Jeremiah 43:1-3; 7 When Jeremiah finished telling all the people the whole Message that their God had sent him to give them… all the self-important men, said to Jeremiah, “Liar! Our God never sent you with this message telling us not to go to Egypt and live…. They entered the land of Egypt in total disobedience of God’s Message and arrived at the city of Tahpanhes. [MSG]
They couldn’t say they hadn’t been warned. The Babylonian army had destroyed Jerusalem and exiled most of its population due to their flagrant rebellion against God. Only a remnant remained in the devastated city. The leaders asked Jeremiah to seek God on their behalf and promised to obey his words (Jeremiah 42).
But when Jeremiah told the people God would restore them if they stayed in the land and put away their idols, they called him a liar! Clearly, they had already made up their mind they would find refuge in fleeing to Egypt.
They chose their way over God’s way and it led to disaster.
In fact, Jeremiah’s warning caused them to double down! They claimed it was when they stopped worshiping the Queen of Heaven, a pagan goddess, their troubles began. But she could not save them any more than Egypt could. And Judah’s obstinate insistence on having their own way resulted in disloyalty, disgrace and death.
You’re probably familiar with the idiom, my way or the highway. That must have been Judah’s mantra. They deceived themselves in thinking doing things their way—even if it meant disobedience to God—would save them. The highway they landed on wasn’t what they expected.
It never is.
So how do you respond when God’s directives conflict with your agenda? When you end up in a hot mess because of your mistakes, do you keep insisting on your own way? Do you, like Judah, reimagine your past and think life would work out better if you retook control?
Friend, I pray, if this describes you, don’t deceive yourself. God always works for our good, whether we see it or not. His way is always, always, always, better than ours. When faced with the choice of following your way or the highway, choose the highway. The highway that leads to life.