42 Then all the [a]commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition [b]come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, 3 that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” 4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole [c]message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole [d]message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. 6 Whether it is [e]pleasant or [f]unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”
7 Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the [g]commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I [h]will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil.
When we left the people last time, they had paused in Chimham, with the intent of going to Egypt. After Ishmael’s uprising and murder of Gedaliah, they were rightfully afraid that the king of Babylon might just come and wipe them all out for this act of defiance. Never mind that they got rid of Ishmael and rescued the people. For the king of Babylon had been somewhat generous to this remnant and attempted to install some sort of order. Then along comes Ishmael and effectively spits in his face by killing his duly appointed “deputy”.
So here they are, wanting to go to Egypt, but it seems there was either some dissension, or someone remembered Jeremiah and his messages from God. They ask Jeremiah, should we go or should we say? He takes their message to God, and after ten long days, the message is finally here. Just as God had told them before, they are to stay and submit to Babylon.
Why? What could possibly allay the wrath of Babylon? We see the answer in vv. 11-12, “for I am with you… and I will also show you compassion, so that he (the king of Babylon) will have compassion on you…” Though God doesn’t promise us a life of ease–and really, not much about their lives in this forsaken land would be easy–He does promise to be with us.
That was God’s promise to this small remnant of Israel, and it was exactly what Jesus told His followers before His ascension, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Funny thing to say right before He leaves, but God is spirit, and didn’t need a body to remain with them, or with us. And that’s always the hard part, when we can’t see God, to remember that He is here.
See, it doesn’t even really matter that He made the promise, God didn’t need to. It is His nature to be always present, always with us, right now, right here. Let that one sink in for a minute, God is right there, wherever you are, reading this–whether it is in a few hours, days, or even years later, God will still be there. He is there for you, no matter what happens. Thank God for His enduring presence, and let Him fill you with hope and joy (and more) to face each new day.