Jeremiah 43:8-13
No nation can provide refuge from the sovereign reach of God’s judgment.
8 Then Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying,
9 “Take great stones in your hand, and hide them in mortar in the brick work, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah;
10 and tell them, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his royal pavilion over them.
11 He will come, and will strike the land of Egypt; such as are for death will be put to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword.
12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt. He will burn them, and carry them away captive. He will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment; and he will go out from there in peace.
13 He will also break the pillars of Beth Shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and he will burn the houses of the gods of Egypt with fire.’ ”
No nation can provide refuge from the sovereign reach of God’s judgment.
To declare that the LORD will extend His judgment into Egypt by raising up Nebuchadnezzar as His servant to conquer the land where the disobedient remnant has sought refuge.
This passage continues the narrative of the remnant's flight to Egypt. Immediately after arriving, Jeremiah delivers a new prophecy declaring that Babylon will also invade Egypt.
Jeremiah prophesies that Babylon will invade Egypt, the very place where the Judean remnant sought safety.
The Flight to Egypt: Rebellion After a Clear Word
When God's people reject a clear word in order to secure themselves, the refuge they choose becomes the place where the word they rejected confronts them.