A remnant goes to Egypt, including the king’s two daughters. Even though scripture says that the words of Jeremiah end with Jer. 51:64 there are other writings that tell of Jeremiah and Baruch leaving Egypt with the king’s daughters. The significance of this will be discussed later.

Jeremiah warns the Hebrews living in Egypt that God will bring disaster on them if they continue in their evil ways. The response of the people goes far beyond impudent! They were mocking God. They suffered the consequences.

Gal 6:7
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.

Reaping can also have many positive aspects. Especially if we sow in righteousness.
(Hos 10:12) Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Even though much of Jeremiah’s lamentations are indeed expressions of grief, he includes this most wonderful of Scriptures.

Lam 3:22-23
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

What a great verse for us to ponder.

The following words of Jeremiah are echoed later in the words of Paul.

Lam 3:40
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.
2 Cor 13:5
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test?

Earlier God had told the people that there would come a time that He would not listen to them.

Lam 3:44
You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.

Have we as Christians “covered ourselves with a cloud”? If so how have we done that?

Over the next several chapters in Lamentations, Jeremiah lives up to his reputation as a “weeping prophet”. He is weeping over the fall of Jerusalem.

The book of Lamentations is a perfect example of prophetic foreshadowing. In the last days, the apostate and false church can be substituted for Jerusalem. Read today’s reading again and see how it sounds with that substitution placed.

Lam 2:14
The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The oracles they gave you were false and misleading.

The people of Jeremiah’s day listened to the false prophets who did not expose their sins. As a result the people went into captivity. If we are listening to prophets who do not expose sin, what happens to us?

We as Christians have a responsibility to listen to God’s Word and the teaching of the Holy Spirit and not words of false prophets. How do we know if we are hearing words from false prophets? Easy...be very familiar with God's Word, the Monument of Truth!

Earlier Ezekiel related this prophecy concerning King Zedekiah. He said that Zedekiah would not “see” captivity.

Ezek 12:13
I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die.

Jer 39:7
Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
Zedekiah did not “see” captivity.

In the listing of the treasures in the temple in Jerusalem that were taken by the Babylonians, notice the ark is not listed. But something as insignificant as wick trimmers are listed. When did the ark leave?

Cherubim were angels who guarded the holiness of God. Cherubim were fashioned on top of the ark. Ezekiel’s earlier vision the four creatures were cherubim. When God’s glory left from the mountain east of Jerusalem (the Mount of Olives) cherubim were beneath His glory. Did the ark leave when God’s glory left?

“…The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests…”
They had violated the Sabbath and God is collecting.

Jeremiah certainly is given reason to be called “the weeping prophet” considering all the things that happened to him. One man (Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace) was filled with compassion for Jeremiah and was brave enough to go to the king on Jeremiah’s behalf.

Jer 38:9-10
"My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city." Then the king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

Ebed-Melech was later rewarded for his trust in the Lord.

Jer 39:16-18
"Go and tell Ebed-Melech the Cushite, 'This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city through disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. But I will rescue you on that day, declares the LORD; you will not be handed over to those you fear. I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the LORD.'"

When we trust in the Lord, He rewards us too! How awesome is that!

Ezekiel was looking at the king of Tyre but speaking to Satan. Satan entered the king of Tyre as he entered into Judas.

Ezek 28:12-17
"Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.
This scripture tells us that Lucifer was perfect, even anointed as a guardian angel. He lived in Eden, a garden paradise. Imagine all the precious stones surrounding him with the glory of God shining through those rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and other stones. Because of all of this splendor and his elevated status, pride got hold of him and corrupted him. Widespread trade means he solicits followers and entices them to follow him. He merchandized in bribes, enticing one third of the angels to follow him by promising them untold things.

Rev. 12;7
And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven.
Michael was an archangel – a warrior angel. The dragon is Satan.

Rev 20:2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Isa 14:12
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

Luke 10:18
He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

God, the Father and God the Son saw Lucifer fall out of heaven like a lightning bolt flashes out of the sky. The reason for the fall of Lucifer was pride. How careful we as Christians, must be of pride (the wrong kind).

In the judgments against Judah’s many oppressors, there is a very specific judgment against Egypt.

Ezek 29:9-11
Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. "'Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it," therefore I am against you and against your streams, and I will make the land of Egypt a ruin and a desolate waste from Migdol to Aswan, as far as the border of Cush. No foot of man or animal will pass through it; no one will live there for forty years.

At a place called Aswan in southern Egypt there are two large dams on the Nile River. During the last days the Aswan dams will be broken down whether by bunker busting bombs that may be released by the Antichrist in his war against Egypt or by earthquake, etc. Whatever the method may be, the Bible indicates that these dams will be destroyed. The people living in the floodplain will be killed by the rushing water and the silt currently being held back by the two dams. The floodplain area will be buried under a sea of mud. Egypt will be left a desolate land that will extend 40 years into the millennium. The desolate Egypt will stand as a monument (just as we have Sodom and Gomorrah today) to show how God will deal with sin.

We have these two cities to remind us of our sin, but how often do we really contemplate how dead we are in our sins? Or better still how often do we really contemplate how alive we are with Jesus as our Savior?