58. The Last Words of Jeremiah
Jeremiah 44:1-30 encourages us to look at the true meaning of success.
Last week we read about Judah’s choice—should they stay in Israel or go to Egypt? While ignoring God’s stern warning of severe consequences, they decided to go to Egypt. They rejected God’s word and took Jeremiah with them.
Then God spoke to them again one final time.
Jeremiah 44:1 (CSB)
This is the word that came to Jeremiah for all the Jews living in the land of Egypt—at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Memphis, and in the land of Pathros:
These are the last recorded words that came to Jeremiah for the Jews. We still have a few more chapters to go before we finish the book of Jeremiah, but the last few chapters aren’t in chronological order.
So what does God say through Jeremiah in the end? He gives us a couple of perspectives worth paying attention to.
How God Sees It
Jeremiah 44:2 CSB
“This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: You have seen all the disaster I brought against Jerusalem and all Judah’s cities. Look, they are a ruin today without an inhabitant in them
As a result of sin, children were starving, homes had been burned to the ground, and entire cities were leveled. The sound of people crying everywhere was all a part of the horrific disaster God brought against them. Jeremiah 44:3 tells us the suffering happened…
Jeremiah 44:3 CSB
because of the evil they committed to anger me, by going and burning incense to serve other gods that they, you, and your ancestors did not know.
From God’s point of view, the disaster occurred “Because of all the evil they had done.” What evil? They were worshiping other gods while ignoring Jeremiah’s warnings. They refused to listen and learn from their mistakes, so God allowed them to suffer.
But in verses 7-10, God still tried to reason with them. He asked—Why do you insist on bringing this disaster on yourselves? Why do you keep provoking me to anger? Why do you keep forgetting? But Isreal didn’t respond, and in verse 10, God reflected on the sad situation,
Jeremiah 44:10 CSB
They have not become humble to this day, and they have not feared or followed my instruction or my statutes that I set before you and your ancestors.
Unfortunately, Judah’s suffering didn’t result in the humility God desired for them. But what about us? Are we learning the lessons we’re meant to learn as we suffer? I’m reminded of John Piper’s book “Don’t Waste Your Cancer.” In it, he encourages Christians to embrace their inevitable trials as opportunities to draw closer to God instead of just something to fight against. It’s worth considering if all our sufferings do is cause us to get angry, then we might be seeing things from God’s perspective.
Next, we see God’s response to Judah’s refusal to repent is for the remnant to get even smaller.
Jeremiah 44:11 CSB
“Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am about to set my face against you to bring disaster, to cut off all Judah.
Jeremiah then follows up by saying those who went to Egypt will die in Egypt—by the sword, famine, and plague. Nearly everyone will die except for a few fugitives.
So God’s perspective of Judah’s situation is not a pretty sight. Judah was suffering because of her idolatry and sin, and her suffering was only going to get worse the longer they refused to repent. From God’s perspective, suffering was meant to lead to greater righteousness.
How Judah Sees It
But how does Judah see the situation they are in? What do they think the reason is for their misfortune? In stark contrast, Judah blames the “queen of heaven.” They don’t blame their worship of her, but their lack of worshipping her enough!
Jeremiah 44:18 CSB
From the time we ceased to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to offer her drink offerings, we have lacked everything, and through sword and famine we have met our end.
From their point of view, the solution to their suffering wasn’t less idolatry, but more!
The queen of heaven, by the way, wasn’t an Egyptian goddess but a Babylonian one. So think about it, they had just been destroyed by the Babylonians, yet they still want to worship their gods!
In our day, some of us worship the goddess of wisdom, mother nature, astrological signs, or even Wicca, the witch-goddess. But more commonly, we worship the gods of glamor, power, politics, and self. Idolatry is still all around us. Do we see our idolatry as the problem or the solution?
Keep Your Vows
It’s ironic that after all of Judah’s unfaithfulness, they claimed their “keeping of vows” was justification for disobeying God.
Jeremiah 44:25 CSB
This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for you and your wives, you women have spoken with your mouths, and you men fulfilled it by your deeds, saying, “We will keep our vows that we have made to burn incense to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings for her.” Go ahead, confirm your vows! Keep your vows!’
After all those years, Judah finally saw the importance of keeping their vows, but they were the wrong vows! The remnant was so blind that they didn’t see their sin for what it was. They called good evil and evil good. They thought their worship of idols would save them and worship of God would ruin them.
Sadly, the only vow they were intent on keeping was the vow to self-destruct. God’s punishment was severe, but in reality, their wounds were self-inflicted.
Jeremiah 44:7 CSB
So now, this is what the Lord, the God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Why are you doing such terrible harm to yourselves? You are cutting off man and woman, infant and nursing baby from Judah, leaving yourselves without a remnant.
Sin is self-destructive, and eventually, God allows sinners to have their own way.
Pharaoh Hophra
To emphasize the certainty of God’s words, he gives one final prophecy about Pharaoh Hophra.
Jeremiah 44:30 CSB
This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand over Pharaoh Hophra, Egypt’s king, to his enemies, to those who intend to take his life, just as I handed over Judah’s King Zedekiah to Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar, who was his enemy, the one who intended to take his life.’ ”
Pharaoh Hophra was the Egyptian king who led the army attempting to save Judah from Nebuchadnezzar’s siege (see Jer 37:5). So the downfall of Hophra was a sign of the certainty of God’s judgment on the remnant and of his sovereignty. Unfortunately, once again, God’s people refused to be humbled.
God would have been completely justified in letting every last one of them die, but in his mercy, he saved a few, according to verse 14. He said,
Jeremiah 44:14 (CSB)
...for they will not return except for a few fugitives.
Even though God’s punishment was severe, he was still merciful. And this mercy was seen in the time of Jesus when he went to Egypt to live among the Jews for a time while Herod sought to kill him.
A Success?
But based upon these last words of Jeremiah, would Jeremiah’s life be considered a success? Tradition says that Jeremiah was stoned to death by his countrymen in Egypt. So he died in a foreign land without much to show for his efforts.
By man’s standards, Jeremiah’s life was most certainly a failure. But by God’s standard of faithfulness to preach his word, he was an overwhelming success. Yet there’s another way that Jeremiah’s life was a success. In all of his sufferings, he was a blessing to you and me! Jeremiah’s faithfulness has helped lead to our salvation!
1 Peter 1:10–12 CSB
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would come to you, searched and carefully investigated…It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven…
I think, in some way, through the Holy Spirit, Jeremiah knew that the message he preached would end up being a blessing to people he had never met.
Jeremiah’s life was a success because, through his own sufferings, he testified in advance to the sufferings of Christ. Though this testimony cost him his life, it was worth it because of all the glories that would follow—glories fulfilled in believers like you and me.