Proper Fear
8/4/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 41-42)
Main Idea: Fear of the Lord and fear of man are mutually exclusive.
A Look at the Text:
Jeremiah 41 opens with the tragic fulfillment of a warning. In the previous chapter, Gedaliah, the appointed governor of Judah under Babylonian rule, was warned of a commander who intended to kill him (Jer. 40:13-16).
Things were presently at peace in Judah. The remnant of the people had come together and had gathered a large harvest (Jer. 40:12). Yet the time of peace and prosperity wouldn’t last.
As predicted, Gedaliah was murdered (Jer. 41:2).
Ishmael, a former captain of Judean forces in the countryside, killed the new governor during a meal. Even more, he took much of the remnant captive (Jer. 41:2-10). In response, Johanan, another captain from the countryside and the same man who had warned Gedaliah, went to deliver the captives from Ishmael’s hand and succeeded (Jer. 41:11-14).
At this point, the greater problem was the peace that was suddenly shattered in Judah. It didn’t take long for rebellious hearts to bring about more disaster.
Johanan was certain that there would be consequences for the murder of the governor even though he wasn’t the guilty party. So, in fear of Babylon, the remnant determined to leave the land of Judah and head to Egypt (Jer. 41:17-18).
But first, they sought the prophet, Jeremiah. They wanted to know what to do (Jer. 42:3). In response, Jeremiah told them not to fear but to remain in the land of Judah (Jer. 42:10-12). God was done with disaster (Jer. 42:11). Instead, they would prosper there. Apparently, they wouldn’t be held guilty for the murderous work of Ishmael.
Additionally, the people were warned about going to Egypt. If they would flee the sword by trusting in Egypt, they would actually die by the sword (Jer. 42:14-16). The people said they wanted to hear the word of the Lord, but their actions would prove whether that was actually true.
Bringing it Home:
The fear of man and fear of God are mutually exclusive. For Johanan and the remnant in Judah, they were essentially given a test: would they fear the king of Babylon and flee to Egypt, or would they fear Yahweh and trust His word through His prophet?
The collapse of Judah was the direct result of ignoring God’s decrees. It was the consequence of refusing repentance no matter how many times the prophets pled with them. Ultimately, the words of the prophets came true when Jerusalem was reduced to rubble.
Shockingly, the people who lived through that entire time still struggled to trust that God was the Sovereign reigning on His heavenly throne. The fear of man was motivating their plans more than the fear of God.
This passage presents a great challenge to us even today: Whom do we really fear?
The fear of man will cause us to disobey God and His Word.
The fear of God will cause us, at times, to disobey men.
Where do we stand?