Jeremiah 44:20

 Jeremiah 44:20 says, Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,   Verse twenty-one adds, The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?  In answering the people of Judah’s claim that they were being punished for not worshipping the queen of heaven enough, Jeremiah asked them if they did not know that God had seen their idolatry and had been long-suffering in giving them time to repent.   Though God will give us time to repent today, there is coming a day when we will run out of time to do so.  Verse twenty-two continues, So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which ye have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.  Jeremiah said that because of God's punishment of their sin and idolatry that their land was desolate.  We cannot blame God if we end up suffering His punishment.  Verse twenty-three, concludes, Because ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened unto you, as at this day.  Jeremiah told the people of Judah that the blame for their destruction was their sin and idolatry, just as each individual today is responsible for the results of their own sin and idolatry.  God called them to repentance and they would not listen, and those who will not listen to God's call to repentance today through faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord can be certain of His everlasting punishment.  Verse twenty-four declares, Moreover Jeremiah said unto all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of Egypt:  Jeremiah once again called on all the people of Judah that had fled to Egypt to hear God's word.  No matter where we may go to look for safety and security in the world today, if it isn't by faith in God, we will never find it.  Verse twenty-five adds, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; Ye and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her: ye will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.  Jeremiah said that God recognized their determination to continue in their idolatry.  Verse twenty-six continues, Therefore hear ye the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, saith the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD liveth.  God said that He had sworn by His own name that none of the people in Judah would ever again use His name.  They were worshipping other gods, but still at times mentioning God with the false gods, and God said that they would do it no more.  We cannot attempt to make God just one of many gods and find forgiveness from Him.  There is but one God and there is but one way to salvation, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ.   Verse twenty-seven states, Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.  God said that He was no longer going to look over those of Judah who were in Egypt with good, but with evil.  They had lost God's protection because of their own disobedience and were now going to face His punishment instead.   Verse twenty-eight adds, Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.  God said that a very small remnant would return to Judah, which would be proof of who was right, the false gods or the one true God.  Verse twenty-nine continues, And this shall be a sign unto you, saith the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that ye may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:  God said that the sign that they would get was that they would be punished where they were.  We may think that we have safety outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ, but we never will. Verse thirty concludes, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give Pharaohhophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.  God said that the Pharoah of Egypt was going to be destroyed just as Zedekiah was.