NOTES for Jer 44:1-30
Look at what is happening. Jeremiah conveys to the Judeans who have resettled in Egypt the word of God explaining their present misfortunes by their former sins, first and foremost by the sin of unfaithfulness to God, their pagan betrayal. The people's reaction is astounding. They say: “We were unfaithful to God and we will continue to be unfaithful, because when we betrayed Him there in Israel we lived well, but when we moved to Egypt and stopped serving other gods, our lives became difficult. We want to live well, so we must betray God.” What logic! Yet something similar happens in our own time. The most enlightened people explain that Russia's present condition is connected with its abandonment of God for the sake of a new paganism—communism. And now the intoxication is over and everything must be rebuilt, but instead of turning to God, people desire the return of the communist regime—after all, sausage used to cost 2.20.
Fallen human nature does not change. It can only be cast aside; we can only die to sin and rise with Christ to new life.