When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live 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 kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.” 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— 6 the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at Tahpanhes.
8 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes: 9 “Take in your hands large stones and hide them in the mortar in the pavement that is at the entrance to Pharaoh's palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah, 10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden, and he will spread his royal canopy over them. 11 He shall come and strike the land of Egypt, giving over to the pestilence those who are doomed to the pestilence, to captivity those who are doomed to captivity, and to the sword those who are doomed to the sword. 12 I shall kindle a fire in the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace. 13 He shall break the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt, and the temples of the gods of Egypt he shall burn with fire.’” Jeremiah 43 ESV
Jeremiah 43 Let's Go To Egypt Anyway and take Jeremiah
You are telling a lie - Wow, you go to Jeremiah for a word from the Lord, and he goes before the Lord with your questions. You asked him and said you would do whatever the Lord says to do, but you forgot to add, "as long as it is what we already want to do." So, are we so vain as to think that we are covered by some caveat, in saying that, "you are a liar?" This is a horrible state of judgment, turned over to their own blind reasoning.
God did not send you - Okay, so everything you said so far about Babylon coming and all that, lucky guesses. Jeremiah warned them of those who God did not send, yet ran to speak, and he has spoken a message that lacked popularity, yet he still stood up and spoke against the tide, mocked and derided every time. He told the truth and his record is good. This is the hardening of the heart.
…9And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 11Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged,… Isaiah 6: 9-11
Baruch the son of Neriah - They accuse Jeremiah of being influenced by his scribe. I cannot find a good reference for this, but it seems they don't ever need one. These people say whatever they feel and suits them in the moment, maybe it is a ploy to say in reverse, that the message is lost in translation, that these things do not come to Jeremiah directly.
…11Now therefore, tell the men of Judah and the residents of Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I am planning a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways, and correct your ways and deeds.’ 12But they will reply, ‘It is hopeless. We will follow our own plans, and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’” 13Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard things like these? Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.… Jeremiah 18: 11-13
“How strange it is that ungodly men always think the Word of God is against them, whereas they are set against it!” (Meyer)
Also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch - Is Jeremiah a hostage, insurance? Maybe deep down inside you find it a little odd that everything has happened the way he has said so far. I know, we will take him just in case he does say something from the Lord that seems most imminent, and this will give us a heads up to change our minds, while there is still time. I use to think similar, that I would repent when I was good and ready, had sewed my oats, if I thought there was nothing else left. I would have seen Jeremiah as a barometer maybe, and watched him just in case, but what would change to make it so I would listen at that point? What would it take? Also, if you really believe Jeremiah is lying then why don't you just kill him or leave him?
…19And I will hold accountable anyone who does not listen to My words that the prophet speaks in My name. 20But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.” 21You may ask in your heart, “How can we recognize a message that the LORD has not spoken?”…
22When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD and the message does not come to pass or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18: 19-22
In the sight of the men of Judah - Not secretly, but with witnesses, let them see you, be bold, be deliberate. They have a visual picture and a place to walk by every day until it occurs, and when it happens I don't think I would more than barely notice the Babylonian king for the terror of the thought of the stones.
“They ignored the word of Jehovah, and, indeed, openly and willfully refused it, consoling themselves by denying that it was the word of Jehovah. But they had not escaped from God, nor passed beyond the reach of His word.” (Morgan)
…7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word— and to this they were appointed. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.… 1 Peter 2: 7-9
As a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin - Not much of a war, just checking and combing out lice. We do the same after a walk in the woods, check for ticks, shake out our shirts, and if we find one it goes to the fire or the flush.
The ESV, following some other translations, renders the line in Jeremiah 43:12 as, he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleans his cloak of vermin. “There is a homely picture here which is well understood by those who have travelled in some parts of the Middle East. The picking of lice from one’s clothing is used to describe Nebuchadnezzar’s plundering activities when he finally invaded Egypt.” (Thompson)
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