The remnant reproved for their idolatry in Egypt. 1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Ye have seen all the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth therein, 3 Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers. 4 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. 5 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods. 6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day. 7 Therefore now thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Wherefore commit ye this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain: 8 In that ye provoke me unto wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense unto other gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye be gone to dwell, that ye might cut yourselves off, and that ye might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They are not humbled even unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers. 11 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even unto the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. 13 For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence : 14 So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape. LECTURE 1253. That repentance is not sure to follow on affliction. They who had set at defiance God's word, in the act of taking refuge in Egypt, were not likely to serve Him faithfully when there. And yet who could have thought, that they would straightway begin to renew those very practices of idolatry, which had provoked the Lord to give up their city and country to entire desolation? Such being their conduct, He sends them by his prophet yet one more message of fearful warning; reminding them of the desolation they had witnessed, and remarking that it had been inflicted as a judgment for idolatry, and referring to the many gracious exhortations and remonstrances which He had sent both to them and to their fathers by his prophets, the result of which is thus expressed: "But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense unto other gods." That this remnant of the people, who had witnessed all those horrors, which ensued exactly as God had foretold, should so soon repeat the very same transgressions, proves how little impression this scene of misery had made upon their hearts. Even adversity, that most instructive school, does not always teach wisdom. Even affliction, that most favourable season for repentance, will not always make men penitent. Let us take warning, and not trust that we should certainly repent, if afflicted. Let us beware of putting off repentance, under the notion, that we surely shall repent before it be too late. What? Think we that we shall have occasions more urgent, afflictions more severe, than had been presented to these persevering worshippers of them that were no gods? Are not we as liable to forgetfulness as they? Are not they here doomed to perish miserably in the end; many as had been their opportunities of repentance, and of reconciliation unto God? Opportunity may come, but not be improved. Affliction may be dispensed, but not be heeded. No outward means can avail to our repentance, without the grace of God in the heart. And of this we may be sure, that if we rely on any outward means whatever, and deliberately put off repenting until we have the season or the help we wait for, we are thereby provoking the Most High to withhold his heavenly influence, and to leave us to perish in our sins. God grant, that whatsoever lot it be his will to send us, we may profit alike by sorrow or by joy, unto our soul's health! God forbid that we on any consideration whatsoever should deliberately put off the repenting of our sins, and the amending our sinful lives! The shameless avowal of idolatry is severely rebuked. 15 Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah,saying, 16 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. 17 But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine. 19 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? 20 Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying, 21 The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind? 22 So that the LORD could no 23 Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day. 24 Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt: 25 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows. 26 Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth. 27 Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them. 28 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. surely stand against you for evil: 30 Thus saith the LORD Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life. LECTURE 1254. 29 And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall The sure fulfilment of the words of the Lord. It is seldom that men own their wilfulness so unreservedly as to say, "We will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth." The affront thus offered to the divine majesty is aggravated rather than not by the mention of this motive for their choice," then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.” As if God's commandment had no weight with them at all, if it were to interfere with their immediate enjoyment. And as if God had not given to his people, as He promised, this very thing that they desired, abundance of good things on earth, as long as they obediently kept his commandments. May this awful instance of defiance towards God be unto us a warning of the risk we run, whensoever we indulge our own will in opposition to the will of God! And the more we are shocked at this avowal of resolute disobedience, let us the more deeply feel how sinful it must be resolutely to disobey! Sin carried to such a height of effrontery was not allowed to pass without a corresponding severity in the denunciation of judgment. The Lord declares, that his holy name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah then sojourning in Egypt; that is to say, that they should not repent of their idolatry, and turn to the living God. He who had been used to watch over them for good, would watch over them for evil. Excepting a few fugitives of no note, none of them should escape the famine and sword. And for a sign to shew that they must suffer, God further foretels, that the king of Egypt who was harbouring them should be delivered into the hands of his enemies. Thus might they know whose words were true, their own, or those of the Lord. An awful trial for man to provoke. An awful test for man to abide, if he have provoked any such trial. May we prove the truth of the Lord, not by experiencing the fulfilment of his threats, but by enjoying the good things which He has promised! Knowing the infallibility of his word, may we never speak otherwise than as He has spoken! And convinced of the perfection of his wisdom and his love, may we never will otherwise than as He has willed! Yea, Lord, let us certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of thy mouth, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Baruch being dejected is instructed and consoled. 1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spake unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto thee, O Baruch; 3 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. 4 Thus shalt thou say unto him, The LORD saith thus; Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. 5 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. LECTURE 1255. Against immoderate grief, and worldly ambition. It is most probable that this prophecy was delivered for the consolation of Baruch in connexion with the events mentioned in the thirty sixth chapter of this book. For there we find how much ill will and danger Baruch incurred, by writing down the words of Jeremiah's prophecies. But though most closely connected with that chapter, this prophecy might be purposely inserted here, at the end of those prophecies of Jeremiah which relate more especially to the Jewish nation, and before those which are directed especially against the Gentiles. See ch. 46. 1. For it might be thought undesirable to interrupt those discourses which referred to the people generally, with a matter that was of interest chiefly to one person. And it might have tended to exalt Baruch above measure, if he had found his own case more closely mixed up with the prophecies relating to all Judah and Jerusalem. And if this were a hint intended for the benefit of Baruch, who was inclined to seek great things for himself, it ought not to be lost on us. For we may be profitably reminded thereby, that we ought not to expect to find our own case always prominently brought forward in Scripture; that we ought not to be disappointed, if much of God's holy word refers properly to his dealings with the world and with the church, and is only by inference to be made applicable personally to ourselves. Baruch, it appears, gave way to immoderate grief at the prospect of the ruin of his country. For thus the Lord addresses him by the prophet," 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.' And though the tendency of the whole prophecy is to give him comfort in his affliction, it is evident that this excessive grief is mentioned as a thing to be blamed. And it is a tacit rebuke of Baruch's self indulgence in his sorrow, when the Lord further adds to the prophet, "Thus shalt thou say unto him, |