Jeremiah 48:21-30 –Boast only in the goodness of God

One city after another, each city of Moab far and wide came face to face with God’s judgment. Jeremiah 48:21-24 said “Judgment has also come upon the plain, upon Holon, Jahzah and against Mephaath, against Dibon, Nebo and Beth-diblathaim,  against Kiriathaim, Beth-gamul and Beth-meon, against Kerioth, Bozrah and all the cities of the land of Moab, far and near.”  God was indicating the extensiveness of the destruction that would overtake Moab. The word “horn” indicates Moab’s power and “arm” indicates her authority.  In saying that “The horn of Moab has been cut off and his arm broken,” God was saying this once powerful nation full of authority had been debunked.

Verses 26-28 went on to disgustingly describe the state of Moab as God judged her. The nation was made drunk not by wine but by the wrath of God. She was compelled to drink of the wrath of God and made to wallow in her “vomits.” This repulsive description was intended to show how degraded Moab would become. Besides, Moab would be ridiculed in the same way they once mocked Israel. Making Israel the subject of their scorn and mockery was needless. Israel did not deserve that kind of treatment for she did not commit any act deserving the mockery which Moab had hurled at them.  

In Jeremiah 48:28, the inhabitants of Moab were told to leave the cities and hide in places that were inaccessible to the enemy force that was coming. Verses 29-20 then bring us the key issue God had with Moab – her pride. Moab’s boastful arrogance and self-absorbed stun stood out like a foul stench. Their insolence and boastings were like hot air that was not worth the needless vibration they made in the air. They were all futile and would come to naught.   

Pride and boasting always go together much like a hand in glove. In boasting we always exalt ourselves at the expense of others. Proverbs 16:5 said in no uncertain terms that “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; assuredly, he will not be unpunished.”  In Jeremiah 29:23, God explicitly said, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches.” There is only one thing that God will allow us to boast. He said, “Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things (Jeremiah 9:24).”

Jeremiah 48:11-20 – There’s no real security except in God

Continuing with the message of judgment on Moab, Jeremiah 48:11-12 reckoned Moab to be wine that had been untouched. Why? All because she had not been taken into exile before. And like untouched wine, Moab had not lost its flavor or aroma. But now her destiny had changed. Babylon was coming to take them into captivity. She would be like wine emptied from the shattered decanter. And Chemosh, the god whom they had long trusted would prove to be powerless and incapable of rescuing them from this predicament. The Moabite's confidence in this god would be shaken just as Israel's whose trust was in Bethel, was shaken.   

Jeremiah 48:14-20 showed why Moab could no longer boast of her might. In verse 14 God derided her and sarcastically implied that her army could no longer claim to be “mighty warriors, and men valiant for battle.” The Lord declared her total defeat. Their best fighting men would be dreadfully slaughtered, and widespread mourning in the desolate nation would be experienced. Mockingly, in verses 18 -20, Moab was told that her power would be broken, and she no longer could sit comfortably and securely perched on her high mountainous throne. Instead, she would be brought low to grovel on parched earth and all her defenses be brought to ruin.

In these verses, we cannot get away from seeing Moab as a symbol of pride and arrogance. With Moab firmly sitting on high ground, the people must have mistakenly presumed that they were impenetrable. Like them, we too can mistakenly presume that we are safe and secure because we have wealth and position. But we need to realize that our knowledge of God should guide us to place our trust in Him and not in whatever we think can ensure our security, be it wealth or position.

Jeremiah 48:1-10 – Pride comes before fall.

The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Moab and Ammon were Lot’s sons born out of his daughter’s incestuous relationship with him while he was drunk. All this took place after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Details of how it all happened can be found in Genesis 19:30-38.  In Jeremiah 27:1-7, we saw a treasonous act of King Zedekiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had put on the throne of Judah in place of his nephew Jehoiachin.  He foolishly formed a coalition with Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon to come against Babylon. We were told that Jeremiah was sent by God with a message for those with whom Zedekiah was seeking an alliance.

The message God had for them came through an illustrated sermon. Jeremiah was instructed to make a yoke and put it around his neck. A yoke, as we know, was an implement that was used to put around the necks of two oxen to pair them together so that they could move in tandem with each other. Obviously, God was not for this alliance. He was making known that whatever Nebuchadnezzar was ordained to do was part of His plan. He was and still is the only one who would sovereignly determine the destiny of nations and men. No one, whether man or beast, could or would be in any position where He had not ordained. And no one now or ever could change the course of His plan. But at this juncture in history,  God had ordained that every nation both people and beasts would come under the control of Babylon. Hence no one would be able to take her down till the time God her regime ended.  In Jeremiah 48, God’s message focused on Moab’s doom.

Naming the different cities and towns of Moab such as Nebo, Kiriathaim, Horonaim,  and others Jeremiah 48 pictured for us scenes of the devastation of Moab. In her anger, Babylon destroyed cities and brought down fortresses heaping great distress on the Moabites. Refugees were described as fleeing from the invading force. The cities of Moab would be left desolate without inhabitants.  Hard to imagine but the catastrophic scenes were disastrous and chaotic.  Verse 7 reveals the pride of the Moabites. They prided themselves in “their achievements and treasures.” The naming of Chemosh was to let the Moabites know that even this national god of theirs could not prevent them from going into exile. They and their national and religious leaders would be brought into captivity. The Babylonians were instruments of God’s judgment, and they would execute His judgment and bring it to its completion. Verses 8-10 indicate that no city would be spared, every plain and plateau would be destroyed. The executioners were told to be diligent in their duties or be cursed by their negligence. Like Egypt, Moab could not escape the judgment. For the one who initiated the judgment was none other than God of all nations. He is in charge and in sovereign control of the affairs of mankind.  

One key issue seen in Moab was pride. This is what God said of them in verse 7, “For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures….” Pride the Bible says comes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.  Let us exercise humility and live life gingerly. God resists the proud but will give grace to the humble.    

 

Jeremiah 47:1-7 – There will be a day of divine reckoning.

Jeremiah 47 contains Jeremiah’s prophecy to Philistia. Just as God knew all about Egypt, He also knew all about Philistia. Although the prophecy was given in seven short verses, it nonetheless was as severe as that one given to Egypt. As the prophet saw the destruction of Egypt, he also saw the destruction of Philistia.

In verses 1-2, Babylon was described as a rising tide from the north. It would sweep Philistia just as it did Egypt. Like a mighty torrent, the Babylonians would overrun and flood Philistia fully. Sounds of despair would be heard from the weeping of every inhabitant of the Philistia. Describing the invasion, verse 3 said that sound of galloping horses and the rumbling noises made by the wheels of the chariots would send the people into a great panic. So petrified would the men be that they would become so demoralized and discouraged even to protect their own families.        

 

In verse 4, He saw how the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon even their allies would be cut off. But God was determined to destroy the Philistines. Here we get a little history of the Philistines. In referring to the Philistines as “the remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.” We are given a clue to the roots of the Philistines. Caphtor was the ancient name for the Island of Crete situated in the Mediterranean.  This was where the Philistine's heritage was traced to.  

 

Verse 5 pictures firstly the Philistines in Gaza and Ashkelon with shaved heads mourning their loss and cutting themselves. All to no avail. In despair, they would even lament wondering how long they would have to endure the sword of the Lord. What Philistia had to endure was the judgment of the Lord. Rhetorically, Jeremiah asserted in verse 7 that no one could stop the judgment of God until what He had set in motion had run its course.

 

The Philistines had a history of troubling God’s people. Much of what they had done could be traced to the time of King Saul and King David and even during the time of King Hezekiah. In this passage on the judgment of Philistia, we learn that cruelty will always be paid back in full. For the despair one brings upon others, there will be consequences that shall not be averted till they reach their purpose. How we treat others matters. There will come a time for the reckoning.    

 

 

Jeremiah 46:13-28 – Be careful with our choices

In Jeremiah 46:25-26 God said He would punish “Amon of Thebes, and Pharoah, and Egypt along with all her gods.” Amon was revered as the king of gods. This Amon was likely the patron god Thebes, an ancient city along the Nile. Thebes was the capital city of the Egyptian empire in her heyday. God specifically mentioned and made in no uncertain terms that He would punish Amon, together with other entities - Pharoah, Egypt, and all her gods.  Yet God promised that Egypt would be revived. He would ensure that Egypt would be inhabited again.

According to Jeremiah 46: 26-28. the people of Judah, the descendants of Israel and God’s covenant people should not be afraid. Why? While God would deal with them and send them to exile in a foreign country, He would also bring them back to their land. They would be dealt with differently. While He would make the pagan nations a matter of history, His covenant people would not be so. They would be corrected and purified. However, the covenant people would not escape scotch-free, God would see their punishment for the wrong they did.

 

Sin will always bring with it consequences. While God will grant forgiveness and restoration when a person repents, the consequences of the sins committed will still kick in.  We can choose what action to take, but we can never determine its consequence. It behooves us to be careful with what we choose.  Choose to walk with God each day! 

Jeremiah 46:13-24 – God is our sure refuge

The battle between Egypt and Babylon at Carchemish was a watershed battle. It marked the beginning of Egypt losing its grip as the world's dominant power. In Jeremiah 46:14-24 Jeremiah now foresaw and declared another defeat of Egypt at the hand of the Babylonians. This time the battle would not be fought somewhere else but in Egypt itself.  Verse 14 sounds the battle cry that was quickly followed by descriptions of Egypt’s defeat.

Using poetic language, Jeremiah described how the once mighty army of Egypt was humiliated. They fell to the Babylonians’ advance. Verse 16 suggests that the mercenary soldiers who were recruited abandoned their position, preferring to return to their homeland away from the oppressors. As they desert Egypt their employer, they even had the audacity to taunt the Pharaoh. This was what they said in verse “Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a big noise; he has let the appointed time pass by!” They were saying that Pharoah could only boast but had no resolve to deal with the problem. These mercenaries engaged were of not much use either. Thought hardened soldiers, verse 21 described them as grossly overfed soldiers. They were of not much use and would not stand their ground to fight, but would desert at the moment that count.    

 

The Lord had ordained that Egypt would be overwhelmed by Babylon. So Egypt would be overshadowed by Babylon like Mount Tabor overshadowing the surrounding land and Mount Carmel overshadowing the sea. The Egyptians referred to as “daughters” in verse 19 should be ready to be taken into exile even as Memphis, a reference to Egypt would be destroyed and made desolate. Egypt’s defeat was also a defeat of her gods. So in this passage, imageries of animals were being used to ridicule the gods of Egypt.

 

In verse 20 Egypt was referred to as a pretty heifer. This was making fun of Apis, the Egyptian's bull god.  In this verse, instead of a strong bull, Egypt was described as just a fattened calf, and Babylon was like a gadfly, a pesky insect that would come from the north to trouble the land. The snake was also used to picture the disgrace of Egypt.  The serpent is a symbol of the supremacy of Egypt. It was a royal emblem. Jeremiah said that on the day of Babylon's invasion, Egypt like a snake would slither away.  And using the locust illustration in verses 23-24, was by way of reminding them of how God used the locust plague in one of judgments on Egypt in the day of Moses. God guaranteed their defeat by Babylon from the north. The Babylonians would clear Egypt like lumberjacks cutting wood and clearing the forest.  

 

Lesson: there is only one true God with real power and might. It was foolishness for the people of Judah to think that they could rely on the Egyptians to deal with Babylon. It would have done them a world of good to yield to God’s dealing than to see the solution elsewhere. Like them our greatest source of help is God, it would be foolhardy for us to go anywhere else to seek a solution for our problem. God is our best go-to in times of need. He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

 

 

 

 

Jeremiah 46:1-12 – Our God is in control

At the onset of his ministry, Jeremiah was told he was appointed as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). Sio here in  Jeremiah 46 -51 we see a collection of God’s messages he gave to the nations. However, this was not uniquely only to Jeremiah for there are two other Prophetic Books namely Isaiah and Ezekiel, where we find messages that God sent to the nations.  In the book of Isaiah, they are found in chapters 13-23 and in Ezekiel, chapters 25-32. All these clearly demonstrate to us that the God we worship and serve is the sovereign Lord not only of Israel but also of the nations.

It is worth noting that Jeremiah chapters 46-51 are closely related to Jeremiah 25. In chapter 25:15-16, this was what God instructed Jeremiah to do. “For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, ‘Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.’” God had already planned to deal with the nations and the last would be the king of Babylon. The order in which God would deal with the nations in Jeremiah 46-51 would be somewhat similar to the order listed in Jeremiah 25.  The announcement to the nations was not in order of events but more according to the geographical locations. God first dealt with Egypt in the south of Judah before moving up north and then East toward Mesopotamia. The climax of God’s message to the nations would be Babylon.  

In Jeremiah 46:1-12 God’s message was concerning Egypt. In verses 1-2, we see the defeat of Egypt by Babylon in the battle of Carchemish. This battle would mark the beginning of the end of Egypt’s dominance in the region.  Verse 2 tells us that this event took place “in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.” In verses 3-4, Jeremiah described the Egyptian soldiers preparing for the battle busily and excitedly. But all excitement ground to a halt in verses 5-6 when the fierce Babylonians ended their confidence with their intense attack. The Egyptians were routed and forced to flee but were cut off at River Euphrates.

Picturing the same battle, verses 7-9 painted the army of Egypt surging forward like the water of the River Nile. Egypt boasted of its strength since they were equipped with a great number of mercenary soldiers from the surrounding countries. They had this on top of the world feeling that they could take on the world and conquer it. But verse 10 declared that the day did not belong to them.  It belonged to the Lord of Hosts.  It was a day of vengeance for the Lord God. It was God’s Day of judgment for them. So the Egyptians suffered a great slaughter. Though known for their medical skills, they could not find any remedy for their wounds. And according to verses 11-12, news of their defeat and fall quickly spread far and wide.

 

God is the judge of all nations and sovereignly controls the affairs and activities of the nations. No matter how strong and powerful one may feel, none can resist the will and plan of God and come on top. Our best plan in life is to get to know Him and submit to His will and plan. Yielding to Him gives us strength for life’s endeavors.