John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 44:18

"But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine." — Jeremiah 44:18 (ASV)

Here he enlarges on their ingratitude: they attributed to God the fault of all their calamities, even though God would have drawn them (as the Prophet will later tell us), as it were, out of darkness into light, if they had been reclaimable. They should have been restored to their right mind through punishments. But this was far from being the case; instead, the effect of God’s scourges had been to make them more and more obstinate.

They then said that from the time they ceased worshipping idols, they had been miserable, had lacked everything, and had been consumed by famine and the sword. They had previously been consumed by famine and the sword, as is well known; and as we have said, they had previously suffered many calamities. Why then did they not refer to these punishments which they had suffered for rebelling against God so often and for so long? But they willfully covered up God’s judgments: and yet they said that they had been miserable in every way since they had ceased their false worship. But was it for this reason they became miserable—because they no longer poured out libations to stars and idols? No, the reason was very different, as the Prophet will soon answer them. But we must repeat all their words; we will come later to the refutation given by the Prophet.