Jeremiah 42:1-3

Johanan and his fellow leaders of the refugees asked Jeremiah to pray for them, as few as they were, that the Lord would tell them what to do. Zedekiah had made a similar request of Jeremiah and then chose to go against what the Lord commanded (Jeremiah 37:3).

Many expositors believe that this remnant had already determined to proceed on to Egypt and simply wanted Yahweh’s blessing (cf. Jeremiah 43:1-3).

"Sometimes God’s people take this false approach in discerning the will of God. Instead of honestly seeking God’s will, they go from counselor to counselor, asking for advice and hoping they’ll find somebody who will agree with their hidden agenda." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 133.]

I tend to think their request was sincere in view of their words and the Lord’s reply. It seems to me that if they had already decided to leave the land, that the Lord would have responded to them more strongly, as to hypocrites, instead of people who were in the process of making a decision.