The Lord Will Destroy The People of Judah
March 20, 2021
Commentary
The people spread through the land of Egypt rather rapidly. Jeremiah calls them all together after they have been there a few months and announces to them that they are still doing the same things that brought judgment on them in Judah (vv. 1-7). Jeremiah says; the Lord told me to speak to the Jews in Egypt (v. 1). He reminds them of how He destroyed Jerusalem and towns in Judah that lie in ruin (v. 2). This was because they were worshiping other gods (v. 3). He sent prophets to warn them to stop sinning (v. 4) but they refused (v. 5). Finally He struck them, in anger, like a raging flood (v. 6). He says why do you insist on heading for disaster that will destroy you and your children (v. 7).
The very things God objected to are now resuming in Egypt. The women were the leaders in this, offering incense to the queen of heaven, the moon goddess, and giving themselves in idolatrous ways to the other Egyptian gods around them as well (v. 8). That is what God judged Judah for, as Jeremiah reminds them. He tells them God will judge them here in this land too (v. 9). He says that pride keeps you from obeying me and my teachings (v. 10). He has decided to wipe them out with disasters (v. 11). Because they decided to return to Egypt they will die from war, hunger and disease (vv. 12-13). You may hope to return to Judah but only a few will be able to go back (v. 14).
Application
When I study a passage of Scripture like this I often think of America and how far we have wandered into sin since the day of our founding fathers. Lord, help me to sow the seeds of righteousness.
Jeremiah 44:1– 14 (NET)
1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans who were living in the land of Egypt, those in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the region of southern Egypt: 2 “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘You have seen all the disaster I brought on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. Indeed, they now lie in ruins and are deserted. 3 This happened because of the wickedness the people living there did. They made me angry by worshiping and offering sacrifices to other gods whom neither they nor you nor your ancestors previously knew. 4 I sent my servants the prophets to you people over and over again warning you not to do this disgusting thing I hate. 5 But the people of Jerusalem and Judah would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods. 6 So my anger and my wrath were poured out and burned like a fire through the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. That is why they have become the desolate ruins that they are today.’
7 “So now the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, asks, ‘Why will you do such great harm to yourselves? Why should every man, woman, child, and baby of yours be destroyed from the midst of Judah? Why should you leave yourselves without a remnant? 8 That is what will result from your making me angry by what you are doing. You are making me angry by sacrificing to other gods here in the land of Egypt where you live. You will be destroyed for doing that! You will become an example used in curses and an object of ridicule among all the nations of the earth. 9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their wives, and by you and your wives? 10 To this day your people have shown no contrition! They have not revered me nor followed the laws and statutes I commanded you and your ancestors.’
11 “Because of this, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘I am determined to bring disaster on you, even to the point of destroying all the Judeans here. 12 I will see to it that all the Judean remnant that was determined to go and live in the land of Egypt will be destroyed. Here in the land of Egypt they will fall in battle or perish from starvation. People of every class will die in war or from starvation. They will become an object of horror and ridicule, an example of those who have been cursed and that people use in pronouncing a curse. 13 I will punish those who live in the land of Egypt with war, starvation, and disease, just as I punished Jerusalem. 14 None of the Judean remnant who have come to live in the land of Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah. Though they long to return and live there, none of them shall return except a few fugitives.’”
Illustration: Mother Bird Protects Baby Chicks Under Her Wings
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Startled by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. She had been willing to die so that those under her wings would live. (James Botts – Sermon Central)