What is happening in this passage where the people answer Jeremiah?

In this passage, Jeremiah has warned the people of Judah who are living in Egypt that their worship of other gods brought God’s judgment on them. Instead of listening, a large crowd of men and women answer him. They speak very plainly that they will not obey the word he brings in the Lord’s name. They decide to keep burning incense and pouring out drink offerings to the “queen of heaven.” They point back to how long they have done this, how everyone from kings to common people joined in, and claim that life was better when they served this idol.

Who is the “queen of heaven” that they burn incense to?

The people talk about the “queen of heaven” as the one they burn incense and pour drink offerings to, and for whom they bake special cakes. The wording has been read in more than one way. Many understand it as the moon, treated like a ruling goddess in the sky. Others take it more broadly as the host or frame of heaven, meaning the sun, moon, and stars as a whole. In any case, it is a created thing in the heavens that they have turned into a false god, giving it the worship that belongs only to the Lord.

Why do the people refuse to listen to God’s word through Jeremiah?

Their answer shows hearts that are hard and set on their own way. They admit Jeremiah speaks “in the name of the Lord” yet still say, “We will not hearken unto thee.” They choose to “do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth,” meaning they follow their own vows and desires instead of God’s command. They lean on tradition, saying their fathers, kings, and princes did the same. They trust their past experience more than God’s warnings, thinking their prosperity came from idols. This is open rebellion, where people prefer their own will over what God clearly says.

Why do they claim things went better when they worshiped the queen of heaven?

They look back and say that when they burned incense and poured drink offerings to the queen of heaven, they had plenty of food, were well, and saw no trouble. They then say that since they stopped doing those things, they have lacked everything and have been consumed by sword and famine. They wrongly read their circumstances. Instead of seeing that judgment came because of their sin, they claim the opposite, as if stopping idol worship caused their troubles. They measure right and wrong by how comfortable life feels, not by what God has commanded.

How are the women and husbands involved together in this idol worship?

The passage says many men knew their wives burned incense to other gods, and a great number of women are standing there as well. Earlier, we learn that the women were especially active in this worship. Here the women say that when they burned incense and poured drink offerings to the queen of heaven, they also made cakes for her. Then they ask, “Did we… without our men?” They argue that their husbands agreed and knew what they were doing. The point is that both men and women are guilty, whether by taking part directly or by allowing and supporting what they knew was wrong.

What does this passage teach about following tradition and majority opinion?

The people defend their idol worship by appealing to tradition and numbers. They say their fathers did it, their kings and princes did it, and it happened in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. It was old, widespread, and public. Yet God, through Jeremiah, still condemns it. This shows that long-standing custom, even backed by leaders and crowds, does not make a practice right if it goes against God’s word. The law and commands of God are the standard, not what most people around us have always done.

Why is their response an example of a hardened, stubborn heart?

Their words are very bold. They do not just quietly ignore Jeremiah; they speak out against him. They admit he speaks in the Lord’s name, yet openly say they will not listen. They insist on doing whatever they themselves have spoken, and they twist the meaning of their past and present troubles. Instead of letting suffering turn them back to God, they let it drive them deeper into sin. This shows how, when people walk in disobedience for a long time, they can grow more and more settled in it, until they are ready to argue with God and justify what he clearly calls evil.

What does this passage teach about misreading God’s patience and judgment?

The people look back on a time when they had food and did not “see evil” and connect that with their idol worship. They ignore how often God had already warned and corrected them. They treat God’s patience, when he held back full judgment, as if it was his approval of their idolatry. Later, when judgment falls through sword and famine, they blame the trouble on stopping idol worship instead of seeing it as the result of long rebellion. This shows how easy it is to misread God’s delays in judgment and to explain away his discipline instead of repenting.

How can this passage warn us about justifying sin in our own lives?

The people in this passage do everything they can to justify what they want to do. They use family history, leaders’ examples, how many people joined in, their location, and even their memories of easier times. They blame hardship on turning away from sin instead of seeing that sin brought the hardship. This warns us to be careful when we start excusing what God calls wrong by pointing to how long we have done it, who else does it, or how it seems to benefit us. Instead of arguing with God, we are called to humble ourselves and let his word correct our thinking.

Jer.44.15

Jeremiah 44:15

King James Version (KJV)

¶ Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

Chapter:

Context:

The Stubbornness of the People

¶ Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense unto other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,

As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.

But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.

And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings unto her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings unto her, without our men?

Cross References

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