1 - 7 The Warning Despised
1 But as soon as Jeremiah, whom the LORD their God had sent, had finished telling all the people all the words of the LORD their God—that is, all these words— 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You are not to enter Egypt to reside there’; 3 but Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to give us over into the hand of the Chaldeans, so they will put us to death or exile us to 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 stay in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took the entire remnant of Judah who had returned from all the nations to which they had been driven away, in order to reside in the land of Judah— 6 the men, the women, the children, the king’s daughters and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, together with Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah— 7 and they entered the land of Egypt (for they did not obey the voice of the LORD) and went in as far as Tahpanhes.
Jeremiah finished his message to the people (verse 1). He has spoken all the words of the LORD to them, words with which the LORD their God had sent him to them. Again, it says “all these words”. He did not withhold anything. Then comes the response (verse 2). Some leaders, collectively called “all the arrogant men”, oppose Jeremiah. Arrogance is the primal sin and is rebellion against God. It is the refusal to bow before God and His Word because one wants to be important oneself. They outright accuse Jeremiah of speaking lies, of being a liar. They flatly deny that the LORD sent him with the message that they must not enter Egypt.
According to them, Jeremiah is not passing on the words of the LORD, but those of Baruch (verse 3). He is behind it. He has stirred up Jeremiah to bring this message of doom. How did they get that idea! From Jeremiah we hear no rebuttal, but God’s Spirit is clear: They “did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah” (verse 4). The leaders of the remnant continued their wayward ways (verse 5). All who have come to them from all the nations to stay in Judah leave again, now to go to Egypt.
Thus they lead all those left by Nebuzaradan with Gedaliah in Judah down an unholy road (verse 6). They drag them all along to destruction. They also take Jeremiah and Baruch with them. After so many years of prophesying and receiving hatred for it, after years of imprisonment, now he is also dragged off to Egypt. It is the tragedy of a man now grown old, appointed by the LORD to be a prophet to His people.
So they arrive in Egypt, at Tahpanhes, in disobedience to the voice of the LORD (verse 7). What a tragedy! The descendants of Abraham are returning to Egypt, from which they were freed so long ago. With great difficulty they escaped slavery in Egypt only to return there, some 900 years later, as a defeated and hopeless remnant.
8 - 13 Prophecy of Jeremiah in Egypt
8 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take [some] large stones in your hands and hide them in the mortar in the brick [terrace] which is at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes, in the sight of some [of the] Jews; 10 and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold, I am going to send and get Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and I am going to set his throne [right] over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them. 11 He will also come and strike the land of Egypt; those who are [meant] for death [will be given over] to death, and those for captivity to captivity, and those for the sword to the sword. 12 And I shall set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt, and he will burn them and take them captive. So he will wrap himself with the land of Egypt as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment, and he will depart from there safely. 13 He will also shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, which is in the land of Egypt; and the temples of the gods of Egypt he will burn with fire.”‘“
In Tahpanhes in Egypt, the word of the LORD comes to Jeremiah (verse 8). The people think that by fleeing from Judah they have put the problems behind them. But that is self-deception. They will suffer in Egypt the fate they think they have escaped. Never can anyone flee so far as to be beyond the reach of God’s arm (cf. Jona 1:1-17).
Jeremiah remains the prophet of the LORD, even in Egypt. He is instructed by the LORD to take large stones and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes in the sight of some Jews (verse 9). It will have caused a stir, that right in front of the center of Egyptian power, Jeremiah, the ancient prophet, carries out this command. He will have received the special protection of the LORD for it, for otherwise he would have been arrested immediately.
It is a remarkable command with a symbolic meaning. It is declared by the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel (verse 10). The LORD will bring Nebuchadnezzar, whom He calls His servant, and he will set his throne on top of those stones and spread his canopy over them. Jeremiah has laid the foundation, as it were, for a new government that will overthrow the old one.
Nebuchadnezzar will come and conquer Egypt (verse 11). Their flight from the Babylonians is therefore futile, for the LORD is sending Nebuchadnezzar’s armies there. Along with this, disasters will come on the people. They will die from various causes. The LORD shall by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt (verse 12). It is not Nebuchadnezzar who is the destroyer, but the LORD, Who uses him to bring His calamity upon them.
As a result, the land of Egypt will be cleared of lice – “wrap himself with the land” can also be translated to “delouse the land”. With the ease with which a shepherd rids his cloak of lice, Nebuchadnezzar sweeps away the idols from Egypt. When Nebuchadnezzar has finished his work, he will depart from Egypt in peace. No one will stop him. All idols are nothing (verse 13). He shatters them and burns them with fire.