Jeremiah 44:1-30 Same Sin
The remnant of Judah is now in Egypt. And they are back to doing the SAME sin that got Judah destroyed in the first place; serving idols.
God told the people NOT to go to Egypt. To the place that He had brought them out of almost a century ago; 910 years. It was nearly the number of years that Adam lived; 930. After the flood, man’s life was drastically shortened and the average for a generation is 20-35 years. Making 26 – 45 generations passing between these two times in Egypt. Yet little has changed in the hearts of the people. The people of Judah are not slaves but they ARE slaves to the practice of idol worship. THEY have enslaved themselves by their own mouths.
Jeremiah brings God’s reproof to the people of Judah in Egypt. “Didn’t you learn ANYTHING from the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem, Judah, and even Israel? They KEPT worshiping other gods. I warned them repeatedly but they wouldn’t listen. You are headed for the SAME disaster if you don’t STOP worshiping the other gods!”
Do you think they listened? NOPE. In fact, their answer SPITS in God’s face! “We already promised to worship these other gods and that’s exactly what we are going to do. Things were good when we worshiped them. Things only got BAD when we stopped. So, You must be the problem.”
Can you say ‘jaw dropper’? Of ALL the self-absorbed and delusional things to say! They remember NOTHING of all that God had done for them as a people. They REFUSED to see the truth. They would not acknowledge that it was THEIR OWN ACTIONS of rebellion that brought disaster upon themselves. Their false gods never got them out of ANY trouble. Only into it deeper.
God answers their insolence with a FIRM answer. One that would cost them everything. “You took my GRACE for granted. Your false gods weren’t blessing you, I was holding off on punishing you. I was giving you a chance to repent. Go ahead. Keep your ‘vows’ to the false and worthless gods. You have sealed your own fate. You will DIE here of the very same disasters I brought on Judah. MY hand is against you. Let’s see your ‘gods’ save you. When all is said and done, we will see whose word REALLY stands. Mine or yours! As a sign of MY power and superiority over ALL your false gods, ‘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, who was his enemy and sought his life’ (verse 30). ANYONE who survives, and there will be VERY FEW, will KNOW the truth and never be the same again.”
I wonder if ‘steam’ was coming out God’s ears during this discourse or if tears were rolling down His face. Was it both? Those He LOVED rejected Him and claimed allegiance with DEATH. Nothing He did for them was remembered or credited to His hand. His children wanted nothing to do with Him. It must have broken His heart as well as put steel in His voice.
Father God, I want to cry for You. I can’t imagine ANYONE choosing ANY god but You. I know it is still happening every day in this world. But these were YOUR children whom You had watched over from the beginning. To so thoroughly and blatantly disrespect and dismiss You.
I PRAY WITH ALL MY HEART that I NEVER speak to You this way!!! YOU are the air in my lungs. The reason I live. And the ONLY God I will EVER love. I wish I could erase all the hurt I have caused You over the course of my life AND the pain You must have endured that day. I’m SO sorry Father! Can I give You a hug?
