Like Foxes - Ezekiel 13

Ezekiel 13:4 "O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts."

We have established that Jerusalem is to fall at this time. The false prophets are saying that everything will be just fine, so go ahead and build houses and go on with your life. We know that Jeremiah was in the kings house telling them that captivity was coming and to prepare. Not so with the false prophets who deceived the people and they did not prepare.

v3 "Thus saith the Lord God; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!"

It shows that leaders are held responsible for what they tell the people. Leaders have a greater responsibility because they have the care and safety of those under them in their hands.

v6 "They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith; and the LORD hath not sent them; and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word."

A person with a strong personality can bend the truth and add a lot of stuff that was not there. You know, some people you just want to believe because you like them so much. Truth is, if it does not match up with the Bible, it is wrong. The Bible says that without charity the words mean nothing. (I Corinthians 13) So, if a person speaks with venom in their heart and voice, they are obviously wrong according to the Bible.

Jeremiah was not the polished person that the false prophets were, at least, he did not have the popular message. He did not just sit around and figure out what to tell the people so it would please them. On the other hand the false prophets told the people that everything would be fine and that is what they wanted to hear. Wouldn't we all?

v8 "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God."

So then they are compared to a wall in this chapter where the wall is daub with every falsehood they could think up.

v10 "Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and lo, others daubed it with untempered mortar; v11 Say unto them which daub it with untempered mortar, that it shall fall; there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it."

It goes on to talk about the women who are busy sowing pillows and kerchiefs for evil purpose. That practice is denounced as well. So, not only those who are outspoken with deceit but also those who support them are held accountable.

It seems that the most important enemy was within the walls of Jerusalem and was not the army outside. This verse tells of deliverance, not from Babylon but from the false prophets.

v23 "Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations; for I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am the LORD."

Isn't it a shame that God had to take Israel out of the promise land to get them out of the idol worship business?

v5 "Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in teh battle in the day of the LORD."

The Longing - Lamentations 5

Lamentations 5:18 "Because of the mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it."

Here seems to be a look back at Zion from captivity, but I cannot be sure. I've wondered if Jeremiah made it to Babylon or if he just knew the heart of the people there.

They are turning back to the Lord.

v16 "The crown is fallen from our head; woe unto us, that we have sinned!"

This verse makes me think they are now in Babylon:

v5 "Our necks are under persecution: we labor, and have no rest."

A historical statement looking back to the happenings in Jerusalem.

v9-11 "We got our bread with the peril of our lives because of the sword of the wilderness. Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine. They ravished the women in Zion, and the maids in the cities of Judah. v12 Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honored."

So a terrible time has ended. Captivity is being endured. The good part of this chapter is that the people are acknowledging their sin against God.

v21 "Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."

A prayer that shall be answered and was answered in part with the returning to build the wall.

Fury Accomplished - Lamentations 4

Lamentations 4:2 "The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!"

My note on this verse is: 'Better we humble ourselves, than for God to do it.'

This chapter refers back to the pitiful sight of a city under siege. Starvation was in all the city. People who had been privileged were now wandering the streets looking for food. Children were deserted or worse.

v5 "They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills."

That is what sin will do. It will take you to the heights and let you crash in your own filth. Israel trusted in idols. They were praying to the air but now what they trusted in is useless.

God raised them up. When they turned from Him, he took his hand away and they crashed.

v11 "The LORD hath accomplished his fury; he hath poured out his fierce anger, and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the foundations thereof."

So the punishment is over and now the path to restoration.

v20 "The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen."

Submission to captivity but now returning to the shadow of his care. Progress.

A note to Edom to not glory over Israel's punishment...

v21 "Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and halt make thyself naked."

Faithfulness - Lamentations 3

Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."

Very often a passage will start off as a statement and end up in a prayer of thanksgiving or praise, as if the one talking has been given insight while they were speaking. Psalm 23 is such a passage.

In studying Jeremiah and Lamentations (same author) we need to keep in mind that Jeremiah was sort of like a conduit between Israel and the Lord. He spoke the complaints of Israel during this time of suffering. He also spoke the words of the Lord. With that in mind, we should remember that Jeremiah was a man. He suffered like anyone else. He was a man of emotion. He felt what was going on and expressed it with tears and sadness and sometimes anger.

Here are my notes I took to summarize this in my own mind: Jeremiah is upset over the judgment in chapter 2 verse 20 until he is thrown in the dungeon by his people in chapter 3 verse 53, then he was praying for them to be punished in chapter 3:64.

2:20 "Behold, O LORD, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the LORD? See also 4:10

3:53 "They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me." See also Jeremiah 38:6.

3:64 "Render unto them a recompense, O LORD, according to the work of their hands."

So we see that Jeremiah's attitude changed as he went through these events. He was rescued from the dungeon but he learned some things. He learned just how evil the people had become. He learned that there is mercy when he was pulled from the dungeon. I learned that I am glad that the Lord is in charge because our moods change with circumstance. We would not be good judges.

Jerusalem is under siege. In this type of warfare, the enemy simply encamps around a city and waits for the inhabitants to either starve or surrender. Jeremiah had been begging them to submit to the enemy so that they could survive. The false prophets told them that they would see victory if they would but hang on. Jeremiah was right, the false prophets were wrong.

The Lord gave measured judgment. Israel had committed grievous sins but He still wished to preserve them as a nation.

v48 "Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people."

Remember that Jeremiah expressed (often) the heart of God through these events.

Jeremiah 2:13 "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."

Jeremiah 5:19 "And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these things unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours."

Chapter 3 of Jeremiah.

His Right Hand - Lamentations 2

Lamentations of Jeremiah 2:3 "He hath cut off in his fierce anger all the horn of Israel, he hath drawn back his right hand from before the enemy, and he burned against Jacob like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about."

(horn in the Old Testament is used to depict power, honor and glory)

I hear it over and over, 'why does God let this or that bad thing happen'. The thinking is reversed. The mighty hand of God holds back harm to us. It is when we run out of his protection that the enemy descends on us. We must remember that we live in an unfriendly world. Christians are in a foreign land because our citizenship is in heaven.

So in this chapter we are told that the right hand of God was drawn back and the enemy came in because of Israel's rebellion.

v1 "How hath the LORD coveted the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the day of his anger!"

There is no question of the love the LORD has for Israel. He raised them up and planted them in Canaan. He raised them up to the greatest nation on earth. It troubled him to punish Israel, yet he declared it in the beginning that chastening would happen if they rebelled against him.

As if from the heart of God:

v11 "Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city."

I think of Calvary and the suffering Jesus Christ suffered so that we would not have to suffer them. His heart was broken for us.

v22 "Thou hast called as in a solemn day my terrors round about, so that in the day of the LORD's anger none escaped nor remained: those that I have swaddled and brought up hath mine enemy consumed."

As a Christian we can find much comfort in the words of the Old Testament, it should be noted that the New Testament is a new and better way that tells us of the grace we are under and the way a Christian should live. Let me say it like this, The law was outward to the inward parts, the Christian (grace) is inward to the outward.

I'm afraid man people take the grace of God for granted but there will come a day when the door of grace will close forever. The same Jesus who died for us and lived that humble life on earth will be the judge as in the days of Israel that we have studied about. It will be a terrible day when the world is judged, we can all see the sin around us and know that that judgment will be harsh. We can read about it in Revelation, the last book in the Bible.

I plead with you that you would learn of this time of grace and take advantage of the love of God before it is too late.

Misery of Jerusalem - Lamentations 1

Lamentations of Jeremiah 1:1 ""How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!" (subordinate)

There can be no doubt that the punishment was just. Israel, Judah and Jerusalem had turned to idols. They were committing hideous acts in the name of those idols.

v18 "The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow, my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity."

This are the words of a broken heart. As we remember past studies, with the glory of king David and Solomon, we can think of the great buildings overlaid with gold and the processions as they came to worship. All that is lost.

v3 "Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction..."

v4 "The ways of Zion do mourn..."

v6 "And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed..."

v7 "Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction...all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old..."

v12 "Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger."

But remember the previous books we have studied and we will agree that

v18 "The LORD is righteous..."

The Book of Lamentations of Jeremiah - intro

Jeremiah 3:22-23 "It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness."

Scofield describes the book like this: "...it is the disclosure of the love and sorrow of Jehovah for the very people whom He is chastening - a sorrow wrought by the Spirit in the heart of Jeremiah."

Jeremiah 13:17 "But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and ine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD's flock is carried away captive."

From my Comprehensive Bible Helps: Chapters 1, 2 and 4 have 22 verses, each corresponding to the Hebrew alphabet, each verse beginning with the corresponding letter. The fifth chapter has 22 verses with the letters but not in order of the alphabet. The third chapter has three verses under each letter.

Lamentations is about Jerusalem and Judah. It is about necessary punishment but with no joy found in administering that punishment.

v1 "How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary!"

tributary: subordinate, secondary, dependent

I Kings 10:23 "So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom."

Zedekiah and Jehoiachin - Jeremiah 52

Jeremiah 52:1 "Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah."

I do not think that was the same Jeremiah who wrote the book.

We come to the close of the book of Jeremiah. He prophesied during the time of the end of the Jewish kingdom in Judah. He also prophesied during the captivity. He suffered at the hands of the authorities for the truth he spoke but was given his freedom by Nebuchadrezzar. He went down to Egypt and I lost his trail from there. I wonder if he made it to Babylon and met Daniel or if he went back to Judah to help in the vineyards. I do not know.

I have learned from studying this book again. I learned that Nebuchadrezzar is probably the correct spelling of the king of Babylon's name although we pronounce it Nebuchadnezzar as it was first spoken by the Hebrews.

Zedekiah was the last reigning king of Judah. However, I think Johoiachin lived the longest as described in the last part of this chapter. The real name of Zedekiah was Mettaniah. Zedekiah being given to him by Nebuchadrezzar.

Many names of the Jews were changed in Babylon. Perhaps, it was another way to wipe out their heritage. Fortunately, many remembered and kept up with their family names. I expect some who chose to stay in Babylon, when Nehemiah came back to rebuild the wall, forgot their names. Who knows, except God, where the descendants are today.

This chapter is also found in II Kings 24 and II Chronicles 36. It is the end of an era for Israel and mentioning it three times seems most appropriate.

v31-34 "And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach, king of Babylon in the first year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him forth out of prison, And spake kindly unto him and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon, And changed his prison garments, and he did continually eat bread before him all the days of is life. And for his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king of Babylon, every day a portion until the day of his death, all the days of his life."

Babylon - Jeremiah 51

Jeremiah 51:1 "Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;"

At the end of the 70 years of captivity, Babylon will be judged. I missed a verse in the last chapter that is a good summary of why.

Chapter 50:38 "A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up; for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols."

There are still artifacts of the greatness of Babylon as well as legions. The picture of the place is quite different. It is dried up. I do not know but I am thinking that the river must have had a different course during the time of this great kingdom city.

v7 "Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken; the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad."

Babylon could be a long study, but I will highlight only a few verses. I suggest commentaries and books of history to further fill in the details.

v58 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary."

To form a mental of the city, we can see from this verse that the walls were great and perhaps the gates were of fine wood from some foreign land. Sometimes great heaps of dirt are the remains of something magnificent.

Also we can see that the people tried to save the city but were not able to do so. They became weary.

v64 "And thou shall say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her and they shall be weary, Thus far are the words of Jeremiah."

Revelation 18:21 "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all."

The Bible Sscholar Scofield tells us that Babylon is used symbolically to represent world power in the last days (our days).

Back to Zion - Jeremiah 50

Jeremiah 50:4-5 "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go and seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten."

This is a prophecy from Jeremiah. He is looking forward to the end of the 70 years of captivity. Most of the original captives have probably died by now. When they left Zion, the people were worshipping idols and all sorts of things. I doubt there was much teaching going in in the households about Israel and Judah and the ways of the LORD. But in this prophecy there is a longing for the homeland which most of them have not even seen.

v2 "Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not; say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces."

The punished for rebellion is now over and those who took the Lord's punishment to the extreme of their own volition are now going to be punished. I cannot guess when this chapter may have been written. Jeremiah may have been in Egypt at the time but we cannot tell from this writing. Babylon is going to fall though.

v9 "For lo, I will raise and cause to come against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken; their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain."

Verse 11 explains it for us, as to why the Chaldeans are being judged after they did the Lord's bidding.

v11 "Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls,"

It seems to be that Babylon has gotten proud and boastful as if they brought themselves to greatness. They took the punishment of God's chosen beyond what God intended. We learned that the captivity was to be an instrument to keep Israel together as a people while the land laid in sabbath. The Chaldeans gave out their own punishment.

The passage is a lament over the condition of Israel.

v17 "Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away; first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones."

v18 "Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria."

Then the Promise:

v19 "And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead."

I am bringing my people home.

Not only that but I will take away their sin.

v20 "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I reserve."

I do not think this prophecy has been completely fulfilled. They came back to build the wall again (Nehemiah) but we will have to study more. There are references to Babylon in Revelation which are not all together clear to me. I do believe there was a physical Babylon and I believe there is a spiritual Babylon where the same things worshipped in the old nation are carried forward to a broader kingdom that worshipped or worships the same way. See Revelation. I will leave this difficult subject to the expert Bible scholars of prophecy.

I will leave this chapter with these two verses.

v33-34 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name; he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon."

Ammonites to Elam - Jeremiah 49

Jeremiah 49:39 "But it shall come to pass in the latter days; that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD."

I've heard the term 'latter days' mentioned all my life. What it tells me is that someday it will all end and there will be a brand new day. Amen.

In this chapter we start with the Ammonites.

There were several Ammon's in the Bible. I'm not clear which one refers to the area by that name.

Amos 1:13 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:" So we see the Lord does remember the innocent.

I remember the Bible saying that Esau is Edom. It refers to him and to the land of Edom.
Also called Idumea when referring to the land.

v7 "Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts, Is wisdom no more in Teman? Is counsel perished from the prudent? Is their wisdom vanished?"

So there is judgment on Edom but there is a note concerning the children.

v11 "Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me."

Amos 1:11 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgression of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever;"

We have heard that name in our news many times.

What does Amos say:

Amos 1:3 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron;"

Kedar was a son of Ishmael. Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Haggar. Father of many of the tribes of Arabia.

v28 "Concerning Kedar and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar and spoil the men of the east."

Elam ( I believe this one refers to the descendant of Shem) settled in Persia.

v35 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might."

v38 "And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD."

I believe the Lord is referring to the coming defeat of Babylon mentioned in the next chapter.

Moab's Judgment - Jeremiah 48

Jeremiah 48:38 "There shall be lamentation generally upon all the housetops of Moab and in the streets thereof: for I have broken Moab like a vessel wherein is no pleasure, saith the LORD."

Moab is made up of the descendants of Lot and his eldest daughter. It is divided into three parts: The Land of Moab, The field of Moab and The Plains of Moab.

Verse 7 gives some insight into the reason for the judgment.

v7 "For because thou hast trusted in thy works and in thy treasures, thou shalt also be taken and Chemosh shall go forth into captivity with his priests and his princes together."

Chemosh: the national idol of Moabites. See Numbers 21:20

Numbers 21:29 "Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, O people of Chemosh: he hath given his sons that escaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites."

In II Kings 23:13 Chemosh is called "...the abomination of the Moabites..."

Isaiah chapter 13 also describes the Moabites and their judgment.

Amos 2:1 "...because he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime;"

So we an see from these scriptures that the land of Moab was a rich country but they worshipped idols and disregarded the commands of the Lord. They also did things that were directly against the Lord. They also had a heritage which regarded the Lord once, they were the descendants of Lot who walked beside Abraham.

They are given the distinction they have chosen, that being their idol worship of Chemosh.

v46 "Woe be unto thee, O Moab! the people of Chemosh perisheth: for thy sons are taken captives, and thy daughters captives."

These are not the most cheerful reading for me. The Lord created the earth and the heavens to do with as he pleases. He is truly an awesome God. He does not divide the earth up and say this is mine and that is theirs. It all belongs to Him and we would all do well to know that.

Philistines Judgment - Jeremiah 47

Jeremiah 47:1 "The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza."

We have entered into s series of chapters that tell of the judgment on various nations. It shows us that the entire region was shaken during the time Judah was taken into captivity. We will have to visit other books of the Bible to recall the reasons for the judgments.

v4 "Because of the day that cometh to spoil all the Philistines, and to cut off from Tyre and Sidon every helper that remaineth; for the LORD will spoil the Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphor."

Amos 1:9 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly covenant;"

Some of what was going on is found in II Chronicles 28:16-18 "At that time did king Ahaz send unto the kings of Assyria to help him. For again the Edomites had come and smitten Judah, and carried away captives. The philistines also had invaded the cities of the low country, and of the south of Judah and had taken Bethshemesh, and Ajalon, and Gederoth, and Shocho with the villages thereof, and Timnah with the villages thereof, Gimzo also and the villages thereof; and they dwelt there."

Not that I need to explain, but we can see that these judgments were not without a cause.

It also illustrates that although judgment is sometimes mercifully slow in coming, it will come.

Pharaoh and Nebuchadrezzar - Jeremiah 46

Jeremiah 46: 1-2 "The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; Against Egypt against the army of Pharaohnecho king of Egypt which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah." See also II Kings 23:29


This begins several chapters which talk about judgments against various peoples. The words seem to encourage the armies to come together so that the judgment is sure. It reads like some of the plays I've heard with its flow of words. It leaves no doubt as to where and when it happened.

v10 "For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries; and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood; for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates."

satiate: to satisfy fully or to excess

Pharaoh had become, according to history, no just a king but was worshipped as a god. They also had many gods of animals and part animals as we see in the stories of the tombs. It is a part of history that seems to have stopped suddenly.

v24 "The daughter of Egypt shall be confounded; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north."

Not only was Egypt defeated by Nebuchadrezzar but the land was changed when they cut down great forest of trees.

v23 "They shall cut down her forest, saith the LORD, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the grasshoppers, and are innumerable."

For the remnant of Judah that came to Egypt, the chapter closes with a word for them.

v28 "Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD; for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee; but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished."

Special attention goes to the beloved of the Lord. These are the times before Christ came to redeem the world. The last part of the Bible is called the New Testament. It represents a change in how the world is dealt with. It includes a time of grace when people can turn to Christ for salvation. The book of Revelation takes us beyond this time of grace to a time when the world is judged. Everyone should consider themselves seriously while we are given this gift of grace. I prefer this time of grace to the violent times we read about in the Old Testament and in history.

Romans 3:24 "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Baruch - Jeremiah 45

Jeremiah 45:2 "Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; v3 Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest."

There are several Baruch's mentioned in this area of the Bible. This one, I believe, is still talking about the one Jeremiah used as a scribe when he was in prison.

There must have been some event which caused Baruch to get stressed. I'm thinking that it had something to do with his relationship to Jeremiah, i.e. he was seen as helping Jeremiah and it is obvious that the leaders did not think much of Jeremiah.

v5 "And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh saith the LORD; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest."

I looked for the word 'prey' but found only Webster's definition which was not much help to me. I gather from this passage that things were not going to be peachy for Baruch but his life would be spared.

What I find amazing about this chapter is that the LORD would take a moment to send Baruch a message with all that was going on. Nations are falling, God's beloved Judah is being led into captivity. Yet he takes a moment to give some comfort to his servant and that of Jeremiah's. We do, after all, have Jeremiah's words preserved here.

So, the Lord is well able to deal with the masses and still pay attention to us as individuals. That's very comforting.

Psalm 136:1 "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

Open Refusal to Obey by People - Jeremiah 44

Jeremiah 44:16 "As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee."

See Exodus 5:2 Romans 2:3-9

We that is quite plan. They have completely rejected God's instructions to them which were given for their good.

They argue with Jeremiah. They argue that while they worshipped the 'queen of heaven' (Don't know where they got that from - probably Egypt) things were good. Then when they stopped burning incense and stuff things got bad. They Bible does not bear that up but that is the way they want to remember it.

v4 "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."

I have tried to do some study on the various gods where a woman depicts their image. They go by various names as well, usually altered to fit the local society. It is a long study.

v19 "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?" referchapter 7:18

c7:v18 "The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger."

My Topical Reference says 'queen of heaven' was a name given to the moon by the Hebrews. and refers us to Ashtoreth who was a Syrian goddess, mentioned with Baal and Astarte goddess of the moon. So it is Syrian instead of Egyptian.

Caution: Study of the various gods is not necessary to understanding the scriptures. It is enough to recognize that there is only one true God. The God that made heaven and earth. Study of these false gods can lead the mind into very evil places and cause great harm. It is enough to be aware of their impotence and then learn about the real God.

Back to our chapter. Most of those who went down to Egypt did not survive their judgment. Yet a few did escape and return to Judah.

v28 "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."

v30 "Thus saith the LORD,..."

I have not yet found out if Jeremiah left Egypt with the small number that escaped or died in Egypt as some believe.

Johanan Refuses to Obey - Jeremiah 43

Jeremiah 43:7 "So they came into the land of Egypt; for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD; thus came they even to Tahpanhes."

Tahpanhes: a city in Egypt on a branch of the Nile.

The chapter comes after Jeremiah told the remnant that they would be safe in Judah. The leaders accused Jeremiah of being deceived by Baruch, you remember the scribe who wrote down what Jeremiah told him and the book that was burned.

v3 "But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives in Babylon."

They, apparently, remember the time of Joseph when Israel was protected in Egypt but have forgotten the many years of slavery there and that they had to be delivered by Moses.

They have also 'forgotten' their promise to obey what ever word Jeremiah brought from the LORD. I think often we pray to tell God what to do rather than to submit to his wisdom in doing the thing we need instead of the thing we want.

As a reminder of the words Jeremiah spake from the LORD, a witness was set up in Egypt.

v9 "Take great stones in thine hand and hide them in the clay in the brick kiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;"

These were a material symbol of a prophecy spoken by Jeremiah that on that very spot the king of Babylon would sit after he had conquered Egypt and dealt with the remnant of Judah for disobeying the LORD.

v11 "And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword."

I do not know really, why Egypt tried to come to Judah's rescue earlier nor why they want to shelter them now. I'd think that after the Red Sea and the pestilence inflicted on them because of Israel that they would shun them. Now, the king of Babylon is coming.

v12 "And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace."

Well, it is a far cry from the greatness when David and Solomon were kings. Those kings honored God in their doings and the kingdom was great. The people turned to idols and the kingdom fell. It should be clear which way was best.

Next chapter, tells of the arrogance of the people. They are no longer ashamed of their transgression but lash out.

Safety Promised in Judah - Jeremiah 42

Jeremiah 42:10 "If ye will still abide in the land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up, for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you." See here.

Repent: turn from

In summary: Jerusalem has fallen and the king of Babylon has left Gedaliah governor. Baalis sent Ishmael to kill Gedaliah and he did so. Johanan went after Ishmael with a group of men and rescued those he had taken but Ishmael got away.

In this chapter, the people are gathered together and they have asked Jeremiah to ask the Lord what they should do and promised that they would do it.

Jeremiah's message is for them to remain in Judah and the Lord would protect them. Johanan and others do not accept the message and so set their faces to go into Egypt.

v15-16 "And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die."

The Lord is willing to let the remnant remain in Judah and to bless them there and pretty much begs them not to go down to Egypt. They are altogether turned from the Lord in their hearts by this time. Fear and idol worship drive them as we will see later.

v19 "The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt; know certainly that I have admonished you this day."

In the next chapter we will see the response of the leaders of the remnant to Jeremiah and thus to the Lord. I know it broke his heart.

It seems that they no longer trusted the prophets words to them from the Lord.

v22 "Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn."

As parents, we often make this speech to our have grown children. "You are headed into trouble by doing those things that you should not do."

Gedaliah Dead - Jeremiah 41

Jeremiah 41:2 "Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land."

Jerusalem has fallen. The king of Babylon has made Gedaliah governor. The remnant were promised that they would be safe in Judah if they submitted to the governorship. Jeremiah was there and he had said all along that Judah should do so. But Ishmael, probably out of jealousy, came after the battle was over and sat down to eat with Gedaliah, then rose up and killed him and all the Jews with him. Then I guess he went back under the rock he crawled from under.

Then , not knowing the deed that was done, there came some men to make offerings at the house of the LORD where Gedaliah was. Ishmael was not only a murderer but a liar as well.

v6 "And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went froth from MIzpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went; and it came to pass as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. v7 And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, ..."

Ishmael carried away the women that were left and went back where he came from.

Johanan was left to deal with the situation. He gathered men and went after Ishmael and slew him and recovered the women. But Johanan was now afraid of the Chaldeans since Ishmael had also slain some of them and Johanan thought the people might be blamed.

v17 "And the departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt."

I don't read of anything good that happened to Israel when they went into Egypt. We'll see in following studies.

I wonder what good things would have happened to their offspring had they stayed in the area of Bethlehem and had been there when Jesus was born.

Psalm 41:9 "Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me."

Gedaliah Governor of Judah - Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah 40:5 "Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go."

The Chaldeans are leaving Judah and have left Gedaliah in charge as governor. A man who was of the princes of Judah (the fallen government) is not pleased with this arrangement, perhaps he still wants to be king, and so sets a trap for Gedaliah who was for peace as best they could manage under the Chaldeans.

v9 "And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying Fear not to serve the Chaldeans; dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you."

It sounds a lot like the instructions given by Jeremiah for the king to surrender to the Chaldeans to preserve his life.

Then appears two men: Johanan who was for Gedaliah. Ishmael sent by Baalis (king of Ammonites) to kill Gedaliah.

v15 "Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it; wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?"

But Gedaliah would not believe Johanan. I suppose he felt like everyone wanted to just live quietly for a change. But he was wrong and we will follow the story in the next chapter.

v16 "But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael." And by doing so, he signed his own death warrant. Tomorrow the next part of the story.