20151009 Friday, October 9 2015
Jeremiah 43: The Flight To Tahpanhes

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes"

When the Kingdom of Judah fell to Babylon (see The Sinking Of His Majesty's Vessel, Judah), a remnant of the survivors came to the prophet Jeremiah and pleaded for a way for them to escape the LORD's wrath upon them. After forty years of ignoring and abusing Jeremiah, they proclaimed their repentance to the LORD (see The Identity Of The LORD God and The LORD God Our Saviour) .

"42:1 Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near, 42:2 And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 42:3 That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do." (Jeremiah 42:1-3 KJV)

The LORD responded with a means and opportunity for those people to escape the wrath that they had brought upon themselves - by staying where they were and obeying what the LORD commanded them to do.

"42:7 And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah. 42:8 Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 42:9 And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him; 42:10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. 42:11 Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 42:12 And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

42:13 But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God, 42:14 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: 42:15 And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there; 42:16 Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die." (Jeremiah 42:7-16 KJV)

Rather than staying where they were and obeying what the LORD commanded them to do, they immediately fell back into their rebellion by doing the exact opposite - they disobeyed what the LORD commanded them to do and left where the LORD had commanded them to stay. They fled to Tahpanhes in Egypt, along with others, including Jeremiah, who they forced to go along with them. There, they discovered, once again, that "safe" is wherever one obeys the LORD and that no where is safe from His wrath upon those who defy Him.

"43:1 And 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, 43:2 Then 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: 43:3 But 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.

43:4 So 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. 43:5 But 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; 43:6 Even men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan 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. 43:7 So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

43:8 Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 43:9 Take 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; 43:10 And 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. 43:11 And 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. 43:12 And 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. 43:13 He shall break also the images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall he burn with fire." (Jeremiah 43:1-13 KJV)

Fact Finder: The Israelites had many sojourns in Egypt throughout their history. What did the Messiah do there?
See The Egypt Connection