King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 5 notes
1And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,
They had been told the word of the Lord and had even been told that they will not listen 👂. And truly they refused.
In their wisdom they said that Jeremiah had conspired with the Chaldeans to do them evil 😈.
What they failed to remember was that Jeremiah had never failed in any of his words of prophecy.
These people's hearts 💕 were so full 🌕 of deception. They had sworn that, be it good or evil 😈, they will obey the voice of the Lord.
But that was not to be so.
2Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:
3But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.
So what they really wanted was not to obey the word and direction of the Lord, but for God to bless the decision they had already taken in their hearts to do. They should have just said that from the very beginning.
Sometimes we just want to do our thing, but we come to God sanctimonious, as if we desire his will, but in reality we want to rope him into our own quest, or at least he should sanction our desires.
4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah.
5But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;
6Even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
7So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.
8Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
9Take great stones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brickkiln, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
10And say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.
Who was he going to send? His spirits...
Spirits seem to have such great interest in human affairs, and are greatly involved.
11And when he cometh, he shall smite the land of Egypt, and deliver such as are for death to death; and such as are for captivity to captivity; and such as are for the sword to the sword.
So even in war and disaster there is some order.
It seems random 🚶, but in reality some have been assigned to die and others to be captive.
12And I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt; and he shall burn them, and carry them away captives: and he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd putteth on his garment; and he shall go forth from thence in peace.
13He shall break also the images of Beth-shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire.
Completely rendering them, i.e. their gods, useless. It's sad that God made his own temple 🏛, which was so great, to be completely destroyed.
Just like other nations. However, the difference being he had told his people that he would destroy them and the land because they had turned against him.
Indeed, they had turned his temple for idol worship.