“Do Not Go to Egypt” [Matt's Messages] ~ Matt Mitchell

“Do Not Go to Egypt”

Uprooted - The Words of Jeremiah

Lanse Evangelical Free Church

February 26, 2023 :: Jeremiah 42:1-44:30

We have now reached the bleakest part of the Book of Jeremiah which could be called “The Book of Failures” (chapters 34-44).

We have read about the failures of Jehoiakim who tore up and burnt the holy Scriptures!

We have read about the failures of Zedekiah who spun around in cowardly indecision leaving Jeremiah to be beaten and sunk into the mud of a dirty cistern.

We have read about the failures of the people of Judah to keep the covenant they had made with Yahweh. Failure after failure after failure, and those failures finally resulted in the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.

I think that the only really good part of reading about their failures is that we can learn from them so that we don’t have to fail in the same way ourselves (Romans 15:4).

And that’s what I want us to do today as we dig into the last 3 chapters of the Book of Failures, starting in chapter 42.

Okay, so in chapter 42, the LORD tells this group of Israelites through Jeremiah, “Do Not Go to Egypt.” What do you think they do in chapter 43?

Yep. It’s not called the Book of Failures for nothing. But we can learn from them.

Do you remember where we are in the story? We covered a lot of ground last week. We are in the chaos that came after the fall of Jerusalem in 586BC. In chapter 39, we read about the walls of Jerusalem being breached and the city being burnt. Just like Jeremiah said it would. King Nebuchadnezzar took over just like Jeremiah said he would. He blinded Zedekiah and drug him off to Babylon, just like Jeremiah said he would.

King Nebuchadnezzar installed a man named Gedaliah to be the leader of the people of Judah and took Jeremiah out of captivity put him in Gedaliah’s care. Gedaliah offered for the Jews left over in the land to settle down and submit to Nebuchadnezzar and be blessed. But one of his leaders assassinated him while they were eating together. Ishmael. And Ishmael massacred many more people and led a rebellion against Babylon.

Does this sound familiar? We covered a lot of ground last week.

Another one of Gedaliah’s leaders chased down and fought Ishmael. His name was Johanan son of Kareah. And he won the fight even though Ishmael himself escaped. But Johanan rescued the hostages, one of whom was probably Jeremiah himself. And they hightailed it south to “Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem” (41:17). That’s where they were at the end of chapter 41. They were scared that Babylon was going to blame and punish them for Ishmael’s rebellion. They are scared of Nebuchadnezzar’s retribution.

And they are trying to come up with a plan for what to do next. What’s next?

Their idea is go to Egypt. That’s often been a tempting idea for Israelites when they feel pressure from other nations. They get the idea that it would be smart to head down to Egypt. Why?

Egypt represents power and stability. Yes, Egypt lost to Nebuchadnezzar in the battle of Carchemish in 605BC, but Nebuchadnezzar hasn’t actually come down and taken over Egypt. They seem safe from that at this point. A few years back, Egypt attacked Babylon’s armies, and it drew Nebuchadnezzar’s men off of siege of Jerusalem. Remember that? Egypt always seemed strong and powerful and maybe safer than all the other alternatives.

So Johanan seems to be in charge right now since Gedaliah is dead, and he and his buddies are thinking about taking this big group of Israelites out of the now-occupied territory of Judah into the land of Egypt.

But first they had a great idea–best idea they have had so far. They decide to ask old man Jeremiah if they should. Look with me at chapter 42, verse 1.

“Then all the army officers, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, ‘Please hear our petition and pray to the LORD your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left. Pray that the LORD your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.’” (vv.1-3).

That’s really good! Though I have a feeling, what they’re really saying is, “Please ask the LORD to bless our plans to go to Egypt.” But that’s not what they say. They say, “Tell us where we should go and what we should do.” And Jeremiah says, “Okay. I will.” Verse 4.

“‘I have heard you,’ replied Jeremiah the prophet. ‘I will certainly pray to the LORD your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the LORD says and will keep nothing back from you.’

Then they said to Jeremiah, ‘May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God’” (vv4-6).

I wish we could stop right there. It sounds really good. What they say is really good! And it would be good for you and I to say the same things. “Where you lead me, Lord, I will follow.” “We will obey the LORD our God.” And they get a good word back. Ten days later. Verse 7.

“Ten days later the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. So he called together Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him and all the people from the least to the greatest. He said to them, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says:

'If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.'” (vv.7-12).

Doesn’t that sound good?! The LORD tells these people to stay put. To stay in the land of Judah. And He gives them big promises if they do. Did they sound familiar? “I will build you up band not tear you down.” That’s from chapter 1, isn’t it? “I will plant you and not [what?] uproot you.” That’s the title of this whole series! We’ve seen that language again and again throughout the book.

He says that He is “grieved” or He relents from the disaster He has inflicted on them. It has hurt Him, so-to-speak, to destroy His beloved Jerusalem, and if they will obey Him now, He won’t have to keep the judgment coming.

He’s not saying that He made a mistake, but He’s pleading with them that they not make the same mistake they have before so they can have a different outcome. If they stay in Judah, they will be blessed. Just like the ones now in Babylon. They should settle down and pray for the shalom of Babylon. So the LORD will give these surviving Israelites shalom in Judah.

They have nothing to fear. Not even from Nebuchadnezzar. He says it three times in one verse! “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the LORD, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands.” That’s also language repeated from chapter 1. It all ties together.

This is God’s heart for God’s people! These are wonderful promises akin to the promises of Jeremiah 29:11. "‘For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Jer. 29:11 NIVO).

“I will show you compassion so that Nebuchadnezzar will have compassion on you and restore you to your land” (v.12). This is God’s heart for God’s people!

But there is a flipside to God’s promises, and that is God’s threats. V.13

“‘However, if you say, 'We will not stay in this land,' and so disobey the LORD your God, and if you say, 'No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread,' then hear the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'If you are determined to go to Egypt and you do go to settle there, then the sword you fear will overtake you there, and the famine you dread will follow you into Egypt, and there you will die. Indeed, all who are determined to go to Egypt to settle there will die by the sword, famine and plague; not one of them will survive or escape the disaster I will bring on them.'

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 'As my anger and wrath have been poured out on those who lived in Jerusalem, so will my wrath be poured out on you when you go to Egypt. [He knows what they’re going to choose!] You will be an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach; you will never see this place again.'

‘O remnant of Judah, the LORD has told you, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent me to the LORD your God and said, 'Pray to the LORD our God for us; tell us everything he says and we will do it.' I have told you today, but you still have not obeyed the LORD your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where you want to go to settle’” (vv.13-22).

The LORD warns them, through Jeremiah, that if they go to Egypt like they are tempted to, everything they are scared of happening to them in Judah will actually happen to them in Egypt.

God is saying, “Do not go to Egypt!” That way lies death.

If you obey and stay, you will be blessed.

If you disobey and go to Egypt, you will be in danger.

It’s that simple. Thanks for asking.

And so, having listened to Jeremiah for the last 40 years and seeing that everything he prophesied came true just like he said, including both God’s good promises and His awful threats, these Israelites believed Jeremiah and settled down right where they were in Judah and were blessed.

I wish.

You can tell that Jeremiah knew what they were going to do before they did it anyway. He’s should be used to it by now. They do not listen. They decide to go to Egypt. Even worse, they call Jeremiah a liar. Chapter 43.

“When Jeremiah finished telling the people all the words of the LORD their God-- everything the LORD had sent him to tell them–Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, ‘You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, 'You must not go to Egypt to settle there.' But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon” (vv.1-4).

That’s a conspiracy theory if I ever heard one! Mr. Blessing? Jeremiah’s administrative assistant, Baruch, is pulling the strings behind the scenes and getting Jeremiah to say these things so that they all end up in the hands of the Babylonians? I don’t think so. I think they just plain old don’t want to do what Jeremiah says. They know better.

I have just two points of application for this message today. And they are both what we can learn from these folks’ failures.

#1. THEY IGNORED GOD’S PROMISES AND BROKE THEIRS.

They ignored God’s promises and broke their promises. God told them both how good it would be if they stayed in Judah and how hard it would be if went to Egypt. And they just plain or ignored Him. They put their fingers in their ears. Jeremiah had seen it all before. Here they go again. Ask him what to do, then do the exact opposite.

I, of course, have never done this before, and neither have you, right? It’s much easier to ask God to bless our plans than it is to submit to His. But that’s where the true blessing lies.

They ignored God’s promises. In fact, they accused Jeremiah of being a false prophet! I think that might be the worst thing he was ever called. He might have been depressing prophet. Or a discouraging prophet. But he was not a false one. He was faithful one. Jeremiah faithfully shared God’s promises (and His threats!), and these people disregarded both. And they willfully went their own way.

God said, “Do not go to Egypt.” So they went to Egypt. Look at verse 4.

“So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people disobeyed the LORD's command to stay in the land of Judah. Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered [returned refugees! Leaving once again]. They also led away all the men, women and children and the king's daughters whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah. [Probably against their will.] So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the LORD and went as far as Tahpanhes.”

You know what they forgot?

They forgot how bad it was in Egypt.

They forgot their slavery in Egypt.

They forgot their bondage in Egypt.

They forgot that the LORD had rescued them from Egypt.

This big story started in Exodus and here at the end of the story in Jeremiah, they have gone full circle back to Egypt.

That’s what sin is, isn’t it? Believing the tempting lie of what sin promises and ignoring the greater promise of God? Egypt promises all kinds of things: power, prosperity, pleasure, security. But the LORD says, “Do not go to Egypt. Trust Me. Don’t go there. It’s the land of slavery and death.”

It’s not Egypt itself that was the problem. It was choosing Egypt over God. Jeremiah and Baruch were not sinning because they went captive to Egypt. Neither was Joseph. Neither was Jacob went Joseph brought him there in God’s will. And, of course, it wasn’t wrong for baby Jesus and His family to be refugees in Egypt for a time to escape from Herod.

But these folks were specifically told to stay home in Judah, and they ignored God’s promises and broke their own. They had said, “We will obey the LORD our God!” and it didn’t last 11 days.

Let’s learn from their failure. Let’s listen to God’s promises and keep ours.

Because the LORD is sure to keep His! Look at verse 8.

“In Tahpanhes the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: ‘While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them. He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd wraps his garment around him, so will he wrap Egypt around himself and depart from there unscathed. There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt'” (vv.8-13).

I love it that Jeremiah gets to do another weird prophetic object lesson, even in captivity in Egypt!

He’s supposed to bury these big stones near the Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. I have no idea how he pulls that off! I’m sure the Pharaoh wouldn’t be good with this. Especially if he found out what they symbolized.

Here’s what they symbolize: Egypt is not safe.

God will send Nebuchadnezzar even there, and he’ll set up his throne right over those stones. And Nebuchadnezzar did attack Egypt in 582 and 568 BC and got out of it unscathed. God always keeps His promises...and His threats. Let’s not forget. Egypt is not safe, and neither are their gods.

The Egyptians loved their many gods, and the Israelites were always tempted by them. But Jeremiah says that all idols are like “scarecrows in a melon patch,” ineffectual and lifeless and losers. But these Israelites have still not yet learned that lesson which is the point of chapter 44. Look with me at verse 1.

“This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt–in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis–and in Upper Egypt: ‘This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins because of the evil they have done. They provoked me to anger by burning incense and by worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your fathers ever knew. Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, 'Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!' But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today” (vv.1-6).

Does this sound familiar? It sure does. Even though Jeremiah is now a captive refugee in Egypt, he is still a broken record about the broken covenant.

It seems that some time has passed between chapter 43 and chapter 44. The surviving Israelites have settled in several different places in Egypt, even though they shouldn’t have. And now the LORD is sending them a message about their continued idolatry. And the message started with a lesson from history. “You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah.”

“You remember why all that happened, right? Well, now you’ve gone down to Egypt, and nothing has changed. If anything, you guys down in Egypt have dug in deeper into worshiping idols. Why are you doing that?!!!"

Look at how he interrogates them in verse 7:

“‘Now this is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why bring such great disaster on yourselves by cutting off from Judah the men and women, the children and infants, and so leave yourselves without a remnant? Why provoke me to anger with what your hands have made, burning incense to other gods in Egypt, where you have come to live? You will destroy yourselves and make yourselves an object of cursing and reproach among all the nations on earth. Have you forgotten the wickedness committed by your fathers and by the kings and queens of Judah and the wickedness committed by you and your wives in the land of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? To this day they have not humbled themselves or shown reverence, nor have they followed my law and the decrees I set before you and your fathers.

‘Therefore, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster on you and to destroy all Judah. I will take away the remnant of Judah who were determined to go to Egypt to settle there. They will all perish in Egypt; they will fall by the sword or die from famine. From the least to the greatest, they will die by sword or famine. They will become an object of cursing and horror, of condemnation and reproach. I will punish those who live in Egypt with the sword, famine and plague, as I punished Jerusalem. None of the remnant of Judah who have gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the land of Judah, to which they long to return and live; none will return except a few fugitives’” (vv.7-14).

No one has learned anything! You might think that having watched Jerusalem fall and barely escaped with your families’ lives, you might consider your ways. But these folks clearly have not.

Here’s how I want to say point number two. Here’s how they failed in chapter 44:

#2. THEY IGNORED GOD’S STORY AND TOLD THEMSELVES THE WRONG ONES.

These Israelites in Egypt ignored God’s story and told themselves the wrong stories in its place.

The history lesson is God’s story. He’s been telling them the story that they are living in year after year after year. He’s been sending those prophets telling His story. And He’s been telling them what’s up through Jeremiah for more than 40 years now!

And they have disregarded His story, and told themselves ones they like better. Stories about idols and how great they are. Look at verse 15.

“Then all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods [these are Jews!], along with all the women who were present–a large assembly–and all the people living in Lower and Upper Egypt, said to Jeremiah, ‘We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD!

We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our fathers, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.

But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have had nothing and have been perishing by sword and famine.’ The women added, ‘When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes like her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?’”

Can you believe this?! You have to give them credit for their honesty. These folks aren’t saying one thing and doing another. These folks are saying, “We are going to worship our idols, and that’s it. That’s the end of the story.” Blatant, defiant, idolatrous.

I almost wish I had titled this message from verse 17, “We will certainly do everything we said we would.” because last week’s message was about how the LORD “has done just as He said He would.”

But this is terrible, what they say they are going to do. They are going to worship the same goddess that Jeremiah was preaching against in his famous temple sermon back in chapter 7. The Queen of Heaven which was probably Ishtar of Babylon, also known as Anet or Ashtoreth or Astarte. Probably the planet Venus being worshiped as the goddess of war, of love, and of fertility.

Remember those “Queenie Cakes” that the whole family could make together for family worship time? These people promise to worship her to Jeremiah’s face.

And look at the story they tell themselves about what it’s like to worship her. Look again at verse 17.

“At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.”

In other words, worshiping idols really works. We’re not giving that up. It’s our ticket to prosperity and joy. In fact, when Josiah made us stop doing it, that’s when things fell apart.

Do you see how they bought into a false narrative about how the world works? That’s what sin is, isn’t it? Satan feeds us a lie about how the world works, and we bite right into it. We tell ourselves all kinds of stories about how our idols will make us happy, don’t we? If I dedicate my life to this, then I will be satisfied.

An idol is anything that takes the place that God deserves in our lives. It could be anything. Most of the time, it’s not as blatant as the Queen of Heaven.

It’s often Money.

It could be Sex.

It could be Family.

It could be Sports.

It could be Entertainment.

It could be Work.

It could be a particular Relationship.

Often it’s a good thing that has morphed into be a god-thing in our lives.

And we tell ourselves that it’s not big deal. In fact, we tell ourselves that our idol isa a good thing that actually makes our lives work.

What wrong stories have you been telling yourself recently?

I often use my gluttony as illustration of this. I tell myself that a big second helping will be just the thing to make me happy. It’ll give me more strength. I deserve it. It will go to waste if I don’t put it inside of me. Last time I ate a second plateful, I was so happy afterwards. My life was just a dream.

Is that true? No, of course, not. But I have spun that story to myself to motivate myself to feed my idolatry–quite literally.

What wrong stories have you been telling yourself recently?

These folks told themselves that worshiping the Queen of Heaven was better than worshiping the Lord of Heaven and Him alone. And they should have known better.

So one more time Jeremiah speaks to the people of Israel, right now living in Jerusalem. These are actually the last recorded words of Jeremiah in history. The things we’re going to read in the next few chapters were written earlier.

And what Jeremiah had to say was the same kind thing that he’s been saying for the last four decades. Verse 20.

“Then Jeremiah said to all the people, both men and women, who were answering him, ‘Did not the LORD remember and think about the incense burned in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem by you and your fathers, your kings and your officials and the people of the land? [Here’s the real story!] When the LORD could no longer endure your wicked actions and the detestable things you did, your land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste without inhabitants, as it is today. Because you have burned incense and have sinned against the LORD and have not obeyed him or followed his law or his decrees or his stipulations, this disaster has come upon you, as you now see.’

Then Jeremiah said to all the people, including the women, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah in Egypt. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives have shown by your actions what you promised when you said, 'We will certainly carry out the vows we made to burn incense and pour out drink offerings to the Queen of Heaven.' ‘Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows!

[Oh, sure, now you keep your promises!]

But hear the word of the LORD, all Jews living in Egypt: 'I swear by my great name,' says the LORD, 'that no one from Judah living anywhere in Egypt will ever again invoke my name or swear, ‘As surely as the Sovereign LORD lives.’ For I am watching over them for harm, not for good; the Jews in Egypt will perish by sword and famine until they are all destroyed. Those who escape the sword and return to the land of Judah from Egypt will be very few. Then the whole remnant of Judah who came to live in Egypt will know whose word will stand–mine or theirs.

'This will be the sign to you that I will punish you in this place,' declares the LORD, 'so that you will know that my threats of harm against you will surely stand.' This is what the LORD says: 'I am going to hand Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt over to his enemies who seek his life, just as I handed Zedekiah king of Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the enemy who was seeking his life'” (vv.20-30).

The LORD is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if Judah continues to act like Judah even in Egypt, then the LORD will treat them like He did when they were in Jerusalem. And the fate of Pharaoh will show that Yahweh means business.

These stories, by themselves, are not very encouraging. The chaos of the immediate aftermath of the Fall of Jerusalem and is not very heart-warming.

You may have hoped to hear something more inspiring this morning at church. But this is the Word of the LORD to us. We see their failures and are reminded of ours. We have, at times, ignored God’s promises and broken our own. We have, at times, ignored God’s story and told ourselves false ones. We have gone to Egypt and worshiped others gods before Yahweh.

Until we see our sin, we can’t really comprehend our salvation. Here’s God’s Story: God sent His Son for people who did all of that. I don’t know about you, but I would have given up on these people, not promised them a hope and a future! I wouldn’t have sent my Son to take their place.

But God did. God so loved His enemies that while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us so that all who believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. Have put your faith and trust in Him? If not, I invite you to do so right now.

These sad stories may not have been what you wanted to hear this morning at church. But this is the Word of the LORD to us this morning. And we can learn from their failures.

It’s much easier to just ask the Lord to bless our plans than to submit to His, but that is true way of blessing. Let us believe God’s promises (and His threats) and keep our promises to obey Him. And let us believe God’s story (including the hard parts) and continue to tell ourselves the true story. And root out and topple every idol that threatens to take His place. And then be blessed.

I think that verse 27 of chapter 44 is the scariest verse of here. The LORD says that He is “watching over them for harm, not for good.” That’s the same word as He used in chapter 1 to say that He’s watching over His word to see that it is fulfilled.

And it’s the exact opposite of chapter 29:11. As long as they persisted in rebelling against Him, He is watching over them for harm, not for good. But when we repent and put our faith in the Lord, He promises us the opposite of harm. He promises us shalom.

"‘For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future'" (Jer. 29:11 NIVO).