it leads to further separation from the Lord and all the good He desires to give.
“As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you!” (v.16) In this verse, the people of Judah who fled to Egypt openly defy the prophet Jeremiah, rejecting his warning from God. Jeremiah, who began his ministry around 627 BC and continued through and after Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC, is now addressing a remnant living in Egypt. They have witnessed catastrophe in their homeland, yet instead of heeding God’s call to repent, they assert their own will. Their statement, “we are not going to listen,” reflects hardened hearts and a distrust of the Lord’s sovereignty. Rather than relying on the God who rescued them from peril in earlier generations, they cling to false hopes and pagan practices they had adopted in Egypt.“As for the message…we are not going to listen to you!” also mirrors a larger theme in Scripture: the tragic tendency of God’s people to reject His word. This rejection causes them to miss out on the blessings of obedience, as outlined in the covenant God made with them (Deuteronomy 28). The people had settled in Egyptian cities such as Pathros, a region in southern Egypt, hoping to avoid Babylonian aggression. Nevertheless, Jeremiah reminded them that placing trust in human plans, or the “queen of heaven,” instead of obeying God, leads only to alienation and judgment. The prophet’s words echo God’s repeated warnings: defiance produces dire consequences, whereas submission to the Lord brings life and prosperity.The verse emphasizes the importance of listening to God’s message regardless of current hardships. Jeremiah held a critical role in Judah’s timeline, prophesying in the final days of the kingdom and urging faithfulness to the covenant. Unlike those who hardened their hearts, Jesus later called everyone to believe and follow God wholeheartedly, affirming the importance of heeding divine truth (Matthew 7:24). By rejecting Jeremiah’s words, these exiles in Egypt demonstrated how people often prefer immediate relief and familiar comforts over obedience to God’s commands—an issue that resonates with believers today.
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Jeremiah 44:16 meaning
“As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we are not going to listen to you!” (v.16) In this verse, the people of Judah who fled to Egypt openly defy the prophet Jeremiah, rejecting his warning from God. Jeremiah, who began his ministry around 627 BC and continued through and after Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC, is now addressing a remnant living in Egypt. They have witnessed catastrophe in their homeland, yet instead of heeding God’s call to repent, they assert their own will. Their statement, “we are not going to listen,” reflects hardened hearts and a distrust of the Lord’s sovereignty. Rather than relying on the God who rescued them from peril in earlier generations, they cling to false hopes and pagan practices they had adopted in Egypt.“As for the message…we are not going to listen to you!” also mirrors a larger theme in Scripture: the tragic tendency of God’s people to reject His word. This rejection causes them to miss out on the blessings of obedience, as outlined in the covenant God made with them (Deuteronomy 28). The people had settled in Egyptian cities such as Pathros, a region in southern Egypt, hoping to avoid Babylonian aggression. Nevertheless, Jeremiah reminded them that placing trust in human plans, or the “queen of heaven,” instead of obeying God, leads only to alienation and judgment. The prophet’s words echo God’s repeated warnings: defiance produces dire consequences, whereas submission to the Lord brings life and prosperity.The verse emphasizes the importance of listening to God’s message regardless of current hardships. Jeremiah held a critical role in Judah’s timeline, prophesying in the final days of the kingdom and urging faithfulness to the covenant. Unlike those who hardened their hearts, Jesus later called everyone to believe and follow God wholeheartedly, affirming the importance of heeding divine truth (Matthew 7:24). By rejecting Jeremiah’s words, these exiles in Egypt demonstrated how people often prefer immediate relief and familiar comforts over obedience to God’s commands—an issue that resonates with believers today.