Jeremiah 43

It is far easier to stay in the place that is familiar to you than it is to move into the place that God would have you dwell. Many leave their past and all its pits and then when tough times come, and they will come, they return to the lifestyle that is known by them. It reminds me of the captives of war or hostage situations where the ca[tured make their captors their friends in order to survive. We were not born of God to just survive, we were born again to live a life that reflects His ways and not mans ways. May I have the courage to speak out against the ways of this life world that go against everything that God says it right and true and just.

43     Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the ^awords of the Lord their God, for which the Lord their God had sent him to them, all these words, ^2 ^bthat 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 ^cBaruch the son of Neriah has ¹set 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 ^dnot 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 ^eall 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, ^fthe king's daughters, ^gand 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 ^hSo they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they went as far as ⁱTahpanhes.

^8 Then the ^jword 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 ²clay 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, ^kMy servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. ^11 ^lWhen he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death ^mthose appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. ^12 ³I will kindle a fire in the houses of ⁿthe 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 ⁴Beth 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. Azariah and Johanan spoke out against the counsel given by Jeremiah. 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. Severe judgment is pronounced on Egypt, including judgment on the disobedient people of Judah.