Jeremiah 43:2
“Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:”
Sometimes you have to try and choose who to believe between two people. In the spiritual realm, this is a common occurrence because of the constant compromise of preachers and institutions alike. Trying to choose between one who says something and another who says the opposite is very hard.
The remnant of the Jews who were left in the land had to make a choice as to whether they would listen to Jeremiah the prophet or to Azariah. It seems like it wouldn’t be that hard of a decision to choose between these two men because Jeremiah was a prophet, but Azariah was a respected man as well. Jeremiah told the people not to flee to Egypt, whereas Azariah told them to flee into Egypt to save their lives. As I look at this story, I find some principles to guide you when you must choose who to believe between two people.
First, always look at who was right before. History can be a good teacher of who was right in the past. Everything Jeremiah prophesied came to pass. If these people would have looked at who was right before, the decision of whom to believe would not be that hard. Oftentimes you can look at the history of two different men and know who to believe. Look at what they have said in the past, and if one is consistently right then you would be wise to give heed to what they are saying.
Second, which one is taking you forward? In the situation between Jeremiah and Azariah, one was taking them forward while one was trying to bring them back to the land where they used to be captive. The remnant had no business going back to Egypt for they had already made a decision many years prior when they crossed the Jordan River that they would no longer go back to Egypt. When one person is trying to take you towards the world, then you would be wise not to follow their advice. Godly advice will always take you forwards towards Christ and will never take you backwards towards the world and its lifestyle. If one’s advice makes you look and act more like the world, then you would be wise to avoid their advice.
Third, which one takes faith? It took faith in God to follow Jeremiah’s preaching, but Azariah’s preaching put trust in the world. Faith should always be the deciding factor in any decision because we cannot please God if we don’t live by faith. Faith may not make human sense, but it is common sense because it has never failed. It is not the easiest way that we should always follows but it is the way of faith that we should follow.
Fourth, which one will keep you serving God the way the Scriptures teach? If the remnant followed Azariah, they would end up serving the gods of Egypt, whereas if they followed Jeremiah they would rightly serve God. Never follow the advice of one who wants you to forsake what you have been taught by men whom God used greatly in the past. There is always the one who is trying to get you to try something new. Friend, we don’t need to try new things, we need to keep practicing what has already worked.
You will face the choice at some point in your life of having to choose between two men of God. That decision will most definitely not be easy. Take these four tests and apply them to your situation and you will find that choosing between two won’t be that difficult.