Jeremiah 49:34-39 – Make God pre-eminent in our lives

God had a message for the people of Elam in Jeremiah 49:34-39. Who were the Elamites and where were they from? As early as the book of Genesis, the Bible already talked about Elam. Genesis 10: 22 reveals that Elam was the name of one of the sons of Shem. That would make him a descendant of Noah. Genesis 14 narrates an incident where Abraham raised a fighting force to rescue his nephew Lot from the hand of King Kedarloamer of Elam and his allies. As a land, geographically Elam was located east of Babylon, extending to the coast of the Mediterranean.

In Jeremiah 25:25 God already indicated that Elam would be judged together with other nations. And in Jeremiah 49:34-39, the prophet again spoke concerning God’s judgment of Elam. This message came at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah who sought to form an alliance with the surrounding nations to deal with the rising Babylonian force. In saying that “…I am going to break the bow of Elam, the finest of their might” verse 35 suggests that Elam was a nation of might.  God was bringing disasters upon them. The message was as much to Zedekiah as it was to Elam.

In these last six verses of Jeremiah 49, God said that He would bring such a might upon Elam and scatter her people all over. He was going to shatter them before their enemies and bring great calamity upon them. In His fierce anger against them, God was going to bring the sword upon them until they were all done with.  God was going to set His throne in Elam after He had destroyed their rulers – their kings and princes. However, again in His mercy, verse 39 assured that God would restore their fortune in the last days.  

Apparently, Elam boasted of her military might. Strong as Elam thought she was, even then it would not be able to stand against the might of the Lord. In Jeremiah 49, one resounding truth kept surfacing. God was repeatedly telling each nation that there was no way their limited resources could prevent His from advancing. Ammon depended on her wealth and Molech their god. Edom thought that their high land, their wisdom, and their fortresses would make them impenetrable. But all that could not prevent God from reaching and dealing with them. Damascus thought that her fame could keep God out, but she too had to succumb to God. Kedar depended on her isolation and remoteness to keep God from reaching them, but there was no place on earth that man could go to hide from God. Now Elam depended on her might and her bow. But they all came to naught before the great God. 

It is true that no human resource can prevent what God has set in motion. Only in God’s plan can we find security. We must never allow any human resources we have to lure us into a sense of false security. No wealth, power, position, or status in life can ever bring us lasting security. Only in God are we forever secure. Let us put our total trust in God.  Learn to put Psalm 73:26 at the forefront of our minds as we seek to advance in life with God. “My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”