Tanak Foundations-Concepts in Jeremiah-Chapter 44

Jer 44.1-30 contains a rebuke by Jeremiah to the Jews in Egypt about their idolatry there. It also contains their response and their intention to continue in it. Jeremiah tells them that the destruction of Jerusalem was because of idolatry and their contempt for the word of Yehovah.

v 1…The word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt, those who were living in Migdol (near the Red Sea), Tahpanhes, Memphis, and the land of Pathros, saying,

v 2…”Thus says the Lord of hosts (Yehovah Tzavaot), the God of Israel, ‘You yourselves have seen all the calamity (evil) that I have brought on Jerusalem and all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are in ruins and no one lives in them,

v 3…because of their wickedness which they committed so as to provoke me to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices and to serve other gods whom they have not known, neither they, you, nor your fathers (the first cause of the destruction).

v 4…Yet I sent you all my servants the prophets, again and again (literally “rising early”), saying, “Oh, do not do this abominable thing which I hate (idolatry).’

v 5…But they did not listen or incline their ears to turn from their wickedness, so as to not burn sacrifices (burn incense) to other gods (powers).

v 6…Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem (destroying these cities), so they have become a ruin and a desolation as it is this day.

v 7…Now then thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, “Why are you doing great harm to yourselves (against their souls), so as to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, from among Judah, leaving yourselves without remnant (none will remain if they continue),

v 8…provoking me to anger with the works of your hands, burning sacrifices (incense) to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you are entering to reside (against Yehovah’s command), so that you might be cut off and become a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?

v 9…Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?

v 10…But they have not become contrite (humbled) even to this day (committed the same evils), nor have they feared nor walked in my law (Torah) or my statutes (chukim), which I have set before you and before your fathers.” ‘

v 11…”Therefore thus says the Lord of host (the armies), the God (Elohay) of Israel, ‘Behold (see for yourself), I am going to set my face against you (in Egypt) for woe (evil), even to cut off all Judah (who are in Egypt).

v 12…And I will take away the remnant of Judah who have set their mind on entering Egypt to reside there, and they will all meet their end (cease) in the land of Egypt; they will fall (be consumed) with the sword and meet their end (cease) by famine. Both small and great will die by the sword and famine; and they will become a curse (not succeed), and object of horror, an imprecation (shame) and a reproach.

v 13…And I punish those who live in Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence (they will suffer the same fate for the same sin).

v 14…So there will be no refugees or survivors for the remnant of Judah who have entered the land of Egypt to reside there (The Jewish people were to go to Babylon, to be weaned from their idolatry and restored. Those who went to Egypt by their own will got worse because of idolatry and will die there) and then to return the the land of Judah, to which they are longing to return and live; for none will return except a few refugees.”

v 15…Then all the men who were aware that their wives were burning sacrifices (incense) to other gods, along with all the women who were standing by, a great assembly, including all the people who were living in Pathros in the land of Egypt, responded to Jeremiah, saying,

v 16…”As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord (Yehovah), we are not going to listen to you (an example of the carnal mind against Yehovah)!

v 17…But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths (Judges 21.25) by burning sacrifices (incense) to the queen of heaven, and to pour out libations to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for (then) we had plenty of food, and we were well off, and saw no misfortune (the “queen of heaven” took many forms in different cultures. In the Babylonian Mysteries it was Semerimus, the wife of Nimrod. She is also known as Asherah, Diana, Minerva, Astarte, Athena, Artemis, Venus, Aphrodite and Juno. She is seen as a “mother” or a “mother with child” and Catholicism has carried on with this idolatry with “Mary” or “Mary with child.” We tend to get upset with the Catholics, but it can get out of perspective because it is present across the board or everywhere. The idea is to deal with it and get rid of it, if it is in our life. In the last three and a half years of the Birth-pains, what will be dealt with is Replacement Theology Israel or Apostate Christianity, and the worship of idols for a time. Besides the crucifix at that time, there will be images of “Mary” or the “mother and child” motif. Mary is called the “queen of heaven” in Catholicism. The “sun god” or “Jesus” is the “king” and the “moon” or “Mary”, is the queen. There are those who interpret Rev 12.1 as being Mary).

v 18…But since we stopped burning sacrifices (incense) to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine (this affliction was attributed to the cessation of their idolatry, but it was their idolatry that was the reason it came upon them).”

v 19…”And when we were burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, and were pouring out libations to her, was it without our husbands that we made for her cakes in her image and poured out libations to her (their husbands consented to it, and were guilty along with them)?”

v 20…Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men and women-even to all the people who were giving him an answer-saying,

v 21…”As for the smoking sacrifices that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your forefathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and did not all this come into his mind (Hebrew “lev” or “heart”; did he not carefully consider it and bring judgment because of it)?

v 22…So the Lord was no longer able to endure it, because of the evil of your deeds, because of the abominations which you have committed; thus your land has become a ruin, an object of horror and a curse without an inhabitant, as it is to this day (acting contrary to the Torah brought all the devastation to the people and the land).

v 23…Because (what they have suffered is from the Lord because they were worshiping the queen of heaven) you have burned sacrifices and have sinned against the Lord and not obeyed the voice of the Lord or walked in his law (Torah), his statutes (chukim) or his testimonies (edut or prophecies), therefore this calamity has befallen you, as this day.”

v 24…Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt (not those in Babylon),

v 25…thus says the Lord of hosts (armies because he is coming from a military position of power), the God of Israel, as follows: ‘As for you and your wives (who just admitted to burning incense to the queen of heaven with their men), you have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled it with your hands, saying, “We will certainly perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her.” Go ahead and confirm your vows, and certainly perform your vows (being obstinate, Yehovah ironically tells them to go ahead if his words won’t stop them)!’

v 26…Nevertheless hear the word of the Lord (since you have made up your mind), all Judah who are living in the land of Egypt, ‘Behold (see for yourself), I have sworn by my great name,’ says the Lord, ‘never shall my name (Yehovah) be invoked again by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord lives (because they have rejected him, he will reject them).”

v 27…Behold, I am watching over them for harm and not for good (the same God who watches over his people for good can also bring evil) and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt will meet their end (cease) by the sword and by famine until they are completely gone (rooted out).

v 28…And those who escape the sword (when Babylon comes to Egypt) will return out of the land of Egypt to the land of Judah few in number (compared to the number who will come out of Babylon). Then all the remnant of Judah who have gone to the land of Egypt to reside there will know whose word will stand, mine or theirs (they will know by experience).

v 29…And this will be the sign to you,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am going to punish you in this place, so that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm (he gives them a hint so that they could escape what was coming and to assure themselves that the foretold judgment was coming).’

v 30…”Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to give over Pharaoh Hophra (the same Pharaoh as in Ezek 29 and 32 and a picture of the False Messiah) king of Egypt to the hand of his enemies (Babylon), to the hand of those who seek his life, just as I gave over Zedekiah king of Judah to the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy and was seeking his life (in like manner; as soon as Yehovah had done one, the other will be done also. When they see this they will know they are being given over to complete destruction).”

Posted in All Teachings, Articles, Idioms, Phrases and Concepts, Prophecy/Eschatology, The Festivals of the Lord, The Tanak, Tying into the New Testament

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