By Eugene Garner

JEREMIAH - CHAPTER 44

JEREMIAH PROPHESIES IN EGYPT

    The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, 3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. 4 Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate. 5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. 6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.

    1. This word is directed to all the Jews that dwell in the land of Egypt; and they are widely scattered throughout the land, (vs. 1).

    2. All have witnessed the judgment and desolation that the Lord has brought upon Jerusalem and the land of Judah, (vs. 2; comp. Isa. 6:11; Micah 3:12).

    3. This judgment has come upon their accumulated wickedness whereby they have provoked the Lord to anger - burning incense to, and serving other gods which are no-gods, (vs. 3; 2:17-19; Neh. 9:33; Dan. 9:5; Deut. 13:6-9; 29:24-29).

    4.Though the Lord repeatedly sent His prophets - urging His people to repudiate these abominations - they refused to listen, or to turn from their shameful wickedness, (vs. 4-5; 7:13; 25:4-6; Zech. 7:7; Jer. 11:8-10; 13:10).

    5. It was for this reason that God's anger and wrath was so aroused against Jerusalem and Judah that they are now waste and desolate, (vs. 6; 34:22; 42:18; Isa. 51:17-20).

    7 Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain; 8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. 11 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. 13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: 14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.

    1. Though they have seen what God did to Judah and Jerusalem, the Jews who have fled to Egypt, are inviting similar calamity upon themselves, (vs. 7; Ezek. 33:11).
    2. In burning incense to gods which their own hands have made, they are so provoking the Lord to anger that He is about to destroy them - making them a curse and reproach among all nations, (vs. 8; 2 Kings 17:15-17; Jer. 7:8-11; 11:12, 17; Hosea 4:12-14; I Kings 9:7-8).
    3.Seeing that they are fearlessly rejecting the law of their God, He inquires if they have totally forgotten the wickedness that brought Judah and Jerusalem to their bitter end, (vs. 9-10; 6:16; 8:12-13; 26:4-6; 32:23).
    4. Because these who have fled to Egypt will not be brought to repentance and contrition, God is determined to punish them in that land, (vs. 11-12; 21:10; 42:15-18; Lev. 26:17; Isa. 1:28); their punishment will be like that which fell upon Judah and Jerusalem - sword, famine and pestilence (vs. 13).
    5. Except for a very few fugitives, none of them will survive to return to their own land, (vs. 14; comp. vs. 27-28; 22:10, 26, 27; Isa 10:20).

    15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19 And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

    1. The determined apostasy of the refugees is evidenced by their response to Jeremiah.
    2. In essence, they told him that he might as well save his breath; they had no intention of giving heed to his words, (vs. 15-16; 5:3; 43:2; Prov. 11:21).
    3. They will certainly perform what they have sworn to "the queen of heaven" (Ashteroth) - even though they did not hesitate to lie to the man of God! (vs. 17).
      a. They have every intention of continuing to burn incense and pour out drink-offerings to the "quean of heaven" - justifying their action by what their fathers, kings and princes have done before them in Judah, (32:32; 7:18; Neh. 9:34).
      b. So long as they honored HER (according to their remembrance), they had plenty to eat, enjoyed good health, and everything went well with them, (comp. Ex. 16:3; Isa. 48:4-5a; Hos. 2:5-9; Isa. 1:3).
      c. But, since they ceased worshipping her (evidently under Josiah's religious reforms, 2 Kings 23:4-20), the land has been consumed by sword, famine and pestilence, (comp. Num. 11:5-6; Isa. 58:3; Mal. 3:13-15).
    4. And these women want it understood that their husbands HAVE FULLY SUPPORTED THEM in the practice of these abominations' (vs. 19; comp. Num. 30:6-7; 10-15).

    20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day. 23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day. 24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: 25 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. 27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. 28 Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil: 30 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.

    1. Jeremiah vehemently rejects the Jews' interpretation of recent events!

    2. It was because of their ABOMINABLE IDOLATRIES that the Lord poured out His judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem, (vs. 21-23; 4:4-5; 21:12; 30:12-15; I Kings 9:8-9).

    3. Jeremiah acknowledges that both the Jewish men and women in Egypt have made vows to the "queen of heaven"; with sarcasm, he tells them to go ahead and perform with their hands what they have pledged with their lips, (vs. 24-25; comp. Ezek. 20:39).

    4. Jehovah has also sworn by his great name that His name shall no more be spoken by any men of Judah who dwell in Egypt; He forbids them to swear by His holy name! (vs. 26-27; Psa 50:16-17; Ezek. 20:39; comp. Jer. 5:2).

    5. When the judgment of Jehovah falls, they will know whose word will stand - theirs, or the Lord's! (vs. 28; Psa. 33:11; Isa. 14:27; 46:9-11; Zech 1:5-6).

    6. As a sign that the threatened judgment upon their idolatry will stand (Prov. 19:21), Jeremiah is commissioned to tell the Jews in Egypt that He will give Pharaoh-hophra, king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies - just as He delivered Zedekiah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, (vs. 29-30; 43:9-13; 46:24-26; Ezek. 29:3-7) - a sign that was fulfilled when the Pharaoh was supplanted by a young relative; he was slain in battle (566 B.C.) attempting to re-establish his authority over the land.

    7. It should be pointed out that this was Jeremiah's FINAL RECORDED PROPHECY to the people of Judah; through more than 40 trying years of prophetic ministry, he was faithful to Jehovah, to himself, and to the rebellious and gainsaying people whom he loved so dearly!