There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt. – Jeremiah 43:13

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 30, 2014): Jeremiah 43

I sometimes wonder about the way – the sequence of events – that things happen in in the Bible. I have to admit that I am not convinced that the future is fixed. I really believe that it is fluid and that we serve a passionate God who is moved by all of our actions – both our obedience and our disobedience – and because of these moments, the future changes. It is not that I do not believe that God knows the future. I actually believe the reverse. God knows all of the possible futures and all of the possible outcomes – but what actually happens is a joint decision between us and God. And I do know that that is a radical thought. And for me the proof is in texts like this one.

Jeremiah tells the people that God has spoken and he does not want them to run to Egypt; that the safest place for them to exist was right where they were in Judah – the land that God had promised to his people. But the people were convinced that safety was found in Egypt. And it was not a belief that was without merit. Nebuchadnezzar had already tried to defeat Egypt and Egypt had won the battle. It was at this moment of loss that Nebuchadnezzar turned his eyes to both securing Asia and the Middle East for his empire, and toward the many building projects that Nebuchadnezzar was hoping that he would be remembered for.

But this was one of the moments (admittedly there were many of them) when the people disobeyed. Actually, what happened was that the people decided that they were smarter than God; that they knew better than God what the truth was with regard to the Babylonian-Egyptian conflict. God, Egypt has already won. We will be safe in Egypt. So the people ran to Egypt, carrying the reluctant prophet Jeremiah with them – and every step of the way Jeremiah talked to the people about the folly of the action that they were engaged in.

And as you read history, you get a sense that the people were right. In this moment of Nebuchadnezzar’s life, it made sense for Nebuchadnezzar to do tidying up conflicts, securing his borders and concentrating on the peaceful building projects that he already had in his mind to complete. By this time, Nebuchadnezzar was starting to be influenced by the Judean captives – especially Daniel. This made a good stopping point.

But the Judean rebellion against God also needed to be handled. And so I almost get the sense as the people of God rebelled, that plans changed. Instead of actions dedicated to securing the borders, Nebuchadnezzar began to make plans for a second attempt to move into Africa. And part of me wonders if the people of Israel had obeyed God, if just maybe Nebuchadnezzar would have stopped and history would be different. But the history that we know tells the story of Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat not only of Egypt, but of Liberia and the north coast of Africa as well. And the people who had run to Egypt hoping to be safe came to the realization that they, much like Jonah, could not run from the presence and the purposes of God.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 44