Jeremiah 44:1

JEREMIAH 44

JEREMIAH'S FINAL PROPHECY

Other prophecies of Jeremiah appear in subsequent chapters; but this chapter is generally viewed as containing the final prophecy, chronologically, that came through this great sixth century B.C. servant of God. Right up to the very end, his life apparently continued to be an almost unending series of tragedies.

"The exact date of this chapter cannot be determined; but it came a long time after the events recorded in the preceding chapter."[1] This conclusion is drawn from the fact that the Jewish immigrants as seen in this chapter were living in various cities from one end of Egypt to the other, indicating the passage of considerable time.

Chapter divisions are: (1) Jeremiah warned the Jews that disobedience would bring upon them the same fate that befell Jerusalem (Jeremiah 44:1-7); (2) he declared that idolatry would destroy them (Jeremiah 44:8-10); (3) sword, famine and pestilence are threatened (Jeremiah 44:11-14); (4) the people declare that they will continue to worship the Queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 44:15-19); (5) Jeremiah refutes their false arguments (Jeremiah 44:20-23); (6) Jeremiah gave a sign that God would keep his word (Jeremiah 44:24-30).

Jeremiah 44:1-7

DESTRUCTION - THE PRICE OF DISOBEDIENCE

"The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt, that dwelt at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Memphis, and in the country of Pathros, saying, Thus saith Jehovah 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 that they knew not, neither they, nor ye, nor your fathers. Howbeit I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up 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 to other gods. Wherefore my wrath and my anger are poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day. Therefore now thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining."

The scene of this paragraph was at Pathros, in the southern end of Egypt, where, apparently, the Jews had gathered from all over Egypt to attend a festival honoring the Queen of Heaven. The women seem to have been taking the leading part in it. Into that wicked company Jeremiah came, challenging them to repent and turn to God, citing Jerusalem and the cities of Judah in their state of devastation as their certain penalty if they continued in their wickedness.

"Migdol... Tahpanhes... Memphis... Pathros ..." (Jeremiah 44:1). "The first three are in Lower Egypt, near Cairo; Pathros signifies Upper Egypt, all the way to Aswan."[2]

"No man dwelleth therein ..." (Jeremiah 44:2). Jeremiah had prophesied that this desolation would overtake Jerusalem (Jeremiah 24:8-10); and that fact should have conditioned some of the people, at least, to believe the prophet; but it did not.

"They hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness ..." (Jeremiah 44:5). "Israel's refusal to `walk in' the law and the statutes of Yahweh is a central theme in Jeremiah."[3] In this very last message of the great prophet, how wonderful it is to see that not a syllable has disappeared from his prophecies. In spite of the rebellious hatred of his own people, Jeremiah has been true to God all the way. The message here at the end is what it always was, "Repent or Perish." It is still the message of God, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish!" (Luke 13:5).