Jeremiah 44: Learning from History or Repeating It
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.
Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and 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 have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?
So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaoh–hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
Jeremiah 44 stands as a stark warning about the consequences of ignoring God's repeated calls to repentance and the dangers of idolatry. It highlights the stubbornness of the people of Judah who, even after witnessing the destruction of their homeland, persisted in their rebellious ways, choosing to flee to Egypt and continue their worship of false gods. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that failing to learn from history often leads to repeating its tragic mistakes, a truth that resonates even today.
The Unheeded Lessons of the Past (Jeremiah 44:1-10)
The chapter opens with Jeremiah addressing the Jewish people residing in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:1). Tony Evans aptly points out a common proverb that encapsulates the core message: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." God, through Jeremiah, reminds them of the idolatry that plagued Judah and the devastating consequences that followed (Jeremiah 44:2-6). The message is clear: rejecting God and serving false idols is a guaranteed path to ruin. The history of Israel and Judah is a testament to this truth.
God questions the rationale behind their self-destructive behavior, asking why they were inflicting such harm upon themselves (Jeremiah 44:7). They had disregarded God’s command to remain in Judah and receive His blessing. Astonishingly, they continued to provoke God by burning incense to other gods in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:8). They seemed oblivious to the impending consequences, inflicting wounds upon themselves. They had conveniently forgotten the sins committed by themselves, their ancestors, and their kings (Jeremiah 44:9). They remained unteachable and unrepentant (Jeremiah 44:10).
This section underscores the importance of humility in the face of God's correction. When God challenges our pride, it's an invitation to repentance and humility. James 4:6 reminds us, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Jeremiah's entire book serves as a lesson for future generations, illustrating the price of disobedience and the vital importance of faithfulness to God, lessons that the Jews of his time tragically failed to grasp.
Defiant Disobedience and Blasphemous Claims (Jeremiah 44:11-19)
The lessons of history were utterly lost on the Jews who stubbornly sought refuge in Egypt. Jeremiah reiterates God's judgment upon them for their foolishness (Jeremiah 44:11-14). In open defiance, the people declared, "We are not going to listen to you!" (Jeremiah 44:16).
The depth of their depravity becomes shockingly apparent when they claim that their troubles began only when they ceased burning incense to the "Queen of Heaven" (Jeremiah 44:18). They were essentially attributing the prosperity and blessings they once enjoyed in Judah to a pagan goddess! Their unspoken assumption was that worshiping the Lord had led them nowhere, and that their misfortune was a direct result of serving Him instead of their idols. This twisted logic reveals a complete inversion of truth and a profound spiritual blindness.
God's "Enough!" and the Inevitable Consequences (Jeremiah 44:20-30)
This blatant blasphemy reached a point where God essentially declared, "Enough!" Jeremiah first corrects their distorted view of history, exposing the disastrous consequences of their loyalty to pagan gods (Jeremiah 44:20-23). Then, God seals their fate. He had endured enough of their arrogance. If lies and destruction were what they desired, then lies and destruction they would receive: "Go ahead, confirm your vows! Keep your vows!" (Jeremiah 44:25)—a chilling invitation to continue down their destructive path and see where it leads them.
God then pronounces an even more ominous judgment: "My name will never again be invoked by anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt...I am watching over them for disaster and not for good...until they are finished off" (Jeremiah 44:26-27). To further confirm His word of disaster and death, God declares that He will hand over Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, to his enemies (Jeremiah 44:30). The very leader to whom the Jews had fled for protection would be unable to protect himself. This prophecy was fulfilled in 570–569 BC when Hophra was overthrown in a military coup and eventually assassinated. When these events came to pass, the rebellious Jews would finally realize, albeit too late, "[They] will know whose word stands, mine or theirs!" (Jeremiah 44:28).
Jeremiah 44 serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of persistent disobedience and the allure of idolatry. It highlights the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past and the dangers of rejecting God's warnings. It is a call to humility, repentance, and a renewed commitment to faithfulness, lest we find ourselves repeating the tragic history of those who came before us.
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein,
Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers.
Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods.
Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
Therefore now thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and 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 have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them, and came it not into his mind?
So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.
Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the Lord, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
Therefore hear ye the word of the Lord, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord God liveth.
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give Pharaoh–hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
Jeremiah 44 stands as a stark warning about the consequences of ignoring God's repeated calls to repentance and the dangers of idolatry. It highlights the stubbornness of the people of Judah who, even after witnessing the destruction of their homeland, persisted in their rebellious ways, choosing to flee to Egypt and continue their worship of false gods. This chapter serves as a powerful reminder that failing to learn from history often leads to repeating its tragic mistakes, a truth that resonates even today.
The Unheeded Lessons of the Past (Jeremiah 44:1-10)
The chapter opens with Jeremiah addressing the Jewish people residing in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:1). Tony Evans aptly points out a common proverb that encapsulates the core message: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." God, through Jeremiah, reminds them of the idolatry that plagued Judah and the devastating consequences that followed (Jeremiah 44:2-6). The message is clear: rejecting God and serving false idols is a guaranteed path to ruin. The history of Israel and Judah is a testament to this truth.
God questions the rationale behind their self-destructive behavior, asking why they were inflicting such harm upon themselves (Jeremiah 44:7). They had disregarded God’s command to remain in Judah and receive His blessing. Astonishingly, they continued to provoke God by burning incense to other gods in Egypt (Jeremiah 44:8). They seemed oblivious to the impending consequences, inflicting wounds upon themselves. They had conveniently forgotten the sins committed by themselves, their ancestors, and their kings (Jeremiah 44:9). They remained unteachable and unrepentant (Jeremiah 44:10).
This section underscores the importance of humility in the face of God's correction. When God challenges our pride, it's an invitation to repentance and humility. James 4:6 reminds us, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Jeremiah's entire book serves as a lesson for future generations, illustrating the price of disobedience and the vital importance of faithfulness to God, lessons that the Jews of his time tragically failed to grasp.
Defiant Disobedience and Blasphemous Claims (Jeremiah 44:11-19)
The lessons of history were utterly lost on the Jews who stubbornly sought refuge in Egypt. Jeremiah reiterates God's judgment upon them for their foolishness (Jeremiah 44:11-14). In open defiance, the people declared, "We are not going to listen to you!" (Jeremiah 44:16).
The depth of their depravity becomes shockingly apparent when they claim that their troubles began only when they ceased burning incense to the "Queen of Heaven" (Jeremiah 44:18). They were essentially attributing the prosperity and blessings they once enjoyed in Judah to a pagan goddess! Their unspoken assumption was that worshiping the Lord had led them nowhere, and that their misfortune was a direct result of serving Him instead of their idols. This twisted logic reveals a complete inversion of truth and a profound spiritual blindness.
God's "Enough!" and the Inevitable Consequences (Jeremiah 44:20-30)
This blatant blasphemy reached a point where God essentially declared, "Enough!" Jeremiah first corrects their distorted view of history, exposing the disastrous consequences of their loyalty to pagan gods (Jeremiah 44:20-23). Then, God seals their fate. He had endured enough of their arrogance. If lies and destruction were what they desired, then lies and destruction they would receive: "Go ahead, confirm your vows! Keep your vows!" (Jeremiah 44:25)—a chilling invitation to continue down their destructive path and see where it leads them.
God then pronounces an even more ominous judgment: "My name will never again be invoked by anyone of Judah in all the land of Egypt...I am watching over them for disaster and not for good...until they are finished off" (Jeremiah 44:26-27). To further confirm His word of disaster and death, God declares that He will hand over Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, to his enemies (Jeremiah 44:30). The very leader to whom the Jews had fled for protection would be unable to protect himself. This prophecy was fulfilled in 570–569 BC when Hophra was overthrown in a military coup and eventually assassinated. When these events came to pass, the rebellious Jews would finally realize, albeit too late, "[They] will know whose word stands, mine or theirs!" (Jeremiah 44:28).
Jeremiah 44 serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of persistent disobedience and the allure of idolatry. It highlights the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past and the dangers of rejecting God's warnings. It is a call to humility, repentance, and a renewed commitment to faithfulness, lest we find ourselves repeating the tragic history of those who came before us.