How far had pagan worship penetrated the Jewish community in Jeremiah's day?
Pagan worship had penetrated the Jewish community deeply and broadly. Jeremiah 44 notes incense burned in Judah's cities and Jerusalem's streets by the people, their fathers, kings, princes, and the land's people. Women especially poured drink offerings and made cakes for the Queen of heaven.
Les teaches that Jeremiah 44 shows how far pagan worship had penetrated the Jewish or Israeli community. The people argued that since they stopped burning incense to the Queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings, they had lacked all things and were consumed by sword and famine. They thought their troubles came from quitting the Queen of heaven worship rather than from God's dealing with them. The women were the primary culprits, making cakes and pouring drink offerings without their men. Jeremiah addressed the men and women, saying incense was burned in the cities of Judah and streets of Jerusalem by them, their fathers, kings, princes, and the people of the land. Les uses this to illustrate the results when a people go into the worship of false idol gods.
Then Jeremiah said unto all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
The incense that ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?