11/17/2024 – Day 146 – Jeremiah – Chapters 42 – 46 / commentary: “The Jewish Remnant: Doomed Idolaters (44: 1 – 30)”
For yesterday’s Jeremiah reading, our ninth of ten consecutive Saturdays, again, I will share an excerpt from William Wiersbe’s wonderful commentary on Jeremiah, “Be Decisive”:
“This is Jeremiah’s last recorded message to his people, given in Egypt probably in the year 580 B.C. if he was called by God in 626, the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (1:2), then he had been ministering forty-six years. You can’t help admiring Jeremiah for this faithfulness in spite of all the discouragements that had come to his life.
A scathing indictment (vv. 1-14). No sooner did the Jewish remnant arrive in Egypt than they began to worship the local gods and goddesses, of which there were many. Jeremiah reminded them of what they had seen in the Lord’s judgement on Judah (44: 2-3). It was because of their idolatry that He had destroyed their land, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. Then he reminded them of what they had heard – the messages of the prophets God had sent to rebuke them time after time (vv. 4-6).
But they hadn’t learned their lesson, and now they were jeopardizing their future and inviting the wrath of God by repeating in Egypt the sins they’s committed in Judah. Had they forgotten the past? Were they unconcerned about their future? Didn’t they realize that God could judge them in Egypt as easily as He had judged them in their own land? No wonder God called the Jews in the land ‘bad figs that nobody could eat.’ The future would rest with the exiles in Babylon who would one day return to their land and carry on the work God had given them to do.
A senseless argument (vv. 15-19). The men and women listening to Jeremiah tried to defend their sins by appealing to experience. They used the pragmatic argument: ‘if it works, it must be right.’ When they lived in Judah and secretly worshipped the Queen of Heaven (Astarte or Ishtar, goddess of fertility), everything went well with them. They had plenty of food and enjoyed comfortable circumstances. But when King Josiah made the people give up their idols, things began to get worse for them. Conclusion: They were better off when they disobeyed God and worshipped idols!
It seems that some led the way in practicing idolatry, and their husbands cooperated with them. The women made vows to worship Astarte, and their husbands approved of what they did (vv. 24-26). According to Jewish law, if the husband approved his wife’s vow, it was valid (Numbers 30). Consequently, the wives blamed their husbands, and the husbands told Jeremiah that they didn’t care what he said! They were going to worship Astarte just as they had done in Judah and in that way be sure things would go right for them.
A terrible pronouncement (vv. 20-30). How tragic that twice in a few short years the Lord had to pronounce judgment on His people for the same sins! Jeremiah told them, ‘God ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the word of the Lord’ (Jeremiah 44: 25-26 NIV). The Jews in Egypt would perish, and only a remnant of the remnant would ever return to their own land. (Jimmy insert: Babylon – through the Daniel fulfilled prophecy – by decree of Cyrus. The prophets in Babylon: Ezekiel and Daniel)
Jeremiah gave them a sin: Pharaoh Hoper, whom they were trusting to care of them, would be handed over to his enemies just as King Zedekiah was handed over to Nebuchadnezzar. Keep in mind that it was Pharaoh Hoper who agreed to help Zedekiah against the Babylonians, and his help proved worthless. Historians tell us that a part of the Egyptian army revolted against Hoper, and the general who stopped the rebellion was proclaimed king. He reigned along with Hoper, but three years later Hoper was executed. Nebuchadnezzar then appeared on the scene, and Jeremiah’s other prophecy was fulfilled.
It’s likely that Jeremiah was dead when all this happened, but did the Jews in Egypt remember his words and take them to heart? Did they realize that he had faithfully declared God’s Word and that he had said was true? Did they repent and seek to obey?”
(Insert: By God’s grace and fulfillment of his promises, the Babylon remnant would return to rebuild the the temple. Without God, man is evil, so the cycle would repeat with the total destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. , with a reported death total by the Jewish historian Josephus of 1,000,000 people. But, we can’t lose for God can’t lose: The final victory will be the remnant Jews that turn their life over to Jesus before the 2nd coming of Christ. Just saying: The numbers of Messianic Jews are proliferating now, no comparison to 60+ years ago when I was a boy. To the side an amazing ongoing story as well: Iran is one of fastest, if not the fastest growing church in the world today, yet so few christians in the U.S. are even aware of it. And as reported by missionaires who met Iranian christian leaders in Indonesia, they love the nation of Israel. An amazing miracle again through the power of the Holy Spirit!)
Soli Deo Gloria!
I will include two questions from Wiersbe’s book for our fellowship together, followed by our usual questions. Thoughts? / Reflections?
“7. Why weren’t the people of Judah more mature in their relationship with God and in response to the tragedy?
9. In light of this study, what changes would you like to make as you respond to tragedy in the future?”
And /or:
- What does the text reveal about God’s character?
- How has this reading generated prayer for you and/or us?
- What themes stand out to you in this bible study?
- How does our reading fit into the bigger picture (creation, the fall, restoration, etc.)?
- What verse(s) jumped out at you like never before? Is it explainable at this point?
- Do you have any questions you would like to put before the group as to how to interpret any particular verse(s) in our reading. Let scripture testify to scripture: Share with us where you sense contradiction between passages elsewhere.
- What did you find convicting and inspiring at the same time? Share with us how the Spirit of God is working within you as a messenger, both within and outside of our fellowship group.
- Share with the group how our study is calling or confirming to you a new mission to glorify God in our times.
11/17/2024 – Day 146 – Jeremiah – Chapters 42 – 46 / commentary: “The Jewish Remnant: Doomed Idolaters (44: 1 – 30)”
For yesterday’s Jeremiah reading, our ninth of ten consecutive Saturdays, again, I will share an excerpt from William Wiersbe’s wonderful commentary on Jeremiah, “Be Decisive”:
“This is Jeremiah’s last recorded message to his people, given in Egypt probably in the year 580 B.C. if he was called by God in 626, the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (1:2), then he had been ministering forty-six years. You can’t help admiring Jeremiah for this faithfulness in spite of all the discouragements that had come to his life.
A scathing indictment (vv. 1-14). No sooner did the Jewish remnant arrive in Egypt than they began to worship the local gods and goddesses, of which there were many. Jeremiah reminded them of what they had seen in the Lord’s judgement on Judah (44: 2-3). It was because of their idolatry that He had destroyed their land, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. Then he reminded them of what they had heard – the messages of the prophets God had sent to rebuke them time after time (vv. 4-6).
But they hadn’t learned their lesson, and now they were jeopardizing their future and inviting the wrath of God by repeating in Egypt the sins they’s committed in Judah. Had they forgotten the past? Were they unconcerned about their future? Didn’t they realize that God could judge them in Egypt as easily as He had judged them in their own land? No wonder God called the Jews in the land ‘bad figs that nobody could eat.’ The future would rest with the exiles in Babylon who would one day return to their land and carry on the work God had given them to do.
A senseless argument (vv. 15-19). The men and women listening to Jeremiah tried to defend their sins by appealing to experience. They used the pragmatic argument: ‘if it works, it must be right.’ When they lived in Judah and secretly worshipped the Queen of Heaven (Astarte or Ishtar, goddess of fertility), everything went well with them. They had plenty of food and enjoyed comfortable circumstances. But when King Josiah made the people give up their idols, things began to get worse for them. Conclusion: They were better off when they disobeyed God and worshipped idols!
It seems that some led the way in practicing idolatry, and their husbands cooperated with them. The women made vows to worship Astarte, and their husbands approved of what they did (vv. 24-26). According to Jewish law, if the husband approved his wife’s vow, it was valid (Numbers 30). Consequently, the wives blamed their husbands, and the husbands told Jeremiah that they didn’t care what he said! They were going to worship Astarte just as they had done in Judah and in that way be sure things would go right for them.
A terrible pronouncement (vv. 20-30). How tragic that twice in a few short years the Lord had to pronounce judgment on His people for the same sins! Jeremiah told them, ‘God ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the word of the Lord’ (Jeremiah 44: 25-26 NIV). The Jews in Egypt would perish, and only a remnant of the remnant would ever return to their own land. (Jimmy insert: Babylon – through the Daniel fulfilled prophecy – by decree of Cyrus. The prophets in Babylon: Ezekiel and Daniel)
Jeremiah gave them a sin: Pharaoh Hoper, whom they were trusting to care of them, would be handed over to his enemies just as King Zedekiah was handed over to Nebuchadnezzar. Keep in mind that it was Pharaoh Hoper who agreed to help Zedekiah against the Babylonians, and his help proved worthless. Historians tell us that a part of the Egyptian army revolted against Hoper, and the general who stopped the rebellion was proclaimed king. He reigned along with Hoper, but three years later Hoper was executed. Nebuchadnezzar then appeared on the scene, and Jeremiah’s other prophecy was fulfilled.
It’s likely that Jeremiah was dead when all this happened, but did the Jews in Egypt remember his words and take them to heart? Did they realize that he had faithfully declared God’s Word and that he had said was true? Did they repent and seek to obey?”
(Insert: By God’s grace and fulfillment of his promises, the Babylon remnant would return to rebuild the the temple. Without God, man is evil, so the cycle would repeat with the total destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. , with a reported death total by the Jewish historian Josephus of 1,000,000 people. But, we can’t lose for God can’t lose: The final victory will be the remnant Jews that turn their life over to Jesus before the 2nd coming of Christ. Just saying: The numbers of Messianic Jews are proliferating now, no comparison to 60+ years ago when I was a boy. To the side an amazing ongoing story as well: Iran is one of fastest, if not the fastest growing church in the world today, yet so few christians in the U.S. are even aware of it. And as reported by missionaires who met Iranian christian leaders in Indonesia, they love the nation of Israel. An amazing miracle again through the power of the Holy Spirit!)
Soli Deo Gloria!
I will include two questions from Wiersbe’s book for our fellowship together, followed by our usual questions. Thoughts? / Reflections?
“7. Why weren’t the people of Judah more mature in their relationship with God and in response to the tragedy?
9. In light of this study, what changes would you like to make as you respond to tragedy in the future?”
And /or: