Print

JEREMIAH 43: 7, 8

"BACK TO EGYPT"

Intro: And so we find recorded - one of the saddest days in the nation's history.

I. IT WAS A DAY OF NATIONAL DISGRACE.
        A. 900 years earlier God had delivered their fathers out of Egypt.
                1. God's power of deliverance had been demonstrated in a
                        miraculous way.
                2. It was a high point in their national history.
                        a. He was known as the God who brought our fathers out of Egypt.
                        b. The story was rehearsed over and over to their children.
                        c. They held annual feast days to commemorate the events.
        B. Egypt represented the old life in sin - a life of        , suppression, slavery,
           suffering.
                1. It is always a sad and tragic day to see a person turn back to those things
                   from which he was delivered.
                2. I have seen heroin addicts miraculously delivered without withdrawal 
                   symptoms.

II. IT WAS A DAY OF NATIONAL FAILURE.
        A. The failure was due to their disobedience to the word of the Lord.
                1. They had asked Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord, promising to obey.
                        a. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah saying, "Do not go down to Egypt."
                2. This disobedience - a continuation of a long pattern.
                3. Through disobedience they lost their relationship with God.
        B. Their return to Egypt - motivated by fear.
                1. Fear always indicates lack of faith.
                2. Faith and fear are mutually exclusive.
                3. The fear stemmed from the loss of relationship with God. 
        C. You can trace the steps of failure like this.
                1. Their disobedience caused loss of relationship.
                2. Loss of relationship brought a lack of faith.
                3. Lack of faith allowed fear.
                4. Fear drove them back to Egypt.
        D. The tragic truth is that Egypt could not and did not save them from the things
           they feared.

Ill. THEN CAME THE WORD OF THE LORD UNTO JEREMIAH IN TA'HA-PA'NES.
        A. A marvel to me that God would still speak to them.
                1. O the infinite patience of God.
        B. "Take great stones and hide them..."
                1. Some years ago Flinders Petrie discovered in Tell Defenneh.
        C. The people were hoping to find help and refuge in Egypt -This is a strong indicator
           of their spiritual failure.
                1. Turning to the arm of flesh for help instead of leaning
                        on the arm of God.
                2. Where do you turn in the hour of crisis?