Don’t Go To Egypt

Have you ever been so sure of God’s will in your life that you made plans for your next step while you waited for him to give you direction? Have you ever been wrong?

I have a dog who thinks the world revolves around him. If a door opens, he thinks he’s supposed to go outside. If I get in my truck, he thinks he’s supposed to go for a ride. If I have a snack, he thinks he deserves one as well.

Jeremiah 42 is the account of a group of people who were so convinced of God’s will for their lives that they made plans for their journey before they ever inquired of the Lord. The leaders of Judah believed that Nebuchadnezzar was going to return to Judah and finish the job he started. They were so convinced that Nebuchadnezzar was going to punish them, they planned to go to Egypt to flee from the Babylonians.

They made their plans to go, and then asked Jeremiah to pray for them.

The remnant left in Judah was afraid. They wanted comfort and security. But, they didn’t seek God’s comfort and God’s security. They didn’t try to hide in the shelter of God’s love. Instead, they planned to leave God’s promised land and run to Egypt.

Egypt was the place of their captivity and slavery. The people of Judah were so afraid of Nebuchadnezzar, they were willing to run back to the place of their slavery to seek safety.

We all know this temptation. Life gets hard, but rather than turn to the ONE who can deliver us, we turn to our own ability. We look to the past or we look even to our own sin.

Just like Judah, life gets hard and we are tempted to run to Egypt.

Egypt is the place where you create your own security.

Egypt is the other side of the fence where the grass looks greener.

But Egypt is also the place where you cease to trust the Lord, and instead you lean on your own understanding.

Egypt is the place of enslavement. Don’t go the the place where God isn’t. Don’t trust your heart when the Lord is telling you otherwise.

Don’t go to Egypt.

• Your Egypt might be an addiction.
• Your Egypt might be a relationship.
• Your Egypt might be overeating.
• Your Egypt might be laziness or procrastination.
• Your Egypt might be a new job or a new house.
• Your Egypt will feel like a shelter in the storm, but there is a tornado coming for that shelter.

Don’t go to Egypt. Trust God’s word. Run to Christ.

But, what if it is too late? What if you have already gone to Egypt? Consider this account from Matthew 2:

Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

What if you have already given in? Here’s the good news. Here’s the hope. Jesus has already gone down to Egypt. Jesus has gone to the place of bondage. And it is from there that God called him back.

Jesus has overcome your Egypt. Jesus has overcome your sin and your shame. Jesus went to Egypt and came back. Jesus went to the cross and came back. Jesus went to the grave and came back. And now, Jesus is calling you. He’s led the way out of Egypt and he’s calling you to follow him. He has made the path straight. He has prepared the way.