Jeremiah 44:16
"As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD
This phrase indicates a direct rejection of a prophetic message. Jeremiah, a prophet during the late 7th and early 6th centuries BC, often delivered messages from God to the people of Judah. The phrase "in the name of the LORD" signifies that Jeremiah's message was not his own but was divinely inspired. This reflects the common biblical theme of prophets speaking on behalf of God, as seen in Deuteronomy 18:18-19, where God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses. The people's acknowledgment of the message being from the LORD highlights their awareness of its divine origin, yet they choose to reject it.

we will not listen to you!
This outright refusal to heed Jeremiah's message is emblematic of the broader rebellion of the people of Judah against God's commands. Historically, this period was marked by idolatry and alliances with foreign nations, contrary to God's instructions. The people's defiance is reminiscent of other instances in the Bible where God's messages were ignored, such as in 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, where the people mocked God's messengers. This rejection also foreshadows the ultimate consequence of their disobedience: the Babylonian exile. The refusal to listen to God's word through His prophets is a recurring theme that underscores the importance of obedience and faithfulness to God's covenant.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah. He is known for his perseverance in delivering God's word despite opposition and persecution.

2. The People of Judah
The audience of Jeremiah's message in this chapter. They are living in Egypt after fleeing there to escape the Babylonian conquest of Judah.

3. Egypt
The place where the remnant of Judah has settled, despite God's warnings against going there. It represents a place of disobedience and reliance on human strength rather than God's provision.

4. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who speaks through Jeremiah, calling His people to repentance and obedience.

5. The Rejection of God's Word
The event where the people of Judah openly reject the prophetic message delivered by Jeremiah, choosing instead to follow their own desires.
Teaching Points
The Danger of Rejecting God's Word
Ignoring God's commands leads to spiritual and often physical consequences. The people of Judah chose to reject God's message, leading to further judgment.

The Importance of Obedience
True faith is demonstrated through obedience to God's word. The people of Judah failed to trust and obey, serving as a warning for us today.

The Role of Prophets and God's Messengers
God uses His messengers to communicate His will. We must be discerning and receptive to God's word, whether it comes through Scripture, teaching, or other means.

The Consequences of Idolatry
Placing anything above God leads to spiritual downfall. The people of Judah's idolatry in Egypt is a reminder to guard against modern forms of idolatry.

Trusting in God's Sovereignty
Despite circumstances, we must trust in God's plan and provision. The remnant's decision to flee to Egypt shows a lack of trust in God's sovereignty.
Bible Study Questions
1. What are some modern ways we might reject God's word, similar to the people of Judah in Jeremiah 44:16?

2. How can we ensure that we are listening to and obeying God's word in our daily lives?

3. In what ways does the account of the Israelites' idolatry in Exodus 32 relate to the actions of the people in Jeremiah 44:16?

4. How can we discern true messages from God today, and what role does Scripture play in this process?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced a decision to trust in God's plan versus relying on your own understanding. What did you learn from that experience?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 32
The rebellion of the Israelites with the golden calf parallels the disobedience of Judah in Egypt, highlighting a recurring theme of idolatry and rejection of God's commands.

2 Kings 25
The fall of Jerusalem and the subsequent exile to Babylon provide context for why the remnant is in Egypt, emphasizing the consequences of disobedience.

Hebrews 3:7-19
This passage warns against hardening one's heart, similar to the attitude of the people in Jeremiah 44:16, and encourages believers to remain faithful and obedient.
The Ministerial Message and its ReceptionT. Spencer.Jeremiah 44:16
Jeremiah's Last SermonS. Conway Jeremiah 44:1-30
The End of Jeremiah; Or, Going Down in CloudsS. Conway Jeremiah 44:1-30
Supposed and Real Reasons for CalamityD. Young Jeremiah 44:15-19
Credentials of ReligionA.F. Muir Jeremiah 44:15-23
People
Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharaoh, Zedekiah
Places
Babylon, Egypt, Jerusalem, Memphis, Migdol, Pathros, Tahpanhes
Topics
Ear, Hast, Hearken, Hearkening, Listen, Message, Spoken
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 44:16

     5165   listening
     6194   impenitence, warnings

Library
God's Patient Pleadings
'I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.'--JER. xliv. 4. The long death-agony of the Jewish kingdom has come to an end. The frivolous levity, which fed itself on illusions and would not be sobered by facts, has been finally crushed out of the wretched people. The dreary succession of incompetent kings--now a puppet set up by Egypt, now another puppet set up by Babylon, has ended with the weak Zedekiah. The
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Man's Misery by the Fall
Q-19: WHAT IS THE MISERY OF THAT ESTATE WHEREINTO MAN FELL? A: All mankind by their fall lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell for ever. 'And were by nature children of wrath.' Eph 2:2. Adam left an unhappy portion to his posterity, Sin and Misery. Having considered the first of these, original sin, we shall now advert to the misery of that state. In the first, we have seen mankind offending;
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

That Whereas the City of Jerusalem had Been Five Times Taken Formerly, this was the Second Time of Its Desolation. A Brief Account of Its History.
1. And thus was Jerusalem taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]. It had been taken five [34] times before, though this was the second time of its desolation; for Shishak, the king of Egypt, and after him Antiochus, and after him Pompey, and after them Sosius and Herod, took the city, but still preserved it; but before all these, the king of Babylon conquered it, and made it desolate, one thousand four hundred and sixty-eight years and
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Man's Inability to Keep the Moral Law
Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but does daily break them, in thought, word, and deed. In many things we offend all.' James 3: 2. Man in his primitive state of innocence, was endowed with ability to keep the whole moral law. He had rectitude of mind, sanctity of will, and perfection of power. He had the copy of God's law written on his heart; no sooner did God command but he obeyed.
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Mercy of God
The next attribute is God's goodness or mercy. Mercy is the result and effect of God's goodness. Psa 33:5. So then this is the next attribute, God's goodness or mercy. The most learned of the heathens thought they gave their god Jupiter two golden characters when they styled him good and great. Both these meet in God, goodness and greatness, majesty and mercy. God is essentially good in himself and relatively good to us. They are both put together in Psa 119:98. Thou art good, and doest good.' This
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation,
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Original Sin
Q-16: DID ALL MANKIND FALL IN ADAM'S FIRST TRANSGRESSION? A: The covenant being made with Adam, not only for himself, but for his posterity, all mankind descending from him, by ordinary generation, sinned in him, and fell with him in his first transgression. 'By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,' &c. Rom 5:12. Adam being a representative person, while he stood, we stood; when he fell, we fell, We sinned in Adam; so it is in the text, In whom all have sinned.' Adam was the head
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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