Jeremiah 43:8–44:30

At one point, those who were told to stay in the city decided to escape the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar by fleeing to Egypt. Gedaliah was the governor the Babylonians had set over the few left in Jerusalem, and he had been murdered. At the last minute, it occurred to them that they had not asked the Lord whether this was His way for them. So they quickly asked Jeremiah to consult Him. When the answer came, and was negative, they refused to listen.

Had they remained quietly in the land subject to the authority of the Chaldean king whom God had placed over them, they would have been preserved. But they, choosing human policy, thought it was safer to go down into Egypt, whereas it proved to be the contrary.

In 1886 the Egyptologist Professor Petrie dug at Tahpanhes. He found a brick pavement in front of what looks like a palace. This was probably the place where Jeremiah hid the stones. The ruin is called Kasr el Bint Jehudi, which means "the palace of the daughter of Judah." The word brick-kiln means a pavement of bricks.

How eloquent was this sign! Did not the brick kiln remind them of Israel's former slavery in Egypt? They had reached this spot again in their effort to escape the dominion of the king of Babylon, the servant of the Lord! Had they escaped? Had they found the liberty they expected by disobeying the word of the prophet in this way? To that very spot where these stones were placed, God would send His servant Nebuchadnezzar and set his throne upon them! Egypt and its wealth and its goods would be handed over to him: and so it happened.

Is this not a striking message? The stones would have been well fixed in the mortar as a solemn witness of these words. Some time later Jeremiah's prophecy was fulfilled. Nebuchadnezzar came and took Egypt — the same Nebuchadnezzar they had been afraid of in Jerusalem so that they ran away from him.

"All the proud men" never guessed what they were doing. They were carrying with them the one man whose voice would soon speak in Egypt to pronounce their doom. And that doom would come by the hand of the very conqueror they hoped to shut out, using the power of the king of the south as a wall he could not cross. Vain hope to escape the hand of the God they despised!

So it is always. In righteous government our sin soon becomes our own chastening and the world's sorrow. What our blindness built on as solid rock turns out to be quicksand, tossed by waves and winds in the swift-coming day when God comes to judge.

God's discipline does not always come at once. But it is always perfectly designed, proportionate and effective. If we run away from discipline the problem that caused it will catch up with us (and the outcome is likely to be even worse).

This is an important lesson for believers who wander here and there in their restless search for an easy path. They do not abide in Christ where God has set them. We are not left to choose our own way. To do otherwise is to increase the difficulties for ourselves and others. To abide in Him is to assure blessing and increase for ourselves and others also.

At the very spot they then reached, at Tahpanhes, God tells the prophet to hide some great stones in front of them. They were to go in the brick kiln at the entrance of Pharaoh's house. What a powerful sign this was! Didn't the brick kiln remind them of Israel's former slavery in Egypt? They had reached this spot again in their effort to escape the rule of the king of Babylon, the servant of the Lord! Had they escaped? Had they found the liberty they expected by disobeying the word of the prophet? To that very spot where these stones were placed, God would send His servant Nebuchadnezzar and set his throne on them! He would spread his royal canopy over them! Egypt, with its wealth and its goods, would be given into his hands — and so it happened.

That last phrase is a remarkable word. It was no longer Zedekiah, My servant, but Nebuchadnezzar, My servant. The children of Israel and of Judah were about to lose their special place as His nation too. It was now a question, not of being His servant as a special honour, but merely in providence. Nebuchadnezzar was a Gentile who worshipped idols, yet he could be His servant in this way as much as anyone else.

God speaks as Creator, and in His sovereignty He appoints Nebuchadnezzar as head over the nations... not for ever, but for a time. God appointed a new form of government, because Jerusalem had failed. The rule of God through the house of David was to pass away. The Lord chooses an imperial head from among the Gentiles. He makes Nebuchadnezzar His servant; with him and his rule begin the times of the Gentiles.

The prophet announced what would fall on the Jews who tried to escape by going down into Egypt. He showed them that there they would only meet more trouble at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. They could have stayed quietly in the land, under the authority of the Chaldean king whom God had placed over them. Then they would have been safe. But they chose human policy and thought it was safer to go down into Egypt, and it proved to be the opposite.

God's discipline does not always come at once. But it is always perfectly designed, fair in measure and effective. If we run away from discipline, the problem that caused it will catch up with us — and the outcome is likely to be even worse.

In 1886 the Egyptologist Professor Petrie dug at Tahpanhes. He found a brick pavement in front of what seems to be a palace. It was probably the place where Jeremiah hid the stones... The words "brick kiln" mean a pavement of bricks. Then, after burying the stones, he announced that Nebuchadnezzar would come and set his throne there too. He would conquer Egypt, strike it and burn the idol temples there. Such an invasion took place about 568 BC, when the Egyptian king Amasis was defeated.

So it always is. In righteous government our sin soon becomes our own chastening and the world's sorrow. What our blindness built on as rock turns out to be quicksand. Waves and winds toss it about in the day of reckoning, which comes fast.

They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar, but they only fall under the sword that would have spared them in Judea, if they had stayed there and submitted to the king. In Egypt they give themselves up to idolatry, so that the wrath of God might come upon them to the end.

The "proud men" never expected what they were carrying with them. It was the one man whose voice would soon speak in Egypt to announce their doom. And it would come by the hand of the very conqueror they hoped to shut out, using the power of the king of the south as a wall he could not cross. What a vain hope — to escape the hand of the God they despised!

Nebuchadnezzar, whom the Lord calls "My Servant," is spoken of about forty times. He is raised up to carry out His judgment on Israel, and on other nations too. The Lord says, "I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, My Servant: … and all nations shall serve him." Dominion is given to him by God; it is taken away from Israel.

So it is always. Under God's righteous government our sin soon becomes our own chastening and the world's grief. What our blindness built on as rock turns out to be quicksand, tossed by waves and winds in the day of visitation that comes so quickly.

Then, after burying the stones, he announced that Nebuchadnezzar would come and set his throne there too, that he would conquer Egypt, strike it, and burn the idol temples there. Such an invasion took place about 568 B.C., when the Egyptian king Amasis was defeated.

God's discipline is not always immediate, but it is always perfectly designed, proportionate and effective. If we run away from discipline, the problem that caused it will catch up with us (and the outcome is likely to be even worse). Had these people remained in Jerusalem and accepted the Babylonian yoke, they could have lived quietly in their own country. But having fled to Egypt, they were still within Nebuchadnezzar's reach and would die.

An idolatrous temple in Egypt, Jeremiah 43:13. Because its name means "house of the sun," people take it to be the same as On, or Heliopolis, a place linked with sun-worship.

Then, after burying the stones, he announced that Nebuchadnezzar would come and set his throne there too. He would conquer Egypt, strike it, and burn the idol temples there. Such an invasion took place about 568 BC, when the Egyptian king Amasis was defeated. The pillars mentioned in verse 13 are obelisks, and Beth-Shemesh means "the house of the Sun" (Heliopolis or On).

It is with the gods of Egypt, as at first so now at last, that God's main controversy lies. This was before Him when the destroyer went through the land and struck the firstborn on the night of the passover. It is before Him here when He adds that there shall be no more a prince of the land of Egypt.

That is a remarkable word. It was no longer Zedekiah, My servant, but Nebuchadnezzar, My servant. The children of Israel and of Judah were about to lose their special place as His nation, too. Being His servant was now a matter of providence, not of special honour. Nebuchadnezzar, a Gentile who worshipped idols, could be His servant in this way as much as anyone else.

How eloquent this sign was! Did the brick kiln not remind them of Israel's former slavery in Egypt? They had reached this spot again in their effort to escape the rule of the king of Babylon, the servant of the Lord! Had they escaped? Had they found the liberty they expected by disobeying the word of the prophet? God would send His servant Nebuchadnezzar to the very spot where these stones lay, and set his throne on them!

"All the proud men" never expected that they were carrying along with them the one whose voice would so soon speak in Egypt to pronounce their doom. And that doom would come by the hand of the very conqueror they hoped to shut out, using the power of the king of the south as a barrier no one could pass. What a vain hope, to escape the hand of the God they despised!

If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake. We get tired of strife and divisions and weakness, but going into the world does not improve matters.

The path of unbelief is a rapid descent when the heart hardens itself against a direct warning of the Lord. The greater the show of godliness before, the deeper the fall... God loves to be the Saviour of those who bear His name; if they desert Him for another, woe to them! It cannot but be to their shame, sorrow and ruin. Even when they have revolted to the very end, they are not left without a message, in case anyone might yet hear and escape.

The message is about all the Jews who were now living in Egypt. As well as being in Tahpanhes, they were also in Noph (Memphis) and in Pathros, which was in upper Egypt. Ancient papyri in Aramaic came to light not long ago. They show that a Jewish colony lived in that part of Egypt. In his message Jeremiah reminds them how God had dealt with Jerusalem and Judah for their idol worship, though He had sent prophets to warn them. And now they were doing the same thing in Egypt.

Did God take pleasure in recounting their sins, and His judgments as well as His warnings? No, it was His pity and His desire that those in Egypt might at last listen... Imminent danger hung over them; Egypt would be a useless shelter, but in the meantime it was far too certain a decoy into idolatry.

The story of this remnant stands out as a complete contrast to that of the remnant in Babylon. This group goes down into Egypt against the word of the Lord, and sword, famine and disease will consume them. Those in Babylon have the promise of peace and prosperity and plenty for the time being. This group carries Jeremiah into Egypt even though he announces their doom. The others have Ezekiel and Daniel with them at Babylon, where Daniel prevails in prayer with God for their deliverance and restoration. God at the beginning redeemed the people out of Egypt, but Babylon became the place of their captivity when they had turned away from the Lord. To go back to Egypt, then, was fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.

Going down to Egypt for help was the constant snare of the people of God. Yet God had delivered them out of that land, and they had seen His judgment on it in their own deliverance. Yet again and again they could turn back to it. Sadly, it is an inconsistency that not one of us who knows himself can be a stranger to! Happy are those who are taught by some means at last to say, as the apostle says for Christians: "For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh."

If all this shows what man is in self-will and rebellion, it also shows what God is in patient grace and goodness (Jeremiah 44:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Grace follows them even into Egypt, and still pleads with them; but nothing humbles them or brings them to repentance. But there is a limit to patience, and judgment follows from which there is no escape.

Did God take pleasure in recounting their sins, and His judgments as well as His warnings? No — it was His pity and His desire that those in Egypt might at last listen.

As the Lord rose early to send them messages and warnings, they rose early to indulge in their wickedness.

In every age, nothing shows the gap between God's word and men's thoughts more clearly than this. People treat idols and strange gods lightly, and God hates that, above all in His own people. There may be no deliberate plan to abandon His worship. It may only be what they count a small thing — going along with idolatry now and then, while still professing His name. But God absolutely rejects any such unholy compromise, quite apart from the danger, for those who allow it, of complete revolt from Him. It strikes at His majesty, at holiness and truth, and is intolerable in His eyes.

They had seen with their own eyes the destruction and desolation God had brought on Judah and Jerusalem for their wickedness. He had pleaded earnestly with them, saying, "Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!" But they did not listen. So the judgment that had waited long came at last with fury and anger.

Why does the Spirit warn you so often? Why does He so often bring your own case, as it were, before you? Why? Is it not because God always warns before He judges? Is it not that He often gives the unsaved soul the opportunity of escape, though sadly, they pay no attention to it? Yes, He is a God of mercy now, though one day He will be a God of judgment to those who scorn and reject His offered mercy.

The path of unbelief is a rapid descent when the heart hardens itself against a direct warning of the Lord. The greater the claim to godliness before, the deeper the fall... it was a fatal step when the prophet gave them the word of the Lord. That word assured them of safety in the land under Nebuchadnezzar, and of destruction in Egypt. Yet their impulse — indeed their determination — was to go there for shelter as a sensible precaution. God loves to be the Saviour of those who bear His name; if they desert Him for another, woe to them!

Danger was closing in on them. Egypt would be a useless shelter, but meanwhile it was all too sure a trap into idolatry.

Did God take pleasure in going over their sins, His judgments and His warnings? No — it was His pity, and His desire that those in Egypt might listen at last.

Jeremiah reminds them in his message how God had dealt with Jerusalem and Judah because of their idolatries. He had even sent prophets to warn them. And now they were doing the same thing in Egypt. "You too are bringing utter ruin on yourselves and all your own."

Notice here that the prophet stresses the wickedness of wives, and the part it played in bringing on the disasters of Israel, both before and now. Women are more ready to hear and feel, for good or ill, than men... It is a great grace from the Lord when they receive the truth and are saved. It is an awful sign that judgment is near when they renounce the truth and are bold and shameless in their determination to serve a false god.

They had seen with their own eyes how God destroyed Judah and Jerusalem and left them empty, because of their wickedness. He had pleaded with them: "Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate." They did not listen, so the judgment He held back for so long came at last with fury and anger. They must let that lesson teach them. They are not to provoke the Lord to wrath any more by their abominable idolatry, for if they did not listen they would be wiped out.

So they gloried in their shame. They took no notice of the works of the Lord or of the work of His hands, and it destroyed them. They blamed their troubles on neglecting the queen of heaven, because their will was set on a so-called religion that made depravity and passion sacred.

They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar. But there they fall under the sword. It would have spared them in Judea, if they had stayed there in submission to the king. In Egypt they give themselves up to idolatry, so that the wrath of God might come upon them to the end.

Did God take pleasure in recounting their sins, and His judgments as well as His warnings? No, it was His pity and His desire that those in Egypt might at last listen… Imminent peril hung over them. Egypt would be a useless shelter. But meanwhile it was too sure a lure into idolatry.

The invariable way of God is this: "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Faith alone gives self-humiliation. There are two forms of it. The happiest of all is to be humble. The next best thing is to be humbled… Humility is the effect of grace. Humbling belongs instead to God's righteous government, where we are not humble… Judgment must come instead of humbling. But in every case anything is better than to have our soul lifted up.

Nor does the darkness produce repentance: "They gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores, and did not repent of their deeds." Such is the hardening character of sin. Such also is the powerlessness of judgment by itself to break the heart and subdue the soul to God.

The people, however, had become so hardened in their evil ways that they tell the prophet without hesitation, "We will not listen to you"! They inform him that they will continue their idolatry and burn incense to the queen of heaven. Their reason: when we did these things in Judah and Jerusalem we had plenty of bread, we were well, and saw no disaster. Jeremiah points out that this was the very thing which brought God's judgment on Judah and Jerusalem.

What defiance and wickedness, the fruit of their unbelieving hearts! Still greater is the defiance and wickedness of today, when people deliberately reject the cross and the gospel of Christ.

If all this shows what man is in self-will and rebellion, it shows also what God is in patient grace and goodness. Grace follows them even into Egypt, and still pleads with them; but nothing humbles them or brings them to repentance. But there is a limit to patience, and judgment follows from which there is no escape. If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake.

Not only would the Lord give the inhabitants of Jerusalem up like the vine for fuel, He would "set His face against them." Think what that means to those who know His name and know that He must hate evil! The Lord announces His settled hostility. As if that were not definite enough, He adds that they will go out from the fire, and the fire will devour them. So indeed it was with Jerusalem, the guilty city of the Great King. If they left one fire behind here, it was only to meet the fire there. There was no escape, for no real repentance followed, and God was not mocked.

The path of unbelief is a rapid descent when the heart hardens itself against a direct warning of the Lord. The louder the claim to godliness before, the deeper the fall... But it was a fatal step. The prophet gave them the word of the Lord. He assured them of safety in the land under Nebuchadnezzar, and of destruction in Egypt. Yet their impulse — yes, their determination — was to go to Egypt for shelter as a prudent move. God loves to be the Saviour of those who bear His name; if they desert Him for another, woe to them!

The word of God does not suit man's thoughts; it judges them. It stands in direct opposition to his will, it interferes with his plans, and so he rejects it... Jonah would go to Tarshish, when he ought to have gone to Nineveh. The result was that he found himself "in the belly of Sheol," with the weeds wrapped about his head. ... The remnant in the days of Jeremiah would go into Egypt, when they ought to have remained at Jerusalem. The result was that they died by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the land of Egypt where they wanted to go and live.

The story of this remnant stands out as a complete contrast to that of the remnant in Babylon. These go down into Egypt, against the word of the Lord, and sword and famine and pestilence will consume them. Those in Babylon have the promise of peace and prosperity and plenty for the time being. These carry Jeremiah with them into Egypt although he announces their doom. The others have Ezekiel and Daniel with them in Babylon... God at the beginning redeemed the people out of Egypt. But Babylon became the place of their captivity when they had turned away from the Lord. To return to Egypt was therefore fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.

They had ears, but they did not hear. The remnant was rotten to the core.

When the remnant fails, that does not relieve anyone from individual faithfulness. But there were faithful ones, some of them named... If a cup of cold water given to a disciple in faith and love cannot lose its reward, how could these faithful ones be forgotten, who in a dark and evil day helped the servant of the Lord and so rescued and preserved His word and testimony?

Unbelief goes downhill fast once the heart hardens itself against a direct warning of the Lord. And the greater the profession of piety before, the deeper the fall. Going down into Egypt for safety was not natural in those who had always been reluctant to bow to Babylon... But it was a fatal step. The prophet gave them the word of the Lord. He assured them of safety in the land under Nebuchadnezzar, and of destruction in Egypt. Egypt was exactly where their impulse — their determination — drove them to go for shelter. God loves to be the Saviour of those who bear His name. If they desert Him for another, woe to them! Even when they have revolted as far as they can go, God still sends them a message, in case any might yet hear and escape.

From Isaiah 11:11, Pathros, as distinct from Egypt, would seem to be the upper part of the land... The chief difficulty is that Jeremiah links Pathros (44:1) with cities in Lower Egypt, and speaks of it more generally later on (v. 15). But nothing in that grouping is decisive enough to set aside our referring Pathros to the land farther south.

The women seem to have had most to do with this, but they did so with the knowledge and the consent of their husbands.

The prophet lays stress on the wickedness of wives, and the place it had in bringing on the disasters of Israel before and now. Women are more ready to hear and feel, for good or ill, than men... It is a great grace from the Lord when they receive the truth and are saved. It is an awful sign of judgment close at hand when they renounce the truth and turn bold and shameless in their resolve to serve a false god.

It is painful but profitable to trace the progress of religious corruption. It arises not from outside, but from within. No outward temptation, it seems, could have brought the people of Judah to rebel with so bold a face. Corrupt prophets and a corrupt priesthood did that. They still kept the ordinances God had given, but held them as forms that human wisdom had put in place of His power. That blindness is what made the people answer Jeremiah as they did.

The self-will that was determined to take a certain course deceived them. Nothing will so warp the understanding and hinder the grasp of truth as self-will. It will not see what it does not want to see. And, as always, behind the self-will there was pride that would not admit they were wrong.

If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake. We get tired of strife and divisions and weakness, but going into the world does not mend matters. We see here the sad effect of going into the world: it left them without heart or conscience. It would be hard to find a bolder, more shameless and wicked defiance of God and His word.

The people, however, had become so hardened in their evil ways that they tell the prophet without hesitation, "We will not listen to you"! They boldly inform him that they will keep up their idolatry and burn incense to the queen of heaven. When we did these things in Judah and Jerusalem, they say, we had plenty of bread and were well, and saw no evil.

The self-will that was determined to take a certain course deceived them. Nothing twists the understanding and blocks the grasp of truth like self-will. It will not see what it does not want to see. And, as always, behind the self-will there was pride that would not admit they were wrong.

They had provoked Him by making cakes to the queen of heaven. They had fallen in with the worship of a female idol. That worship was common among the idolatrous nations around them: the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They called the Babylonian Venus, Ishtar, the queen of heaven... The Phoenicians worshipped this "queen of heaven" under the name of Ashtoreth or Astarte. All kinds of immoral ceremonies went with this wicked worship, and the Jews had taken it up. The women made cakes to present to this goddess.

So they gloried in their shame. They took no notice of the works of the Lord or the work of His hands, and it destroyed them. They read their troubles as the result of neglecting the queen of heaven. They had handed their will over completely to a so-called religion that made mere depravity and passion sacred.

Why did they not put their troubles down to the chastening hand of God, which was the truth? This is exactly what the prophet presses home with the simplicity and force of truth.

They consult Jeremiah, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord from his mouth. They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar. But there they fall under the sword that would have spared them in Judea, if they had stayed there in submission to the king. In Egypt they give themselves up to idolatry, so that the wrath of God might come on them to the end.

What defiance and wickedness, the fruit of their unbelieving hearts! The defiance and wickedness of today is even greater, when people deliberately reject the cross and the gospel of Christ.

If all this shows what man is in self-will and rebellion, it shows also what God is in patient grace and goodness. Grace follows them even into Egypt, and still pleads with them; but nothing humbles them or brings them to repentance. But there is a limit to patience, and judgment follows from which there is no escape... It would be hard to find a bolder, more impudent and wicked defiance of God and His word. They, moreover, impudently claim that it is better and more profitable to serve idols than to serve the Lord!

They had taken up the worship of a female idol. It was common among the idol-worshipping nations around them: the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They called the Babylonian Venus, Ishtar, the queen of heaven. The Assyrians called her Beltis, the female form of Baal. In the sculpture they placed a star over her head and called her "the mistress of the heavens." The Phoenicians worshipped this "queen of heaven" under the name of Ashtoreth or Astarte. The Jews had taken up this wicked worship, and all kinds of immoral ceremonies went with it.

So they gloried in their shame. They took no notice of the works of the Lord or of the working of His hands, and it led to their own destruction. They explained their troubles as the result of slighting the queen of heaven. Their will was fully set on a so-called religion that treated sheer corruption and lust as sacred.

Why did they not attribute their troubles, as was the truth, to the chastening hand of God? This is exactly what the prophet charges home with the simplicity and force of truth.

Incense spoke of the merits of Christ. Drink-offerings spoke of the joy found in the life and death of the Lord Jesus. Yet by the incense they burned to idols and the wine they poured out, the people declared by their action that they had learned the merits belonging to false gods. They declared they had found joy in a rite that was, little as they knew it, really the worship of demons. What an insult it was to God, and to Him whom the sacrifice represented, for Israel to give drink-offerings to idols!

The root of all idolatry is self-will, it is making a god of our own. It is starting with self and fashioning a god, not necessarily out of silver, nor necessarily with our hands... wherever self takes the place of the will of God, you will find the human mind at work, fashioning a god to please itself. And it does this in the name of the Lord, in the name of the true God.

These people go down into Egypt against the word of the Lord, and sword, famine and disease will destroy them. Those at Babylon have peace, prosperity and plenty promised to them for the time being... God at the beginning redeemed the people out of Egypt, but Babylon became the place of their captivity when they had turned away from the Lord. To return to Egypt therefore was fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance... Egypt stands for the place that was ours by nature, under Satan's power.

They had provoked Him by making cakes to the queen of heaven. They had fallen in with the worship of a female idol. That worship was so common among the idolatrous nations around them, like the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They called the Babylonian Venus, Ishtar, the queen of heaven. The Assyrians called her Beltis, the female form of Baal. In the sculpture they placed a star over her head and called her "the mistress of the heavens." The Phoenicians worshipped this "queen of heaven" under the name of Ashtoreth or Astarte. The Jews had adopted this wicked worship, and all kinds of immoral ceremonies went with it. The women made cakes to present to this goddess.

So they gloried in their shame, taking no notice of the works of Jehovah nor of the working of His hands, to their own destruction. They read their calamities as the result of slighting the queen of heaven. Their will was wholly committed to a so-called religion that made mere depravity and passion sacred.

Why did they not attribute their troubles, as was the truth, to the chastening hand of God? This is precisely what the prophet charges home with the simplicity and force of truth.

Worldly prosperity and celebration is not always a sign of God's approval, even when it is the fruit of His care and dealings behind the scenes. And affliction is not a sign of His disapproval, as we see far more strikingly in the case of Job.

It was with his whole heart and soul that Josiah set himself to bring worshippers of carved images back to the living and true God. He was a bright and shining light, and for a season the people were willing to walk in his light... Yet, by the Lord's own declaration, they were idolaters still at heart. They walked in the light of Josiah, not in the light of the Lord.

If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake. We get tired of strife and divisions and weakness, but going into the world does not mend matters. Here we see the sad effect of going into the world; it left them without heart or conscience. It would be hard to find a bolder, more shameless and wicked defiance of God and His word.

They claimed that all the disaster that had come on them was the result of abandoning their evil practices. What defiance and wickedness, the fruit of their unbelieving hearts! The defiance and wickedness of today is even greater, when people deliberately reject the cross and the gospel of Christ.

They had joined in the worship of a female idol. This worship was widespread among the idol-worshipping nations around them — the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They called the Babylonian Venus, Ishtar, the queen of heaven. The Assyrians called her Beltis, the female form of Baal. In their sculptures they set a star over her head and called her "the mistress of the heavens." The Phoenicians worshipped this "queen of heaven" under the name of Ashtoreth or Astarte. The Jews had taken up this wicked worship, and all kinds of immoral ceremonies went with it. The women made cakes to present to this goddess. Jewish tradition tells us that they stamped the image of the idol on each cake.

Jeremiah also says that in Judah and Jerusalem people made cakes to the queen of heaven — a title most take to mean the moon, worshipped as Astarte.

The women seem to have been the main ones involved in this, but they did it with the knowledge and the consent of their husbands.

Notice here that the prophet stresses the wickedness of the wives, and the part it played in bringing on the disasters of Israel, both before and now. Women are quicker to hear and to feel, for good or ill, than men. We see the brighter side in the Acts of the Apostles, and also in the Gospels and Letters of the New Testament. The darker side appears here, as in other places. It is a great grace from the Lord when they receive the truth and are saved. It is an awful sign that judgment is near when they turn from the truth and are bold and shameless in their determination to serve a false god.

So they gloried in their shame. They paid no attention to the works of Jehovah or to the work of His hands, and so they destroyed themselves. They read their disasters as the result of neglecting the queen of heaven, because their will was fully set on a so-called religion that made mere depravity and passion sacred.

Why did they not put their troubles down to the chastening hand of God, which was the truth? This is exactly what the prophet presses home, with the simplicity and force of truth.

It is painful but useful to trace how religious corruption grows. It does not come from outside, but from inside. It seems that no outward temptation could have made the people of Judah rebel so boldly. Corrupt prophets and a corrupt priesthood did. They held on to certain ordinances of God, but not in the power of God — only in the form which human wisdom had put in their place. That blinding power made the people reply, "we will not listen to you."

They boldly inform him they will continue their idolatry and burn incense to the queen of heaven, for say they, when we did these things in Judah and Jerusalem we had plenty of bread and were well, and saw no evil (vv. 15-19). Jeremiah points out to them it was the very thing which brought God's judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem (vv. 20-23).

The prophet announced what would fall upon the Jews who tried to escape by going down into Egypt. In Egypt, he said, they would only meet still more trouble from Nebuchadnezzar. God had set the Chaldean king over them. If they had stayed in the land under his authority, they would have been safe. But choosing human policy, they thought it safer to go down into Egypt, and it proved to be the opposite.

What hardness of heart, to say to the man of God, "We will not listen to you." They intended to perform their vows to worship "the queen of heaven." All they said was that things went well with them when they worshipped the queen of heaven back home. The women seem to have been the most involved in this, but they did it with the knowledge and consent of their husbands.

They had fallen in with the worship of a female idol. This worship was common among the idolatrous nations around them: the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Egyptians and the Babylonians. They called the Babylonian Venus, Ishtar, the queen of heaven. The Assyrians called her Beltis, the female form of Baal. In the sculpture they placed a star over her head and called her "the mistress of the heavens." The Phoenicians worshipped this "queen of heaven" under the name of Ashtoreth or Astarte. The Jews had adopted this wicked worship, with all its immoral ceremonies.

Incense spoke of the merits of Christ. Drink offerings, as we have seen, spoke of the joy found in the life and death of the Lord Jesus. Yet by the incense they burned to idols and the wine they poured out, the people claimed by their action to have learned the merits belonging to false gods. They claimed to have found joy in a rite which, little as they knew it, was really the worship of demons. What an insult it was to God, and to the One whom the sacrifice represented, for Israel to give drink offerings to idols!

Many men have vowed to commit a sin, and have used the vow as their excuse for doing it. Yet suppose someone had said to them, "Do you dare tell God that He wanted you to commit this murder?" — or whatever the sin may be. They would answer, "Certainly I cannot. Even nature tells me it is sin." If a man has vowed to be an apostle, or to convert many people, or never to marry, let him confess his sin, and leave himself in God's hands. He has assumed that the power lies in himself, and it is not there.

He says, "You dissembled in your hearts." A better translation is, "You deceived yourselves in your own souls." Their self-will was set on a certain course, and it deceived them. Nothing will warp the understanding and block the grasp of truth like self-will. It will not see what it does not want to see.

The answer is plain enough, and they heard what their fate would be for their deliberate unbelief and disobedience. These are solemn words, and the Lord said, "They shall know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs." God's word will always stand, and so will those who stand by the word of God and put their trust in it.

The people, however, had become so hardened in their evil ways that they tell the prophet without hesitation, "We will not listen to you"! They tell him openly that they will continue their idolatry and burn incense to the queen of heaven. Their reason is this: when we did these things in Judah and Jerusalem we had plenty of bread, we were well, and we saw no disaster (vv. 15-19). Jeremiah points out that this was the very thing which brought God's judgment on Judah and Jerusalem (vv. 20-23). The prophet also told them that, since they were determined to continue their detestable practices, the Lord had said, "Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, 'As the Lord GOD lives.'"

God could swear an oath, for He was able to carry it out, and He knew every consequence of what He pledged Himself to. It is beautiful to see Him do it when He wants to assure the soul of His creature, who is so ready to doubt the perfect faithfulness even of his God. "Therefore God, desiring to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us" (Heb. 6:13-18). His word is as certain as His oath, though it does not seem so to man.

What made this idolatry so offensive was the joining of the idols of the nations with Jehovah. To be what we might call a plain, out-and-out idolater was far less evil than to show that you know the true God and then put false gods on a level with Him. This outrage against God is specially described here: people who worship and swear to the Lord, and who also swear by the idol Milcom.

If all this shows what man is in self-will and rebellion, it shows also what God is in patient grace and goodness (Jer. 44:4; 2 Peter 3:9). Grace follows them even into Egypt, and still pleads with them; but nothing humbles them or brings them to repentance (Jer. 44:5-10). But there is a limit to patience, and judgment follows from which there is no escape (Jer. 44:11-14). If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake.

These go down into Egypt against the word of the Lord, and sword, famine and plague will destroy them. Those at Babylon are promised peace and prosperity and plenty, for a time. These take Jeremiah with them into Egypt, even though he announces their doom. The others have Ezekiel and Daniel with them at Babylon, where Daniel prevails in prayer with God for their deliverance and restoration. At the beginning God redeemed the people out of Egypt. Babylon became the place of their captivity after they had turned away from the Lord. So going back to Egypt was fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.

Even at this last hour, this remnant could have submitted to the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. Then peace would have reigned in the land, and these few who remained would have held it. But some revolt, and the others fear the consequences of their folly. There is no idea of trusting in the Lord. They consult Jeremiah, but refuse to obey the word of the Lord from his mouth. They take refuge in Egypt to escape Nebuchadnezzar. There they fall under the sword. That same sword would have spared them in Judea, if they had stayed there under the king.

These go down into Egypt, against the word of the Lord, and sword, famine and plague will destroy them. Those at Babylon have peace and prosperity and plenty promised to them for the time being. These carry Jeremiah with them into Egypt, though he announces their doom. The others have Ezekiel and Daniel with them at Babylon, and there Daniel prevails in prayer with God for their deliverance and restoration. At the beginning God redeemed the people out of Egypt. Babylon became the place of their captivity later, when they had turned away from the Lord. To return to Egypt was therefore fatal, but from Babylon there was deliverance.

But here there is a remnant. Here as elsewhere, when the remnant fails, that does not excuse any individual from being faithful. Those whom the leaders carried away do not belong to the class who dwelt in the land of Egypt. Six or seven times the chapter speaks to that class as dwellers in Egypt, and for them there is no escape (Jer. 44:14).

While He is angry — rightly angry — He remembers mercy. How comforting to hear Him say even at such a time: "Yet those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number" (v. 28). The blessed Lord knows the godly, and knows, too, how to deliver them. No doubt the proud and wilful had carried some of them into Egypt, like the prophet and Baruch. They were few and feeble. They did not go there gladly; circumstances forced them. It is always cheering to remind our hearts of that word, "The Lord knows those who are His" (2 Tim. 2:19). In His own time He opens the way for them to walk where He would have them.

The answer is plain enough, and they heard what their fate would be for their deliberate unbelief and disobedience. These are solemn words. The Lord said, "They shall know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs." God's word will always stand. So will those who stand by the word of God and put their trust in it.

Even if the thousand million people on this globe denied the truth of God's word, that word would still stand unmoved. Scripture does not depend for its truth upon man's belief. It is true whether he believes it or not.

If people think that by going into the world they will escape trouble, they make a great mistake. We get tired of strife and divisions and weakness, but going into the world does not mend matters. We see here the sad effect of going into the world; it left them without heart or conscience.