The Jewish remnant: doomed idolaters (Jer. 44:1–30)

This is Jeremiah’s last recorded message to his people, given in Egypt. If he was called by God in 626, the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (1:2), then he had been ministering forty-six years. You can’t help admiring Jeremiah for his faithfulness in spite of all the discouragements that had come to his life.

I. A scathing indictment (vv. 1–14)

1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 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 did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate!” 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.’ 7 “Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’ 11 “Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.’ ”

A. God’s word came to Jeremiah a second time while he was in Egypt.

This time the word concerned all the Jews who had traveled to Egypt. It applied to those in Lower Egypt which included the northern cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis; and it extended south to Upper Egypt. No sooner did the Jewish remnant arrive in Egypt than they began to worship the local gods and goddesses, of which there were many.

Jeremiah reminded them of what they had seen in the Lord’s judgment on Judah (44:2–3). It was because of their idolatry that He had destroyed their land, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. Then he reminded them of what they had heard—the messages of the prophets God had sent to rebuke them time after time

B. They hadn’t learned their lesson, and now they were jeopardizing their future.

It is incredible that they could forget the lessons from their past history. Could they forget the consequences of the wicked deeds committed by their ancestors and by their rulers as well as their own wicked deeds in Judah and Jerusalem? In spite of what had happened, there was no evidence they had “humbled themselves”. They showed no “reverence”, nor did they obey the law.

Because there was no evidence that the present generation was going to repent, the Lord announced his determination to bring disaster on them. Those who were “determined” to settle in Egypt would all perish there by sword and famine. The people were determined to have their way. God was equally determined that they would suffer the consequences of their rebellion. He would punish them in Egypt with sword, famine, and plague, even as he had punished Jerusalem.

II. A senseless argument (vv. 15–19)

15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to 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 we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.”19 The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”

A. The men and their wives who had been listening to Jeremiah’s warnings responded.

The men and women listening to Jeremiah tried to defend their sins by appealing to experience. They used the pragmatic argument: “If it works, it must be right.” When they lived in Judah and secretly worshiped the Queen of Heaven (Astarte or Ishtar, goddess of fertility), everything went well with them. They had plenty of food and enjoyed comfortable circumstances.

But when King Josiah made the people give up their idols, things began to get worse for them. Conclusion: They were better off when they disobeyed God and worshiped idols!

B. Their reasoning was a forerunner of the contemporary prosperity cult.

The question of why a person serves God has been asked through the centuries. The adversary (Satan) asked God, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). Peter complained: “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” James and John wanted privileged positions in the kingdom (Matt 20:21).

Followers of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel ignore promises such as “in this world you will have trouble (John 16:33); “consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds” (Jas 1:2); “do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering” (1 Pet 4:12).

The women added that when they burned incense, poured out drink offerings, and made cakes to worship the queen of heaven (see Hos 3:1), they did it with their husbands’ consent. They argued that they had their husbands’ permission required by the law (Num 30:3–16), so Jeremiah had no right to interfere or condemn what they were doing and the husbands told Jeremiah that they didn’t care what he said!

III. A terrible pronouncement (vv. 20–30)

20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.” 24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! 25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: ‘You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, “We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her.” You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows!’ 26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: ‘Behold, I have sworn by My great name,’ says 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 lives.” 27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. 28 Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign to you,’ says the LORD, ‘that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.’ 30 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.’ ”

A. How tragic that twice in a few short years, the Lord had to pronounce judgment on His people for the same sins!

The people concluded that failure to worship the queen of heaven had resulted in their plight. Jeremiah said it was because of their idolatrous practices that calamity had overwhelmed them. When the Lord could no longer endure their detestable practices, he made the land an object of cursing and a desolate waste. He had not failed them; they failed him, and he could no longer bless them.

Jeremiah then announced a final word of judgment on the people who were in Egypt. The Lord said that the men and their wives have “shown by your actions” that they were going to carry out their vows to worship the queen of heaven. God’s patience with his people had been exhausted, and now the prophet shared that same attitude. In exasperation he said: “Go ahead then, do what you promised. Keep your vows!”

B. A Sign of Punishment.

Jeremiah gave them a sign: Pharaoh Hophra, whom they were trusting to care for them, would be handed over to his enemies just as King Zedekiah was handed over to Nebuchadnezzar.

Historians tell us that a part of the Egyptian army revolted against Hophra, and the general who stopped the rebellion was proclaimed king. He reigned along with Hophra, but three years later Hophra was executed. Nebuchadnezzar then appeared on the scene, and Jeremiah’s other prophecy was fulfilled.

The fate of Jeremiah is not known. Some think he returned to Judah after a few years in Egypt. Others believe he accepted Nebuchadnezzar’s invitation to live in Babylon, where he died. One tradition says he was stoned in Tahpanhes and his bones were later removed to Alexandria by Alexander the Great. The abruptness with which Jeremiah’s story ends is a reminder that the word of the Lord is important, not the one who bears the word. The lone exception to this is, of course, Jesus Christ, who both brought the word and was the Word.