30th.: The People, and the Queen of Heaven
After the Babylonian installed governor of Israel had been assassinated, and for fear of
the Babylonian army, the remaining Israelites fled to Egypt.
God told Jeremiah to mark the place where King Nebuchadrezzar would set his travel throne (Jer. 43:10).
God planned to send the Babylonians to Egypt to punish the fleeing Israelites.
God then reminded Israel (Jer. 44:1-14) that they were in trouble for not worshipping him.
The Jews who had just moved to Egypt did not like Jeremiah’s response, so they told him, and God,
“As for the word that thou has spoken, unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee.
But we will certainly do whatsoever things goes forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven,
and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done.” (Jer. 44:16-17c).
These people were finally being honest about wanting to worship the false goddess, ‘the Queen of Heaven’, and not the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Their punishment was not lessened per-se (see Jer. 44:25-30).
But at least they were finally being honest with God, and themselves.
“Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations,
and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” (Rom. 1:25-26)