Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Jeremiah 42:1-6
The People Approach Jeremiah And Seek Guidance, Giving The Impression Of Wanting To Obey YHWH (Jeremiah 42:1).
As a result of what had happened to Jerusalem Jeremiah had now been proved to be a true prophet of YHWH. Thus on finding him among the captives the people came to him ostensibly in order to receive the word of YHWH. What they really wanted was a religious assurance that the plan which they had formulated was the right one. They wanted God to back up their plans, rather than themselves wanting to fall into line with God's plans.
There may be a deliberate parallel between what is said here and what is said in Exodus 24. In both cases the covenant is renewed with a promise being made by the people that they would obey it. It is setting the scene in both cases for their future disobedience.
‘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 to the greatest, came near,'
It would appear that Johanan was the recognised leader of the military forces, probably by common consent of the commanders, with the son(s) of Hoshaiah possibly being the recognised leaders of the people in general. Compare Jeremiah 43:1 where Azariah the son of Hoshaiah takes precedence over Johanan in dealing with Jeremiah's prophecy. Jezaniah as used here may simply have been another name for Azariah, or it may be that the two were brothers, both belonging to the same aristocratic family. He may or may not have been the same person as Jezaniah the Maachathite (Jeremiah 40:8). But it is emphasised here that both they, and all from highest to lowest, were concerned to seek Jeremiah's support for their venture. This is speaking, of course, of those who were planning the flight to Egypt. Purportedly they wanted YHWH's guidance. Actually it would turn out that they simply wanted to be told that they were right. It was not that they were deliberately dishonest. They genuinely wanted God's will, but only as long as it conformed to theirs. And we must remember that they lived in a day when turning to the divine about future plans was looked on as the necessary thing to do. The gods were always consulted before any great enterprise. It is not therefore their religious sincerity which is in doubt but the condition of their hearts.
‘And said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let, we pray you, our supplication be presented before you, and pray for us to YHWH your God, even for all this remnant, for we are left but a few of many, as your eyes do behold us, that YHWH your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do.”
For the last phrase compare Exodus 18:20. Outwardly their hopes were very pious. They wanted to know YHWH's will and to do it. Indeed they claimed that they wanted to walk in the way of YHWH. And so they asked Jeremiah to pray to YHWH so that He would guide them (as it will turn out, as so often with us today, it was on condition that He said what they wanted Him to say). Note the reference to the remnant. They were very conscious that their once well populated land was now comparatively sparsely populated, mainly through slaughter, and through death by means of famine and pestilence, and through fleeing as refugees, rather than through exile, for only the cream of the people had actually been exiled. Isaiah in Jeremiah 6:11 had prophesied that Judah would be reduced to a remnant and that even that remnant would need to be purged. Here now was a remnant but it will soon become apparent that they too need to be purged. Outwardly, however, they give the impression of having learned their lesson.
Note that here they speak of ‘YHWH your God', the idea being that Jeremiah was very much YHWH's prophet, and that YHWH was the One from Whom he received His prophecies. Other prophets would go to other gods and even many gods, but they knew that Jeremiah had only one God.
‘Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to YHWH your God according to your words; and it will come about that whatever thing YHWH will answer you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
Jeremiah then assured them that he had heard their cry for help, and that he would pray to YHWH on their behalf as they had requested. He further promised that he would assuredly tell them what YHWH's answer to them was, and would keep nothing back from them. This emphasis suggests that Jeremiah was already aware that his reply was not likely to please them. He knew that God did not want His people to return to Egypt (compare Isaiah 30:1; Hosea 11; Ezekiel 17:15; and often). Egypt was doomed (Ezekiel 29-32)
Note again the designation ‘YHWH your God', this time spoken to the people. Jeremiah wants them to recognise in their turn that YHWH is their sole God too, the God to Whom they owe covenant responsibility, and the God Who is interested in their concerns.
‘Then they said to Jeremiah, “YHWH be a true and faithful witness amongst us, if we do not according to all the word with which YHWH your God will send you to us.” '
In bold words they asserted their determination to obey YHWH. They called on YHWH to act as a true and faithful prosecuting witness among them if they failed to obey His words which would He would send to them through Jeremiah. In other words they were indicating that they would be prepared to face up to a searching examination of their obedience. It was a powerfully phrased request. All seemed set well for the future. In this confident declaration we discover a decided similarity with similar declarations in the past. It indicated confirmation of the covenant. See Exodus 24:3; Exodus 24:7; and compare Joshua 24:21.
‘Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of YHWH our God, to whom we send you, that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of YHWH our God.'
Indeed, they declared, they would obey the voice of YHWH through Jeremiah whether it spoke good or evil, in other words whatever it spoke, so that it might be well with them. The thought was pious and theologically correct. The problem was that they meant it only if it fitted in with their own ideas of what they should do, something common to many of us in our dealings with God.
Note that taking up Jeremiah's indication that YHWH was ‘their God' they now themselves spoke of Him as ‘our God'. By this they were acknowledging their responsibility to look only to Him as their only God and to obey and worship Him.