsaking brings mercy.
Isaiah 44:20: A deceived heart turns a person aside; he feeds on ashes.

Historical References

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon: The Babylonian king who destroyed Jerusalem and took many into captivity; the remnant feared his retaliation after Gedaliah's murder.
Gedaliah, governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar: A Judahite made governor over the remnant; murdered by Ishmael, sparking the crisis.
Ishmael, son of Nethaniah: The assassin who murdered Gedaliah, his assistants, and the Babylonian soldiers.
Baruch, son of Neriah: Jeremiah's scribe and secretary; falsely accused by the remnant of inciting Jeremiah against them.
Johanan, son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah: Leaders among the remnant who approached Jeremiah and later led the rebellion into Egypt.
Tahpanhes, a city in Egypt: The location in Egypt where the remnant settled and where Jeremiah pronounced God's judgment.
Bethshemesh (in Egypt): A place in Egypt whose idols Nebuchadnezzar would break, mentioned in Jeremiah 43:13.

Important Quotes

I only want the will of God for my life.

Weaver identifies this as a common but often insincere statement among Christians.

what they really want is not your counsel, not your advice, not what the Word of God says, but what they want is your stamp of approval upon what they've already determined that they're going to do.

Highlights the core hypocrisy of seeking God's will while already having a predetermined plan.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Quoted to show that self-deception is inherent to human nature and only God truly knows the heart.

if you don't like the message, attack the messenger.

Summarizes the tactic used by the remnant to justify their rebellion against God's word.

Rebellion and sin destroy even common sense.

A key observation that persistent sin leads to irrational thinking and self-destruction.

The safest place for any child of God is right smack dab in the middle of the will of God.

A practical application that obedience, not human calculation, provides true safety.

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Quoted to emphasize that believers are responsible for obeying God's revealed will, not speculating about hidden purposes.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

The biblical alternative to self-justification: honest confession and repentance.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways might we be like the remnant, asking for God's will but really wanting His stamp on our own plans?

[Context]

Weaver argues that most people who claim to want God's will are actually seeking approval for their predetermined decisions.

[Question]

How does the ten-day delay in God's answer challenge our expectations of immediate guidance?

[Context]

God waited ten days to answer the remnant's urgent request, teaching that He is not bound by our timetables.

[Question]

Why is it so difficult to trust God's will when it seems counterintuitive or dangerous, like staying in the land?

[Context]

God commanded the remnant to remain in a seemingly vulnerable position, promising protection.

[Question]

What are some modern examples of 'running to Egypt'—seeking safety or solutions outside of God's revealed will?

[Context]

The remnant fled to Egypt to escape perceived threats, only to encounter the very things they feared.

[Question]

How can we guard against the self-deception described in Jeremiah 17:9?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the heart is deceitful and that we often do not know our own motives.

[Question]

In what ways do we 'attack the messenger' today when confronted with uncomfortable biblical truth?

[Context]

The remnant called Jeremiah a liar to avoid obeying God's word.

[Question]

What does it practically look like to 'stay in the middle of God's will' in daily decisions?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that the safest place is in God's will, which is found in His revealed Word.

[Question]

How does the principle of Deuteronomy 29:29 free us from anxiety about God's secret will?

[Context]

We are responsible for obeying what God has revealed, not for figuring out His hidden purposes.

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