Jeremiah 43

It is not always easy to be certain that you are in God's will and doing what He would have you do with your life, only He knows. He uses whomever He wants to accomplish what He needs to be done and it is not ours to completely understand. The Creator of this universe uses people to save people. What a tragedy if we misjudge His will for us and them.

Jeremiah Taken to Egypt

43 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, 2 that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, "You speak falsely! The Lord our God has not sent you to say, 'Do not go to Egypt to dwell there.' 3 But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon." 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven— 6 men, women, children, the king's daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.

8 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 "Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes; 10 and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire." ' "

The NKJV Study Bible says this: The people had already intended to go to Egypt to escape the perceived danger of Babylon. Johanan led the migration to Egypt, against the direction of the Lord through Jeremiah. The caravan journeyed as far as Tahpanhes, a city on the eastern edge of the Nile Delta. This judgment oracle echoes earlier pronouncements against Judah, with Nebuchadnezzar identified as the servant of God. The stones symbolized the strong foundation of Nebuchadnezzar's empire, the point from which he would spread his royal pavilion (tent, or canopy). Severe judgment is pronounced on Egypt, including judgment on the disobedient people of Judah.

When Jerusalem fell to Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah was taken in chains to Ramah and then released. He went on to Mizpah to support the people left in the land. When the governor was killed, Jeremiah prophesied that people should not leave the land, but he was taken against his will to Tahpanhes in Egypt. His further prophecies to Jews living in Migdol, Noph, and Tahpanhes may have contributed to establishing Jewish settlements in other parts of Egypt, as far as Elephantine.