Jeremiah 44

24–28 Because the people have said they will continue worshiping the Queen of Heaven and fulfill their vows to her, Jeremiah finally tells them: “Go ahead then . . . Keep your vows!” (verse 25). He is being ironic, of course; he has given up on them. He tells them one more time that they are doomed to perish; then the remnant . . . who came to live in Egypt will know that Jeremiah’s word was true (verse 28).

From Jeremiah’s time on, the true remnant would be found mainly among the exiles in Babylon who remained faithful to the Lord; they would be the ones to take part in the restoration of Israel, which would eventually culminate in the kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (see Jeremiah Chapters 30–31).

29–30 The Jews in Egypt would be given a sign when their end was near: Hophra king of Egypt would be turned over to his enemies (verse 30). This took place some years later when Hophra was killed by a rival in Egypt. Soon after that, Nebuchadnezzar invaded Egypt (see Jeremiah 43:1013); it was then that the Jews in Egypt perished—including, most likely, Jeremiah himself.

Nothing is said in Scripture about Jeremiah’s end. From a human standpoint, he was a sorrowful figure. He loved his countrymen, but most of them rejected him. He faithfully proclaimed God’s word, but he was not believed. He failed to lead his people to repentance; he failed to keep God’s judgment from falling on Judah. Indeed, he could be called a “failure.”

And such sorrow he endured! He was denied the joys of family life; he was persecuted and imprisoned; he died in exile in a country he didn’t want to go to.

Yet, in spite of all this, Jeremiah was obedient and faithful to the Lord. The Lord doesn’t look at people’s “successes”; He looks at their faithfulness. In this, Jeremiah continues to be a model for all Christians today. In regard to suffering and faithfulness, Jeremiah prefigures Christ Himself. We learn as much from Jeremiah’s life as from his words; he is a worthy model indeed.