AUGUST 31

A Remnant Flees to Egypt

Only two months will pass before there is conflict from within the ranks of those who have been left desolate in Judah. A contingent of army offi­cers who had not been captured will apparently fall under the influence of the Ammonites, who will persuade them to assassinate Gedaliah. Their char­acter is further revealed when they murder 70 innocent men, apparently with­out reason, and take captive their own countrymen at Mizpali.

Just when it appears that other former officers are about to right all the wrongs, they too exhibit wicked character. After lying to Jeremiah, they lead away to Egypt a whole remnant of Hebrews, including Jeremiah and Baruch. Egypt is seemingly chosen for two reasons: first of all, there is fear that Nebuchadnezzar will punish the former officers for killing his appointed gov­ernor, and they therefore believe that they can find safety under Pharaoh Hophra's protection. Second, they—and particularly their wives—seem drawn to Egypt's idolatry and worship of the pagan Queen of Heaven.

So it is that in the very country against which he has brought such harsh judgments, Jeremiah finds himself once again crying out against idolatry and having to bring more rebuke and judgment.

 

GEDALIAH WELCOMES OFFICERS. Jer. 40:7-10 [2kgs.25:23,24 ]

When all the army officers and [heir men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest in the land and who had not been carried into exile lo Babylon, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Karcah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophalhile, and Jaazaniah" the son of the Maacathitc, and their men. Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. "Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians,'1" lie said. "Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. I myself will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come lo us, but you are to harvest the wine, summer fruit and oil, and put them in your storage jars, and live in the towns you have taken over." ,, .

 

REMNANT HARVESTS FRUITS. Jer. 40:11,12

When all the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom and all the other countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scat­tered. And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.

 

WARNING ABOUT ISHMAEL. Jer. 40:13-16

Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, "Don't you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

Then Johanan son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, "Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered and the remnant of Judah to perish?"

But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."

 

GEDALIAH ASSASINATED. Jer 41:1-3 [2Kgs. 25:25]

In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king's officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian1? soldiers who were there.

 

SEVENTY MURDERED. Jer. 41:4-9

The day after Gedaliah's assassination, before anyone knew about it, eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the lord. Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met them, he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam." When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden in a field." So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa had made as part of his defense against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

 

PEOPLE OF MIZPAH TAKEN. Jer. 41:10

Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah—the king's daughters along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

 

JOHANAN RESCUES. Jer. 41:11-15      

When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool in Gibeon. When all the people Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

 

FEAR OF BABYLONIANS. Jer.41:16-18 [2Kgs.25:26]

Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led away all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he had assassinat­ed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children and court offi­cials he had brought from Gibeon. And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt to escape the Babylo­nians/ They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

 

JEREMIAH ASKS FOR DIRECTION. Jer. 42:1-4

Then all the army officers, includ­ing Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah5 son of Hoshaiah, and all the peo­ple from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, "Please hear our petition and pray to the lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do."

"I have heard you," replied Jeremiah the prophet. "I will certainly pray to the lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the lord says and will keep nothing back from you."

 

PROMISE OF COMPLIANCE. Jer. 42:5,6

Then they said to Jeremiah, "May the lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accor­dance with everything the lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the lord our God."

 

REMNANT TO STAY. Jer. 42:7-18

Ten days later the word of the lord came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the great­est. He said to them, "This is what the lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compas­sion on you and restore you to your land.'

 

"However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the lord your God, and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' then hear the word of the lord, O remnant of Judah. This is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.' This is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. You will be an object of cursing and horror, of con­demnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'

 

WARNING AGAINST FLIGHT. Jer. 42:19-22

"O remnant of Judah, the lord has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake^ when you sent me to the lord your God and said, 'Pray to the lord our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle."

 

JEREMIAH CALLED LIAR. Jer. 43:1-3

When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the lord their God—everything the lord had sent him to tell them—Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The lord our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.' But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians," so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon."

 

REMNANT LED AWAY. Jer. 43:4-7

So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army offi­cers and all the people disobeyed the lord's command to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered. They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.

 

PROPHECY ABOUT EGYPT. Jer. 43:8-13

In Tahpanhes the word of the lord came to Jeremiah: "While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, 'This is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebu­chadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them. He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, cap­tivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd wraps his garment around him, so will he wrap Egypt around himself and depart from there unscathed. There in the temple of the sun™ in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.' "

 

EGYPTIAN HEBREWS WARNED. Jer. 44:1-14      

This word came to Jeremiah con­cerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis —and in Upper Egypt: "This is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins because of the evil they have done. They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew. Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!' But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the deso­late ruins they are today.

 

"Now this is what the lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? Why provoke me to anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations on earth. Have you forgotten the wicked­ness committed by your fathers and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? To this day they have not humbled them­selves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers.

 

"Therefore, this is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach. I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives."

 

PEOPLE'S IMPUDENT RESPONSE. Jer.44:15-19

Then all the men who knew that. their wives were burning incense to other gods, along with all the women who were present—a large assembly—and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt,2 said to Jeremiah, "We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm. But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine."

 

The women added, "When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her ?”

 

 

 

PAGANISM JUDAH'S DOWNFALL. Jer.44:20-23

Then Jeremiah said to all the peo­ple, both men and women, who were answering him, "Did not the lord remember and think about the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your fathers, your kings and your offi­cials and the people of the land? When the lord could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the lord and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipu­lations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see."

 

JUDGMENT AGAINST IDOLATERS. Jer.44:24-28

Then Jeremiah said to all the peo­ple, including the women, "Hear the word of the lord, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said, 'We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.'

"Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the word of the lord, all Jews living in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name/ says the lord, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, "As surely as the Sovereign lord lives." For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand—mine or theirs.

 

PHARAOH'S FATE A SIGN. Jer.44:29,30

 " 'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the lord, 'so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.' This is what the lord says: 'I am going to hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his ene­mies who seek his life, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life.'"

 

END OF JEREMIAH'S MINISTRY. Jer.51:64b

   The words of Jeremiah end here.

 

What a disheartening experience this must be for Jeremiah—off in a foreign country, separated from his scattered family, and surrounded by idolatrous Hebrews who have not even begun to learn the lesson of Judah's fall. Now in his older years Jeremiah must indeed have a broken heart. But surely in the kingdom of the Messiah about whom he has confidently prophesied he will receive great reward.