Jer 44:18. Why was it wrong for the Israelites to say that they were suffering because they had stopped “making sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven”? (it “Presumptuousness” par. 4).
Jeremiah 44:18 — From the time we quit making sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have perished by the sword and by the famine.”
Answer 1: It was wrong because they were attributing their suffering to having abandoned idolatry. But Jehovah had already explained that the calamity had come upon them because they disobeyed him and made sacrifices to other gods.
Jeremiah 44:21 — “The sacrifices that you, your forefathers, your kings, your princes, and the people of the land made in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—Jehovah remembered them and they came up into his heart!
Answer 2: Jehovah had not overlooked those idolatrous sacrifices. He remembered them clearly. So they could not present their worship of the Queen of Heaven as something innocent or beneficial.
Jeremiah 44:22 — Finally Jehovah could no longer put up with your evil practices and the detestable things you had done, and your land became a devastated place, an object of horror and cursing, without an inhabitant, as it is today.
Answer 3: The devastation of Judah did not prove that idolatry had brought them prosperity. It proved that Jehovah could no longer tolerate their wicked practices and the detestable things they were doing.
Jeremiah 44:23 — It is because you have made these sacrifices and because you have sinned against Jehovah by not obeying the voice of Jehovah and following his law, his statutes, and his reminders that this calamity has come upon you, as is the case today.”
Answer 4: The real cause of the calamity was that they had sinned against Jehovah: They had disobeyed his voice and had not followed his law, statutes, and reminders. Their reasoning deliberately ignored that reality.
Jeremiah 44:16 — “We will not listen to the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah.
Answer 5: Their statement revealed presumptuousness. They refused to listen to the words spoken in Jehovah’s name and, instead of accepting correction, blamed the loss of an idolatrous practice.
What spiritual gems have you found in this week’s Bible reading?
Spiritual Gems for JEREMIAH 42
Jeremiah 42:2 — and said to Jeremiah the prophet: “Hear, please, our request for favor, and pray in our behalf to Jehovah your God, in behalf of all this remnant, for just a few of many are left, as you can see.
Comment 1: The remnant of Judah recognized that they needed Jehovah’s guidance. When we face troubling decisions, we do well to humbly recognize that we cannot rely only on our own judgment.
Jeremiah 42:3 — May Jehovah your God tell us the way we should walk and what we should do.”
Comment 2: They did not merely ask to know which way to go; they also asked what they should do. Seeking Jehovah’s direction means being willing to turn his counsel into concrete actions.
Jeremiah 42:4 — Jeremiah the prophet replied to them: “I have heard you, and I am praying to Jehovah your God according to your request; and every word that Jehovah answers you, I will tell you. I will not hold back a word from you.”
Comment 3: Jeremiah promised to communicate every word of Jehovah without holding anything back. This is a fine example of faithfulness: Those who teach must convey God’s message accurately, even when it is difficult to hear.
Jeremiah 42:6 — Whether good or bad, we will obey the voice of Jehovah our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us because we obey the voice of Jehovah our God.”
Comment 4: They said that they would obey whether the answer was good or bad in their eyes. This statement reminds us that genuine obedience does not depend on whether divine counsel agrees with our preferences.
Jeremiah 42:7 — Now ten days later the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah.
Comment 5: Jehovah answered after ten days. At times, the answer or solution does not come as quickly as we expect. Meanwhile, we need to wait patiently and maintain our confidence in Jehovah.
Jeremiah 42:10 — ‘If you will indeed remain in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you, for I will feel regret over the calamity I have caused you.
Comment 6: Jehovah offered them stability if they remained where he directed them: He would build them up and plant them. His direction always seeks our good, even when the path he tells us to follow seems less secure.
Jeremiah 42:11 — Do not be afraid because of the king of Babylon, whom you fear.’ “‘Do not be afraid because of him,’ declares Jehovah, ‘for I am with you, to save you and to rescue you out of his hand.
Comment 7: Fear of the king of Babylon was understandable, but Jehovah assured them that he was with them to save them and rescue them. Jehovah’s presence and support surpass any human threat.
Spiritual Gems for JEREMIAH 43
Jeremiah 43:1 — When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all these words from Jehovah their God, every single word that Jehovah their God had sent him to tell them,
Comment 1: Jeremiah conveyed every single word that Jehovah commanded him to speak. His example shows that faithfulness does not mean softening God’s message, but communicating it fully.
Jeremiah 43:2 — Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the presumptuous men said to Jeremiah: “What you are saying is a lie! Jehovah our God has not sent you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to reside there.’
Comment 2: The presumptuous men accused Jeremiah of lying. Presumptuousness can cause us to reject needed counsel simply because it contradicts what we want to do.
Jeremiah 43:3 — But Baruch the son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Chaldeans, to put us to death or to take us into exile in Babylon.”
Comment 3: Instead of accepting responsibility, they blamed Baruch for turning Jeremiah against them. When we dislike a warning, we should avoid looking for hidden motives in those who give it.
Jeremiah 43:4 — So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the army chiefs and all the people disobeyed the voice of Jehovah to remain in the land of Judah.
Comment 4: The disobedience was collective: The chiefs and all the people did not remain in Judah. Group pressure can be strong, but each person needs to decide to obey Jehovah’s voice.
Jeremiah 43:7 — And they went into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of Jehovah, and they went as far as Tahpanhes.
Comment 5: They entered Egypt because they did not obey Jehovah. The account clearly shows the relationship between their decision and their disobedience; it does not present their move as a simple personal choice without spiritual significance.
Jeremiah 43:9 — “Take in your hand large stones, and hide them in the mortar in the brick terrace at the entrance of the house of Pharaoh in Tahpanhes, with the Jewish men looking on.
Comment 6: Jehovah commanded Jeremiah to perform a visible action before the Jews. This shows that Jehovah made sure his warning was clear and remained fixed in the minds of those who heard it.
Jeremiah 43:10 — Then say to them, ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: “Here I am sending for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will place his throne right above these stones that I have hidden, and he will extend his royal tent over them.
Comment 7: Jehovah called Nebuchadnezzar his servant. This highlights that Jehovah can use even rulers who do not worship him to accomplish his purposes. Nothing is beyond his control.
Spiritual Gems for JEREMIAH 44
Jeremiah 44:2 — “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘You have seen all the calamity that I brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah, and today they are in ruins, without an inhabitant.
Comment 1: The Jews had seen the calamity that came upon Jerusalem and Judah. Remembering the consequences of disobedience should have moved them not to repeat the same mistakes.
Jeremiah 44:3 — It is because of the evil things that they did to offend me by going and making sacrifices and serving other gods whom they had not known, neither you nor your forefathers.
Comment 2: Jehovah clearly explained the cause of the calamity: They had done bad things and served other gods. Jehovah is just; his judgments are never arbitrary or without basis.
Jeremiah 44:4 — I kept sending all my servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, saying: “Please do not do this detestable thing that I hate.”
Comment 3: Jehovah sent his prophets again and again and urged them to stop doing what he hated. His patience and repeated warnings reveal how much he wants people to abandon a bad course.
Jeremiah 44:5 — But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn back from their evil by not making sacrifices to other gods.
Comment 4: The problem was not that they had received no warnings, but that they did not listen or pay attention. To benefit from divine teaching, we need to listen with the desire to make changes.
Jeremiah 44:7 — “And now this is what Jehovah, the God of armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Why are you causing a great calamity to yourselves, so that every man and woman, child and infant, will perish from Judah, leaving you without a remnant?
Comment 5: Jehovah asked them why they were bringing such a great calamity upon themselves. Sin is not freedom without consequences; it can deeply harm the one who practices it and those around him.
Jeremiah 44:10 — Down to this day they have not humbled themselves, they have shown no fear, nor have they walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and your forefathers.’
Comment 6: They had not humbled themselves or shown fear of Jehovah. Humility helps us accept correction and adjust our conduct to Jehovah’s laws and standards.
Jeremiah 44:16 — “We will not listen to the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Jehovah.
Comment 7: They openly said that they would not listen to Jehovah’s words. This extreme attitude warns us of the danger of allowing an attitude to develop from ignoring counsel to deliberately rejecting it.
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