John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 42:1-3

"Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we pray thee, our supplication be presented before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, even for all this remnant; for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us: that Jehovah thy God may show us the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do." — Jeremiah 42:1-3 (ASV)

I have said that John, and his associates, and the whole people acted much more culpably by coming to the Prophet than if they had not done so and had gone directly to Egypt. For they either came deceptively, and thus intentionally spoke what was false, or they were extremely foolish, and hypocrisy had wholly deprived them of their understanding.

They came to the Prophet to ask for counsel; indeed, that he might be God’s interpreter for them, so that they might know what to do; and they promised to obey, as we will later see.

Be that as it may, they sought an oracle to which it was their duty to submit, unless they resolved openly to shake off the yoke and to show themselves to be blatant and profane despisers of God.

They came to the Prophet, even though it was their fixed purpose, as we will see, to go to Egypt.

Anyone who asks for counsel should first ensure he is without prejudice, but is open and honest. It is, however, a very common fault that people deliberate and ask for counsel when they have already settled what to do; indeed, nothing is more common than this.

For those who consult usually do not wish to learn what is right, but that others should support their own inclinations. Someone who has already decided on a particular course of action pretends to be in doubt and undecided; he asks what should be done.

If the answer is according to his wishes, he accepts what is said; but if the one consulted disapproves of what he has already decided to do, he rejects the advice given. Such was the deception described by the Prophet, when the leaders of the forces and the whole people came to him.

He mentions, first, the leaders of the forces, and then John the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshiah. He adds these last two, but it was to give them honor, as when the angel said,

Go and tell his disciples and Peter (Mark 16:7).

He did not set Peter aside, as if he were inferior to all the rest; but for the sake of honor, he mentions his name after having spoken generally of them all. Similarly here, the Prophet generally names the leaders, but as John the son of Kareah and Jezaniah were the chief men, he expressly gives their names.

He adds, the whole people, from the least to the greatest. This does not refer to age; rather, he means that all, of every rank, came with one accord to Jeremiah.

It was not, then, the conspiracy of a few men, but all, from the least to the greatest, had resolved to go to Egypt. And yet they came, as if with an honest purpose, to the Prophet. For what reason?

They wished their own perverse design to be approved by God, and thus to subject God to their own will and whim; for they did not allow themselves to be ruled by His Spirit, but audaciously disregarded His word. The Prophet then shows that they were all implicated in the same sin.

It is added that they said, as if they were ready to obey, Let our prayer fall before thee. This, as we have said, when addressed to God, is an evidence of humility; but it is applied here to man.

And when the Hebrews make a humble request, they say, Let my prayer fall before thee, that is, Hear what I humbly and submissively ask. Pray, they said, to Jehovah thy God for us.

They called Him the God of Jeremiah, not that they intended to exempt themselves from His authority; they did not mean that they were estranged from God. Rather, in this way they praised Jeremiah and acknowledged him to be God’s true and lawful Prophet.

In short, this saying refers to the prophetic office, as if they had said that Jeremiah had until now confirmed his calling, so that it was clearly evident he had been sent from God.

We thus see why they called Jehovah the God of Jeremiah: not as if they had rejected God, and as if He was not their God in common with Jeremiah, but they acknowledged that the Prophet possessed a higher honor, and that his faithfulness and integrity were beyond controversy.

But this admission justly came back to condemn them. For if Jeremiah was God’s Prophet, why did they not immediately obey him, after knowing that what he faithfully told them, he had received from God? And why did they insolently and ferociously resist him and accuse him of falsehood?

Their admission, then, was not sincere, but a deceptive flattery, as is the case with all hypocrites, who never speak in sincerity and truth.

They afterward added, Pray for all this remnant, for we are left, a few from many. This they added to evoke pity, so that they might more easily obtain from Jeremiah what they asked; nor was that difficult.

But as they felt conscious of their wrongdoing, they sought the Prophet’s favor through flattery. If they had asked him openly, they knew that he was naturally inclined to seek the well-being of the people.

But as they were double-minded, they set before him their miserable state, which might have roused the Prophet still more to make intercession to God for them.

And for this reason they added, as thine eyes see us. They set this sad spectacle before him to create sympathy in the Prophet.

And it then follows, And may Jehovah thy God shew us the way in which we are to walk. They now explained more clearly why they wished prayer to be made for them: namely, that God might answer and show what He wished them to do.

They came then, as has been stated, as if they were ready to obey. They then professed humility, because they did not wish to do anything rashly, but only to follow where God called them.

Had they spoken from the heart, it would have been a rare virtue thus to have fled in perplexities to God, and to have allowed themselves to be ruled by His word. But we will see that it was all a pretense.

We have, then, set before us here the hypocrisy of that people, so that we may learn that whenever we ask what pleases God, we should bring a pure and sincere heart. This ensures that nothing may prevent or hinder us from immediately embracing whatever God may command us.

But their hypocrisy is discovered to have been even more contemptible, when the Prophet adds,