On the Wrong Side of History (Jeremiah 40–44)

Fear makes bad history repeat. In the wreckage after Jerusalem’s fall, we follow Jeremiah as he chooses the hard path of staying with the remnant under Gedaliah, a governor whose call to submit to Babylon sounded like treason to bruised pride. That tension—obedience versus optics—unlocks the episode’s core: the safest place is not where danger seems small, but where God has spoken clearly.

When Ishmael assassinates Gedaliah and seizes captives, Johanan’s rescue briefly steadies the people, but panic soon points them toward Egypt. They pause to ask Jeremiah for God’s guidance, receive a precise answer after ten days—stay and be planted, run and face sword, famine, and pestilence—and then reject it as a lie when it collides with their plans. We unpack why clarity doesn’t always lead to obedience, how fear dresses up as wisdom, and what it costs to chase a refuge God has already warned against.

In Egypt, Jeremiah delivers an enacted sign—stones buried at Pharaoh’s palace to mark where Babylon’s king will set his throne—and confronts a deeper sickness: idolatry dressed as practicality, especially the worship of the “queen of heaven.” We draw out the sobering refrain that frames the episode: “Whose word will stand—mine or theirs?” From assassinations and rebellions to object lessons and prophecies, each scene speaks to modern choices about safety, submission, and trust. If you’ve ever weighed comfort against conviction or felt the tug to rewrite inconvenient truth, this story will feel uncomfortably familiar—and powerfully freeing.

Listen for a grounded exploration of biblical history, practical theology, and timeless wisdom on obedience, courage, and spiritual discernment. If this conversation helps you see your choices more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Get instant, biblically faithful answers to your Bible questions. https://www.wisdomonline.org/ask

Learn more at https://www.wisdomonline.org/

Transcript

Jeremiah Chooses To Stay

Gedaliah’s Counsel And Assassination

Johanan’s Pursuit And Fear

Seeking Guidance, Rejecting God’s Answer

Egypt Bound And A Sign Of Judgment

Idolatry And The Queen Of Heaven

Whose Word Will Stand

Final Exhortation And Blessing

SPEAKER_00 0:54

A well-known author who often wrote books on the subject of history once advised that we shouldn't brood over what's past, but we should never forget it either. You know, the problem is the human race, uh, and I'm one of them, I've got a short memory. Lessons from the past are so easily, so soon forgotten. Well, that's what's happening for the people left behind in Judah after the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian Empire. As we learned, now in our last lesson, only the poorest people of the land are left there while all the other people are deported to Babylon. Now, here in Jeremiah, chapters 40 through 44, we're given the aftermath of Judah's defeat. And I gotta tell you, just about everybody soon forgets why the nation of Judah was defeated in the first place. Can't imagine they'd forget that, but they do. We're told here in chapter forty that among those left behind is the prophet Jeremiah. It's interesting that the Babylonian official in charge of these people who will be living in Judah, a man by the name of Nebuzaradon, gives Jeremiah a choice. Here's his choice in verse four. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. See, the whole land is before you. Go wherever you think it good and right to go. Well, verse six tells us that Jeremiah chooses to stay in Judah. But he goes over to Mizpah to live under the newly appointed governor of Judah, a man named Gedaliah. Now, Jeremiah no doubt appreciated the kinship he shared with Gedaliah. In fact, they had the same perspective on God's dealing with Judah. Gedaliah's father had actually saved Jeremiah's life back in chapter twenty six. Well, Gedaliah's message to the people of Judah is given here now in verse nine. Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans, dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. I got to tell you, to the average Jewish man or woman, this message didn't sound very patriotic at all. In fact, it sounds like treason. Verse 14 tells us that a man named Ishmael actually makes plans to assassinate Gedaliah for such a message. Unfortunately, Gedaliah doesn't take the threat seriously. He dismisses it as nothing more than a rumor. And now here in chapter 41, it becomes evident it isn't a rumor at all, for Ishmael murders Gedaliah. He takes captive the remaining people of the city of Mizpah, which apparently includes the prophet Jeremiah. Now, we're about to watch the people of Judah repeat the same mistake their forefathers had made earlier. They hadn't learned a thing from history, and now they launch another rebellion. Now, I don't know what kind of career path Ishmael thought he was on, but murdering Gedaliah, leading a rebellion against Babylon, which was effectively rebelling against the will of God. Well, it might look like he's succeeding in his quest for power, but it's only a matter of time before it's all going to catch up to him. Now we're told here in chapter 42 that a leader named Johannon gathered a small force. They pursued Ishmael. Johannon was able to rescue the hostages, but Ishmael escaped. Well now Johann and his little army are afraid of the king of Babylon. They're afraid the king's going to blame them for the death of Gedaliah. So they decide, and by the way, against the advice of Jeremiah, to flee to the land of Egypt. Again, they're repeating the mistakes of history, just as their forefathers did when they put all their trust in Egypt rather than in God. And let me say, let me just say, beloved, that the safest place in all the world to be is in the will of God. And the most dangerous place to be is in disobedience to his will. Now, to their credit, before leaving for Egypt, Johannan and the people of Judah, they did come to Jeremiah. In fact, here in chapter 42, they knew what God had said through Jeremiah, but but they're wondering if God has changed his mind. So they asked Jeremiah here in verse two, well, you go back and ask God again. And Jeremiah agrees, and after ten days here's God's answer, verse ten. If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down, I will plant you and not pluck you up. Do not fear the king of Babylon, for I am with you. In other words, if they stay in the land of Judah, which seems dangerous, the Lord will establish them. But if they disobey God and go to Egypt, which seems safer, well that's going to lead to their destruction. In fact, verse seventeen promises all who set their faces to go to Egypt to live there shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. Now the Lord can't be any clearer with the people here. But as chapter 43 opens, the people responded by saying to Jeremiah here in verse 2, You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, Do not go to Egypt to live there. Well, so much for asking God for guidance. But isn't that like people to this day? You know, maybe you're teaching a Bible study or you're pastoring a church and you're teaching people the truth of God's word, and they accuse you of making it up, of misrepresenting God's word. Why? Well, just as in Jeremiah's day, God's word doesn't match their perceptions. It doesn't match their preferences. So God must be wrong. And you, his messenger, well, you must be out of touch. You might even be on the wrong side of history, as they say it today. Well, with that defiant spirit, verse six tells us that the people of Judah take off for Egypt. In fact, they force Jeremiah to go with them. But when they arrive in Egypt, Jeremiah pronounces another prophecy of coming judgment, and this prophecy, this time, by the way, has an object lesson to go along with it. Maybe this will make it stick in their minds, we don't know, but God tells Jeremiah here in verse nine, to go and bury two large stones beneath the pavement at the entrance of Pharaoh's palace. He's then to prophesy that the Babylonian king will set his throne above these two buried stones. Well, you can imagine Pharaoh isn't going to be too happy about having to fix his front porch there at the palace after Jeremiah buries two stones. Much less is Pharaoh going to appreciate the news that he isn't going to be around for very long. Chapter 44 now records another prophecy from Jeremiah to the people of Judah because of their ongoing idolatry. He condemns them for that here in verse 8, for making offerings to other gods. Particularly in view here are offerings made, he says, to the queen of heaven. The worship of this goddess apparently was popular among the women of Judah, we know from history, who are now living in Egypt. In fact, a large contingent of them show up here in verse 17. These women actually come to argue with Jeremiah, and they tell him that all their needs will be met as long as they offer worship to the Queen of Heaven. Well, let me tell you, the king of heaven, the true king who created heaven and earth, isn't impressed with them or anybody else to this day. In fact, he sends a message back to them through Jeremiah warning them of further judgment, and then God makes this rather profound statement in verse 28. All the remnant of Judah who came to the land of Egypt to live shall know whose word will stand mine or theirs. You know, I can't help but think of another warning of that future day when the entire unbelieving world is going to appear before God, and they're going to discover that the word of man will not stand up against the word of God. The word of God stands forever. You know, people today have forgotten the lesson of history. Those who rebel against God, those who reject his invitation to repent are going to stand before God's final judgment. Doesn't matter how religious you are, doesn't matter how safe you feel in the approval of the world, the word of man, the opinion of man is not going to stand up against the word, the opinion of God. You know, I hear leaders and people say today, as I mentioned earlier, you know, I don't want to be on the wrong side of history. Well, let me tell you something. You don't want to be on the wrong side of God. Let's learn this lesson well. Let's not repeat the mistakes of history. Let's not rebel against the Creator, the King of heaven, the King of heaven and earth, whose word stands forever. Well, until next time, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.