Day 216 - Today's reading schedule: Jeremiah 42-45

Jeremiah 42: Prophecy against Egypt

[Content Overview]

This chapter mentions the incident in which Johanan attempted to lead the people to Egypt and God's warning about him. Johanan outwardly said that he would visit Jeremiah to ask for God's will and obey him, but in reality, he had already decided his will and was only forcing God's consent. However, Jeremiah still preached God's word not to go to Egypt. Thus, this chapter once again summarizes the message of judgment that Jeremiah proclaimed to the people of Judah before the fall of Judah. This chapter consists of Johanan and his companions' request for intercessory prayer for Jeremiah (verses 1-6) and God's response (verses 7-22).

Jeremiah 43: The people of Judah go down to Egypt

[Content Overview]

This chapter mentions Jeremiah, who was taken to Egypt. Johanan and the military commanders, who heard God's answer through Jeremiah, based their decision on God's words delivered by Jeremiah, claiming that they came from Baruch's counsel. In order to justify their actions, they take Jeremiah and Baruch to Egypt. Moreover, they may have mistakenly thought that their safe journey to Egypt proved that their decision was correct. However, Jeremiah prophesied that Egypt would be devastated by Babylon, and specifically listed the judgments and disasters that would come to those who fled to Egypt. This chapter is composed of a section about Johanan and his group who react negatively to God's response and take Jeremiah to Egypt (verses 1-7), and a section mentioning the judgment that will come on Egypt in the future (verses 8-13). This chapter also introduces the idea of judgment on the Gentiles in conjunction with God's people, and this fact shows that the judgment of the Gentiles is not simply meaningful in itself but is closely related to God's work of salvation.

Jeremiah 44: Prophecy about the Jews fleeing to Egypt

[Content Overview]

After arriving at Tabanes in Egypt, Johanan and the people of Judah dispersed to various regions as their lives stabilized. They gradually assimilated into the Egyptians and became deeply immersed in the foreign lifestyle and idolatry. Accordingly, in this chapter, Jeremiah emphasizes the inevitability of judgment while recalling the cause of the previous destruction of Jerusalem. Regarding the prophet's message, the people of Judah emphasize that idolatry brings greater abundance and happiness. In response to this, Jeremiah painfully expresses a final warning regarding the remnant of Judah along the same lines as his messages so far. The first half of this chapter (verses 1-14) refers to Jeremiah's prophecy regarding the idolatry of the people of Judah who settled in Egypt, and the middle part (verses 15-19) states the false beliefs of the people of Judah and idols. It consists of the latter half (verses 20-30), which addresses the final message in a fierce tone to the people of Judah, who are committing crimes of worship. In this way, the prophet not only denounces the evil of idolatry as the cause of irreversible judgment but also focuses on introducing the still long-suffering God of love. 

Jeremiah 45: God comforts Baruch

[Content Overview]

This chapter contains a message about Baruch. On behalf of Jeremiah, who had been banned from entering the temple, Baruch wrote down his message, went up to the temple with the message, and announced the punishment that would come to Judah in the future (cf. Jeremiah 36:1-26). This chapter consists of the first half (verses 1-2), which presents God's command to Jeremiah, and the second half (verses 3-5), which describes Baruch's condition and God's blessing.​