(21)
(4)
Scripture Reading: Jer. 42; Jer. 43; Jer. 44
In this message we will continue to consider Israel's stubbornness in their sinning against Jehovah and Jeremiah's firmness in his speaking for Jehovah after the fall of Jerusalem. In particular, we will cover further aspects of the history of the remnant of Judah from Gedaliah to Johanan (40:7—44:30).
Jeremiah 42:1—43:7 reveals the dishonesty of the remnant and the leaders in asking Jeremiah to pray for them after the fall of Jerusalem.
In 42:1-3 all the leaders of the forces, Johanan, Jezaniah, and all the people, from the least even unto the greatest, begged Jeremiah the prophet to pray for them concerning the way in which they should go and the thing which they should do. Jeremiah said that he would pray to Jehovah their God according to their words and that whatever Jehovah answered them he would tell them and not withhold anything from them (v. 4). Then they said to Jeremiah, "May Jehovah be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do according to every word with which Jehovah your God sends you to us. Whether it is good or whether it is evil, we will listen to the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we send you, that it may be well with us, when we listen to the voice of Jehovah our God" (vv. 5-6).
Jeremiah did not speak in a rush but rather waited for ten days. After ten days the word of Jehovah came to them through Jeremiah, saying that if they would still remain in the land, He would build them up and not tear them down, and He would plant them and not pluck them up (vv. 7-10). They were told that they should not fear the king of Babylon, for Jehovah was with them to save and deliver them from his hand. Jehovah would show compassions to them, that the king of Babylon might have compassion on them and might bring them back to their own land (vv. 11-12). However, if they would not remain in the land and would not listen to the voice of Jehovah their God, but would go to the land of Egypt and dwell there, then the sword would overtake them in Egypt, and the famine would follow hard after them, and they would die there in Egypt (vv. 13-16). Jehovah's wrath would be poured out on them when they went to Egypt, and they would become an execration, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach, and they would see the land no more (vv. 17-22).
When Jeremiah finished speaking, Azariah, Johanan, and all the proud men said to him, "You are speaking falsehood; Jehovah our God has not sent you to say, You shall not go to Egypt to sojourn there" (43:2). They went on to say that Baruch was inciting him against them so as to give them into the hand of the Chaldeans to be put to death or taken into exile to Babylon. So Johanan, all the leaders of the forces, and all the people did not listen to the voice of Jehovah to remain in the land of Judah, but Johanan and all the leaders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah and came to the land of Egypt as far as Tahpanhes (vv. 3-7).
Jeremiah 43:8—44:14 is a record of the word of Jehovah through Jeremiah concerning the destiny of the remnant of Judah in Egypt.
Jehovah asked Jeremiah to take large stones and hide them in the mortar in the brickwork at the entrance of Pharaoh's house in the sight of the Jews (vv. 8-9). Jehovah, the God of Israel, said that He was going to send Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon and set his throne above those stones which He had hidden, and Nebuchadnezzar would spread his canopy over them (v. 10). He would come and strike the land of Egypt. He would burn the houses of the gods of Egypt and smash the pillars of the temple of the sun in the land of Egypt (vv. 11-13).
Jehovah spoke further through Jeremiah to the remnant of Judah that His wrath and anger had poured forth and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. They became a waste and a desolation because of their wickedness which they did to provoke Him to anger, in that they went to burn incense to serve other gods, not listening to His servants the prophets (44:1-6). They had seen all these things.
Jehovah went on to ask them why they were still doing a great evil against their souls, provoking Him to anger with the works of their hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, that they might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth (vv. 7-8). Then He asked them if they had forgotten the wickedness of their fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah and of their wives, and their own wickedness and the wickedness of their own wives, which they did in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. They had not become contrite even to that day (vv. 9-10). Therefore, Jehovah, the God of Israel, would set His face against them for evil, even to cut off all Judah. Furthermore, He would take the remnant of Judah who had set their faces to go to the land of Egypt, and they would all be consumed in the land of Egypt by sword and by famine. He would punish those who dwelt in the land of Egypt as He had punished Jerusalem: with sword, with famine, and with pestilence (vv. 11-14).
According to 44:15-30 there was an argument between a great assemblage of those who knew that their wives burned incense to others gods and all the women who stood by, and Jeremiah the prophet.
They answered Jeremiah, saying that they would not listen to the word which he had spoken to them in the name of Jehovah. Instead, they would surely do everything which had gone out of their mouth, burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, just as they themselves and their fathers, their kings, and their princes did in the streets of Jerusalem, for they had plenty of food and were well off and did not see evil (vv. 15-17). They continued by saying that since they had ceased burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, they had lacked everything and had been consumed by sword and by famine. They made cakes to the queen of heaven, making images of her and pouring out libations to her, with their husbands (vv. 18-19).
Jeremiah answered, saying that Jehovah had remembered the incense they had burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem (vv. 20-21). Jehovah had been no longer able to bear it. Therefore, their land had become a desolation and an astonishment and a curse, without inhabitant. Because they had sinned against Jehovah, that evil had happened to them (vv. 22-23).
Jeremiah said further to them that Jehovah, the God of Israel, said that they and their wives had both spoken with their mouths and had fulfilled it with their hands, that they would surely perform the vows which they had vowed to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out libations to her. Therefore, Jehovah said to all Judah who dwelt in the land of Egypt that He was watching over them for evil and not for good, and all the men of Judah who were in the land of Egypt would be consumed by sword and by famine until there was an end of them. All the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to sojourn there would know whose word would be established, His or theirs. He would punish them in Egypt and would give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, just as He had given Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon (vv. 24-30).
