Thursday, November 24, 2022

They entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes

Jeremiah 43:1-13

When Jeremiah had finished telling the people all the words of the Lord their God—everything the Lord had sent him to tell them— Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there. But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”

And they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah along with them. So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord and went as far as Tahpanhes.

In Tahpanhes the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones with you and bury them in clay in the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will set his throne over these stones I have buried here; he will spread his royal canopy above them.

He will come and attack Egypt, bringing death to those destined for death, captivity to those destined for captivity, and the sword to those destined for the sword. He will set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt; he will burn their temples and take their gods captive. As a shepherd picks his garment clean of lice, so he will pick Egypt clean and depart. There in the temple of the sun in Egypt he will demolish the sacred pillars and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.

Why?

Those people didn't listen to the word of the Lord but did what they thought. They don't rely on the Lord but walked in their own way. They don't have to ask the Lord. 

The consequence of men is their choice. 

God let Jeremiah bury them in clay on the brick pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. To show the army of Nebuchadnezzar will conquer Egypt and destroy all the gods in Egypt and pick Egypt clean and depart.

Don't like fools like those people of Judah, trust in the Lord and obey God's word. 

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如何面對亡國後的生活?

這些人自我矛盾,求耶利米向神禱告,卻不相信耶利米。巴錄在耶利米之下怎麼可能影響耶利米的話。

其實他們在被征服之起,卻可以自由來去,反而要去埃及、神沒有虧待他們。

耶利米和巴錄也一起去了,神要藉著耶利米繼續向他們說話。耶利米甘願放棄自己安逸的生活,為了傳講神的證話語,付代價。

人可以逃到那裏去躲避神的審判,只有十字架可以遮蔽、潔淨我們的罪。求神幫助我們可以走神心意的道路。

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How?

The word of the Lord is salvation and the light in my life, even if it is a hard way to go walk but it is a blessing way. 



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