Jeremiah Chapter 44
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Jeremiah Chapter 44 Jeremiah 44:1 "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," “The word that came”: The unrelenting iniquity of the Jews called for yet another prophecy of judgment on them in Egypt. “Migdol” may be identified with the Magdali mentioned in the Amarna Tablets of ancient Egypt. “Noph” is a variant of Moph, the Hebrew name of Memphis, the foremost city of lower (or northern), “Egypt”. “Pathros” was a general designation of upper (or southern), Egypt. The Jews apparently dispersed throughout Egypt quickly. In the last lessons Jeremiah had warned them not to go to Egypt, or the wrath of God would descend upon them. We see they have defied the warnings and went to Egypt anyhow. The names above are just some of the cities in Egypt where they are living. I want to say one more time, Egypt is a type of the world. The message for Christians in this is to stay in the city of God. Do not go back into the world after you are saved. Verses 2-6: The prophet summarized what had occurred in Judah as a basis for what he predicted coming on the refugees in Egypt. Jeremiah 44:2 "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," In which manner, the prophecies of this book are frequently prefaced (see Jer. 42:15). "Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah": They saw it with their own eyes; they could not but serve it in their minds. They had an experimental knowledge of it. They suffered it in part themselves, and must be convicted in their own consciences that it was from the hand of the Lord: "And, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein": Lie waste, at this very time. The walls are broken down the houses are demolished and the goods in them carried off. There are no inhabitants left, or very few, to rebuild the cities, till the land, and dwell therein. There was no doubt from even the Chaldeans that this was a judgement of God. God had warned them over and over through Jeremiah to stop worshipping false gods, but they continued their evil ways. God finally poured his wrath out upon his people. Really God was not at fault for this. The people brought it on themselves because of their unfaithfulness. 1 Jeremiah 44:3 "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." As they were eye-witnesses to the effect, so it was nothing but their unbelief that made them strangers to the cause. For God by his prophets had told them that the great moving cause was their paying a Divine homage to idols. The sin of which is aggravated from this, that they were as much strangers to the idols, as to the people with whom they joined in the worship of them. Neither they nor any of their fathers having had any experimental knowledge of what they had done or could do for such as adored them. We have spoken so many times in these lessons about the Jews being the wife of God symbolically. The worship of other gods is like an unfaithful wife. This is spiritual adultery. Just as a jealous husband will not tolerate an unfaithful wife, God will not tolerate unfaithfulness from his chosen people. The burning of incense in the temple of God symbolized the rising of the prayers of saints to heaven. You can see why burning incense to false gods would be so bad. Jeremiah 44:4 "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." As many as he raised up, and employed in the work and service of prophesying. And these were many. And as many as they were, he sent them, one after another, to warn of their sin and danger. But all to no purpose; which was a further aggravation of their wickedness. "Rising early, and sending them": Was very early in his messages to them; gave them timely warning, and let slip no opportunity of admonishing them. And this he did constantly (see Jer. 7:13). "Saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate": All sin is abominable in itself, and hateful to God, especially idolatry. And therefore, should not be done. It should be abominable to men, and hateful to them, because it is so to God. And after such a remonstrance as this, to commit it must be very aggravating and provoking. Jeremiah had not been the only prophet that God had sent to warn them. Jeremiah was one that stayed and prophesied to them for about 40 years. They could not say they were not warned. They did not accept Jeremiah's message because it was not a message of prosperity. They did not want the truth. They wanted to hear something that would tickle their ears. Jeremiah 44:5 "But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods." To the prophets sent unto them. They wouldn’t listen to God by the prophets. To the words of his mouth, particularly to the above pathetic reasoning with them. At least, if they heard the words said, they did not attend unto them. They had not such an effect upon them, nor were they concluded upon by them. 2 "To turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods": To turn from their sins in general, and from their idolatry in particular. One instance of which is given “incense”, and which is put for the whole of idolatrous worship. They had ears to hear, but they did not hear. They heard words and did not accept Jeremiah's warning to them. Jeremiah 44:6 "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." Like melted metal, scalding lead, liquefied pitch, or anything of a bituminous and sulfurous nature. Which spreads, is consuming, and very intolerable (see Jer. 42:18). "And was kindled in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem": Which, like a fire, burnt up and destroyed these cities. Particularly the large and spacious city of Jerusalem. "And they are wasted and desolate, as at this day": Now lie in ruins in those days, as may be seen by everyone. The thing is notorious; this was their present case; they had become desolate, and so continue. They should have learned from the very recent destruction of Jerusalem and Judah. This is another warning to learn from the past. I personally believe that is why it is so important to read the Old Testament as well as the New. The modern Christian can find signs we need to heed. This Scripture says it well. 1 Corinthians 10:11 "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Verses 7, 9-10: Incredibly, after being spared death in Judah, they pursued it by their sin in Egypt. Verses 7-8: Parents’, idolatry had brought tragic consequences into the lives of their children. Sin often has a multigenerational impact. Jeremiah 44:7 "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;" What prudence can guide you to do such actions as these, by which you cannot hurt God, but yourselves only? You are now but a few of many. What love have you for your country, in taking courses which will certainly tend to the utter extinction of those few? So as there shall be neither man, nor woman, nor child, nor suckling remaining of all the Jews. 3 “Therefore” connects this verse to the verse before. Because of their great sin they have willfully committed, God has destroyed Judah. This remnant could have been saved if they would have obeyed the LORD, but they chose to disobey God. They have sinned to the destruction of their own souls. Jeremiah 44:8 "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?" Their sinful actions, particularly their idolatry, by worshipping images, the works of men's hands. And though it was the queen of heaven they worshipped, which their hands made not, yet it was before images they did that. Besides, the things they did to her were the worlds of their hands, as sacrificing, pouring out drink offerings, and as follows.