What is the Lord going to do in Egypt through his servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon?

 The Lord is sending Nebuchadnezzar to bring his judgment to Egypt for her idolatry just as the Babylonian king brought the Lord’s judgment to Judah. The focus of this judgment is on the "temple of the gods of Egypt.” Heliopolis is about 8 kilometres northeast of Cairo. It is well known for its temple of Re the sun-god, and it had two rows of obelisks as you approached it.¹ These places of worship will be destroyed, and the gods of Egypt will burn with fire. The one true God of creation is once again confronting and defeating the false gods of Egypt, much like he did in the Exodus, but the Judeans who fled to Egypt will be judged too. And he shall clean the land of Egypt as a shepherd cleanses his cloak of vermin, and he shall go away from there in peace. This rather colourful analogy of a shepherd picking lice from his clothing describes how Nebuchadnezzar will plunder Egypt and leave unharmed. What is not clear is what the vermin refers to. The context seems to suggest that it refers to the gods of Egypt. But is it possible that the Judeans who have fled to Egypt are the vermin that will be removed by the Lord?² The next passage will certainly make it very clear that the Judean refugees in Egypt will face the Lord’s judgment because of their idolatry.

There is no biblical record of Nebuchadnezzar invading Egypt in exactly the way that Jeremiah describes. Other historical records show that he did invade Egypt in 567/566 BC. It was a relatively minor incursion, and the Pharoah Amasis was defeated, but he remained in power. He managed to have friendly relations with Babylon from that point onwards. Even though Jeremiah’s prophecy was not fulfilled literally, the fact that Nebuchadnezzar did invade Egypt was enough to confirm his reputation as a true prophet.³ The important theological point being made by the prophecy is the sovereignty of the Lord and that his judgment cannot be escaped, even in Egypt⁴