TEMPTED BACK TO EGYPT AGAIN

“Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him,” declares the LORD, “for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.” —Jeremiah 42:11, 12

After the fall and destruction of Jerusalem, many of the people were taken into exile in Babylon, but a small remnant remained amid the ruins of their nation.

This group of survivors had to work out how to live in the aftermath of catastrophe and with so much of their society devastated. Their thoughts turned again to the possibilities of Egypt as they succumbed to what had been a recurring temptation in the experience of the Israelite people over the centuries since their escape from slavery in that land.

Egypt seemed to offer a safe harbor against continuing marauding from the Babylonian invaders. As might be expected, Jeremiah warned against this in strident terms. Such a course of action would be an even greater disaster (see Jeremiah 42:13–22).

Even worse, it would be a denial of trust in God, who insisted that He was still greater than the king of Babylon and always had been.

Even in their shattered city, God would be with them, so they need not be afraid of the Babylonians. The people ignored Jeremiah’s warnings, and a group of the survivors exiled themselves to Egypt. While they had been spared exile in Babylon, their fear drove them into an exile of their own making. There, they would be drawn into worshiping the Egyptian gods, and in time, the Babylonian armies would turn their attention to conquering Egypt (see Jeremiah 43 and 44). They compelled Jeremiah to go to Egypt with them, and neither he nor the people would return. Jeremiah’s message offered the people God’s compassion in place of their fear. Tragically, they chose to follow their fear.