Rebellious Fled to Egypt for Judgment

Jeremiah 43:1-13 

1 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, all these words, 2 that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, "You speak falsely! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.' 3 But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon." 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven— 6 men, women, children, the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.

8 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 "Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes; 10 and say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire."'"

Jeremiah was taken to Egypt by the unfaithful and disobedient leaders at Jerusalem in direct rebellion against God’s word to the contrary.  Azariah and all the proud men spoke against Jeremiah’s prophetic warning as they spoke in rejection of God Himself by denying His word given to deliver them from sin.  They called the man of God a liar and by so doing they accused the LORD of being false, denigrating His character and blaspheming His name by denying His word.  They even accused Baruch who had defended Jeremiah and acted as his scribe for writing the book of Jeremiah.  They said he had turned Jeremiah against them to either cause their death or captivity in Babylon.  This is ironic because it was God who had sentenced the people to captivity leading to life as the alternative to death by the sword and famine for rejecting His word.  They failed to see that Jeremiah was the mouthpiece for God Himself and not a man with his own agenda.  They were not spiritually minded or attentive to hear God’s word to trust and obey, but further hardened their hearts to their own destruction as they carried Jeremiah and all the remnant of Judah left in the area to the vain protection of Egypt.  They wanted to go back to Egypt’s captivity which the LORD had long ago delivered them out from.  They willingly forgot the Red Sea and the tablets of the Law given through Moses to have no other gods and worship the LORD who alone is who He is.  Now they ran back into further bondage of sin, but with a penalty to result as told by Jeremiah.  Nebuchadnezzar Would come and level the idols called gods of the Egyptians and take His people back to either death or captivity.  They had the chance as a remnant left in Jerusalem to submit and live, but chose rebellion and the resulting death of captivity in exchange for their freedom given by grace as do all who turn from the grace of God in Christ even now (2 Peter 2:21-22).  The LORD used Nebuchadnezzar to bring destruction on Egypt because of their idolatry and the reliance by Judah on their protection.  God is not mocked and His word is certain for both judgment and salvation from destruction.  As then, so now the call is to hear and trust God’s word for the obedience of true transformative faith and not ignore or change what God says to escape in our own strength or imagined wisdom (2 Peter 3:16).