{"id":72193,"date":"2020-03-22T21:55:05","date_gmt":"2020-03-22T19:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=72193"},"modified":"2020-03-22T21:55:05","modified_gmt":"2020-03-22T19:55:05","slug":"where-politics-and-prophecies-differ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/where-politics-and-prophecies-differ\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Politics And Prophecies Differ\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Jeremiah had an unenviable task ahead of him with the small band of Jews who remained in the lands of Judah following the Babylonian siege. They asked Jeremiah to pray for the answer to what they should do next, pledging to follow whatever God told them. Jeremiah was caught between a rock and hard place, knowing he couldn\u2019t refuse to fulfill what the people wanted to believe was a righteous proposition, while knowing that ultimately they were not going to make good on their promise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeremiah was no fool \u2013 he\u2019d been prophesying for a long time and knew the people well. So, when they asked him to pray to \u201c<\/span>your<\/span><\/i> God\u201d, rather than \u201c<\/span>our<\/span><\/i> God\u201d, it was clear they had disassociated themselves from God, paving the way to reject an unfavourable answer. Their choice of words offers other hints to the people\u2019s intentions. Malbim points out that they didn\u2019t ask\u00a0 if they should stay in their land or seek refuge in Egypt, but rather asked \u201cMay God tell us the way in which we should go (42:3)\u201d, inferring that they had already made up their mind to head to Egypt and were perhaps just looking for guidance on what route to take. Jeremiah attempted to prepare them to accept an answer they didn\u2019t want to hear by agreeing to pray to \u201c<\/span>your<\/span><\/i> God\u201d, and adding \u201c\u201cwhatever God answers I will tell you; I will not withhold anything (42:2-4).\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty common to use prayer to ask God to validate a decision we\u2019ve already made rather than authentically ask for divine guidance in making a decision. \u201cPlease God, let me get this job\/this house\/the winning lottery ticket (that I\u2019ve already decided to take\/buy\/spend).\u201d It\u2019s human nature to ask for divine intervention in getting what we want but forget to ask for God\u2019s help in understanding what we need \u2013 what would be best for us in the biggest picture.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s a leader to do when placed in the situation of delivering news that will surely be met unfavourably by the populace and rejected? Typically, politicians try to spin or soften the message (think of how budget and service cuts are often framed.) But Jeremiah is a prophet, not a politician, and by acknowledging the game but refusing to play it, he remained true to his mission. You can\u2019t spin God\u2019s message.<\/span><\/p>\n

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