Articles
Ten Days?
Jeremiah 42:7 - “Now at the end of ten days, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.” Wait, what? How could that be? Jeremiah was a prophet! Earlier, God told Jeremiah, “Behold I have put My words in your mouth.” (1:9). When people wanted to communicate with God, Jeremiah was their go-to man. After the Babylonians left a small remnant in Judah, the Jews assassinated Gedaliah, the surrogate ruler put in charge by the Babylonians. To avoid punishment, they wanted to flee to Egypt, but weren’t sure it was the right decision. Jeremiah went to ask God. “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the LORD your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the LORD will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.” (42:4).
God took ten whole days to answer! I wonder what the Jews thought about God and Jeremiah for those ten days. I wonder what Jeremiah thought. Ten days is a long time to stew about why God hasn’t answered and when or if He ever will. Are we ever impatient with God? How about after ten weeks? Ten months? Ten years? If anyone should have re- ceived an immediate answer from God, it would have been Jeremiah. If an inspired prophet had to wait, how much more should we?
