The leaders of the remnant of Judah rightfully come to Jeremiah in pursuit of guidance. They even promise to obey whatever it is that the Lord says to them through Jeremiah. Indeed, they go so far to call the Lord has a witness against them if they do not obey his word.

They, no doubt, at least thought that they were genuine in pursuit of the Lord’s guidance. But deep down, they trusted in their own plans, plans which they were no doubt already devising. Plans which they probably thought the Lord would simply confirm through Jeremiah.

Lest we grow arrogant, let us recognize that we are inclined to do the very same thing. We hold tightly to our plans, even while seeking guidance from the Lord. We really believe ourselves to be genuine, but deep down, we are holding onto our own plans, trusting that they are not merely ‘our’ plans, but the plans of God.

Interestingly enough, the Lord lets 10 days pass before He speaks clearly to Jeremiah. We can’t say for sure what happened during those ten days, but from the result, we can tell that unbelief crept in. Fear took its hold. Various meetings were probably held as it was determined that they could not wait upon Jeremiah or upon the Lord. Sure, all that Jeremiah had previously said to nation of Judah had come true. Yet when he came with a Word from the Lord, the leaders of Judah wanted no parts of it. For it did not align with their predetermined plans. Clearly (at least to them), they knew better than God’s prophet. Indeed, they knew better than God.

Oftentimes, the Lord will let a certain period of time pass before granting clarity. We genuinely want His guidance, but during the period of waiting, our hearts are exposed. God ordains these periods of waiting because He loves us, because He wants to expose the various things in which we trust, our various idols. For only then can he call us to repentance and uproot them from their deep place in our hearts. We are wise to delay our various meetings of ignorance until we hear from the Lord. When it comes to big decisions, wisdom dictates that we spend time on our knees first.

Finally, note that the leaders of Judah had become hardened to the Word of the Lord through Jeremiah. Though everything he said had come true, they would have no parts of it. Their hearts had grown dull. Their capacity to trust in the Lord and to obey His Word (and the two go hand in hand) had shriveled up. As far as they were concerned, their only hope was to trust in themselves and the plans of their devising.

So sad is the human condition! Rather than humbly looking to the Lord and obeying His Word, we are inclined to look to and trust in ourselves. Let us repent of our arrogance, confront our various idolatries and wait until the Lord clearly speaks. For in the end, it is the only way to go.