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A Fatal Mistake? Really?

A Fatal Mistake? Really?

Last updated on: March 28, 2019 at 12:49 pm by Matt Pearson

A Fatal Mistake? Really? 2019-03-28T12:49:59-05:00 Matt Pearson

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â€œBe sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, â€˜Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.â€™â€ Jeremiah 42:19-20

If you skipped over the verses above, you might want to take another glance. Go ahead. Iâ€™ll wait.

I know, right? Go ahead and read it again. I’ll wait. . .

ItÂ looksÂ like Jeremiah is telling his audience that they made a huge mistake by asking him to pray for them. ItÂ looksÂ like Jeremiah told them they never should have asked for Godâ€™s Word. Â ItÂ appearsÂ as if Jeremiah is telling a group of people it would have been better if they had NOT asked for prayer or for Godâ€™s Word.

Thatâ€™s what it looks like because thatÂ isÂ what’s happening.

Keep reading and it becomes obvious they never intended to obey anyway. Jeremiah knew that. Jeremiah did what they asked. Jeremiah gave them Godâ€™s Word. They didnâ€™t like it. It proved fatal.

This causes me to wonder.

Am I guilty of the same thing? Am I ever guilty of going to the Word of God because I amÂ supposedÂ to, knowing full well I donâ€™t have the intent to obey? Am I guilty of going to church to sit under the Word or read a biblically charged book or listen to a sermon podcast,Â onlyÂ because it is good to do?

God threatens terrible things if we go to Him because itâ€™s the right thing to do with zero intentions of ever doing what He says.

What would I think if one of my children came to me for wisdom, heard what I had to say, and completely ignored my counsel? What if they told me they loved me, trusted me, and relied on my advice, only to completely ignore it?

Perhaps what concerns me most about these verses is that Jeremiah says it would have been better if they didnâ€™t even ask for prayer or Godâ€™s Word! They would have been better off never to have even done it! They made a â€œfatal mistakeâ€ when they asked. Why?

It seems to me it would have been worse for them if they never asked for wisdom in the first place! According to Jeremiah it was fatal that theyÂ didÂ ask for it. Why?

Getting into a routine of going to God because youâ€™re supposed to with never intending to do what He says is dangerous. In fact, itâ€™s downright destructive. It can appear you are doing what you are â€œsupposedâ€ to do, while never doing what is essential in the first place.

God threatens terrible things when we go through the routine only because it removes the whole point of it all: relationship. If IÂ justÂ do what I am supposed to do (pray and read Scripture) without the intention to obey (trust that what He says is right), I am going through motions, not experiencing a relationship.

God doesn’t care for rote ritual because He is jealous for a rich relationship.Â

Does He want us to pray and read Scripture when we don’t feel like it? Of course.

Does He want us to develop a habit, a discipline, of prayer and Scripture reading? Yes.

Are we to go to Him because it is, indeed, the right thing to do? You betcha.

The warning here is this: Are you goingÂ justÂ because you are supposed to, or are you going because you really believe what He says is true and good?

Are you seeking prayer and His counsel because you’re supposed to? Or because you want a rich relationship?

Be careful. Your answer to that question has drastic implications.

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