Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

To read Jeremiah 48:1-47, click this link HERE.

Concerning the Ammonites:
This is what the Lord says:
“Has Israel no sons?
    Has Israel no heir?
Why then has Molek taken possession of Gad?
    Why do his people live in its towns?
But the days are coming,”
    declares the Lord,
“when I will sound the battle cry
    against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
it will become a mound of ruins,
    and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.
Then Israel will drive out
    those who drove her out,”
says the Lord.
“Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed!
    Cry out, you inhabitants of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and mourn;
    rush here and there inside the walls,
for Molek will go into exile,
    together with his priests and officials.
Why do you boast of your valleys,
    boast of your valleys so fruitful?
Unfaithful Daughter Ammon,
    you trust in your riches and say,
    ‘Who will attack me?’
I will bring terror on you
    from all those around you,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
“Every one of you will be driven away,
    and no one will gather the fugitives.
“Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites,”
declares the Lord.
Concerning Edom:
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
    Has counsel perished from the prudent?
    Has their wisdom decayed?
Turn and flee, hide in deep caves,
    you who live in Dedan,
for I will bring disaster on Esau
    at the time when I punish him.
If grape pickers came to you,
    would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
    would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
But I will strip Esau bare;
    I will uncover his hiding places,
    so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
    also his allies and neighbors,
    so there is no one to say,
‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive.
    Your widows too can depend on me.’”
This is what the Lord says: “If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it. I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and a curse, an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever.”
I have heard a message from the Lord;
    an envoy was sent to the nations to say,
“Assemble yourselves to attack it!
    Rise up for battle!”
“Now I will make you small among the nations,
    despised by mankind.
The terror you inspire
    and the pride of your heart have deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks,
    who occupy the heights of the hill.
Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s,
    from there I will bring you down,”
declares the Lord.
“Edom will become an object of horror;
    all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff
    because of all its wounds.
As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown,
    along with their neighboring towns,”
says the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.
“Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Edom from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”
Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Edom,
    what he has purposed against those who live in Teman:
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble;
    their cry will resound to the Red Sea.
Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down,
    spreading its wings over Bozrah.
In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors
    will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Concerning Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad are dismayed,
    for they have heard bad news.
They are disheartened,
    troubled like the restless sea.
Damascus has become feeble,
    she has turned to flee
    and panic has gripped her;
anguish and pain have seized her,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.
Why has the city of renown not been abandoned,
    the town in which I delight?
Surely, her young men will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus;
    it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”
Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, and attack Kedar
    and destroy the people of the East.
Their tents and their flocks will be taken;
    their shelters will be carried off
    with all their goods and camels.
People will shout to them,
    ‘Terror on every side!’
“Flee quickly away!
    Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,”
declares the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you;
    he has devised a plan against you.
“Arise and attack a nation at ease,
    which lives in confidence,”
declares the Lord,
“a nation that has neither gates nor bars;
    its people live far from danger.
Their camels will become plunder,
    and their large herds will be spoils of war.
I will scatter to the winds those who are in distant places
    and will bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
“Hazor will become a haunt of jackals,
    a desolate place forever.
No one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.”
This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:
This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will break the bow of Elam,
    the mainstay of their might.
I will bring against Elam the four winds
    from the four quarters of heaven;
I will scatter them to the four winds,
    and there will not be a nation
    where Elam’s exiles do not go.
I will shatter Elam before their foes,
    before those who want to kill them;
I will bring disaster on them,
    even my fierce anger,”
declares the Lord.
“I will pursue them with the sword
    until I have made an end of them.
I will set my throne in Elam
    and destroy her king and officials,”
declares the Lord.
“Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam
    in days to come,”
declares the Lord.

• Jeremiah 49:1-39

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Jeremiah 46-51 ‘The Prophecies against the Gentiles’: “In chapters 46-51, Jeremiah spells out prophesies against the surrounding Gentile nations. A good number of these prophecies were fulfilled in the course of the history following Jeremiah; however, there are other prophecies that speak of a future judgment against these nations, and it is this future portion of the prophecies with which we will be concerned in this section.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 48 ‘The Moabites’: ”The Moabites were descendants of Lot (Gen. 19:20—38) and, along with the Ammonites, the enemies of the Jews. During the Babylonian crisis, however, both Moab and Ammon allied themselves with Judah in an ill-fated attempt to defeat Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 27:3). Over twenty different places are named in Jeremiah 48, some of which we can’t identify with certainty, but the list shows how detailed God can be when He wants to predict future events.
“Like the Moabites, the Ammonites were the product of Lot’s incestuous union with one of his daughters (Gen. 19:20-38) and the enemies of the Jews.”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 48 ‘Moab’: “Moab is present-day central Jordan. Jeremiah 48:1-46 describes a divine judgment upon Moab that results in a partial destruction but also results in the people coming to faith. Then, in verse 47, God promises to restore the fortunes of Moab. This means there will be a saved nation called Moab in the messianic kingdom.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 48:1 ‘Against Moab’: “Various sites of unknown location in Moab are to be destroyed (vv. 1-5). The judgment is framed in similar words, or even some of the same words, as in other prophetic passages (Is. 15:1-9; 16:6-14; 25:10-12; Ezek. 25:8-11; Amos 2:1-3; Zeph. 2:8-11). Desolation overtook different parts of Moab at various times, but Babylon in 588-586 B.C. or 582-581 B.C. is likely the main destroyer (cf. 48:40). The Moabites were Lot’s descendants (cf. Gen. 19:37), who lived east of the Dead Sea and often fought with Israel.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 48:10 ‘Cursed is he’: “God’s desire to judge Moab was so intense that He pronounced a curse on whatever instrument (army) He would use if they should carry it out ‘deceitfully,’ i.e., ‘carelessly,’ or ‘with slackness,’ or ‘being remiss’ (Prov. 10:4; cf. 12:24).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Jeremiah 48:25 ‘horn … cut off’: “An example of the OT use of horn as a symbol of military power, as an animal uses horns to hook, gouge, or ram. Moab is to be dehorned.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 48:47 ‘I will bring back’: “God will allow a remnant of Moab to return to the land (cf. 12:14-17; 46:26; 48:47; 49:6, 39), through their descendants in the messianic era (‘the latter days’).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 49:1-6 ‘Ammon’: “Ammon comprises northern Jordan. The prophecy here is similar to that against Moab in that verses 1-5 speak of a judgment that causes partial destruction and results in the survivors coming to faith. In verse 6, God promises the restoration of Ammon, and there will be a saved nation called Ammon in the messianic kingdom.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 49:6 ‘I will bring back’: “As with Moab (cf. 48:47; see note there), God promised that captives would have an opportunity to return. This was partially fulfilled under Cyrus, but will be more complete in the coming kingdom of Messiah.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 49:7-22 ‘Edom’: “The future of Edom or southern Jordan is quite different from the future of the aforementioned nations. In keeping with other prophecies about Edom, the picture is that of total destruction—to the point that Esau has no descendants left in Edom whatsoever. Edom is in the well-protected rugged mountains of Mount Seir, nevertheless, in spite of her strong defenses, she will fall. By the time the judgment has run its course, there will be no Edomites left anywhere. Thus, there will be no country called Edom in the messianic kingdom.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 49:8 ‘Esau’: “He was cursed for his godlessness and his punishment was perpetuated in his descendants (cf. Heb. 12:11, 17).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 49:12 ‘those … not to drink … have … drunk’: “This refers to the Jews who had a covenant relation to God. See what will happen to a nation that has no such pledge (v. 13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 49:23-27 ‘Damascus’: ”The prophet Isaiah condemned Damascus, the capital of Syria (Isa. 17). Amos accused the Syrians of treating the people of Gilead like grain on a threshing floor (Amos 1:3-5). God would judge them For their inhumanity and brutality to His people.
“According to Jeremiah, hearing the news of the approaching Babylonian army, the people of Damascus would become as troubled as the restless sea, as weak and shaky as a sick patient, and as full of pain as a woman in travail (Jer. 49:23-24). They would abandon their ancient cities and try to escape, but their best young men would be killed in the streets and their fortress would be burned to the ground.
“As you studied these chapters, perhaps you became weary of reading the same message: Judgment is coming and there’s no escape. There’s a sameness about what God said about these nine nations, and if we aren’t careful, that sameness can produce ‘tameness’ and cause us to lose o heart sensitive to the Lord’s message.
“Keep in mind, however, that these prophecies were written about real men, women, and children, and that what Jeremiah wrote actually came true. Whole civilizations were wiped out because of their sins, and eventually Babylon itself was destroyed. This means that multitudes of people died and went into an eternity of darkness.
“God sees what the nations do, and He rewards them justly.
“God never gave the law of Moses to any of the nations that Jeremiah addressed, but He still held them accountable for the sins they committed against Him and against humanity. Because of the witness of creation around them and conscience within them, they were without excuse (Rom. 1:17-32, especially v. 20) and guilty before God.”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 49:25 ‘city of praise … My joy’: “This could also be translated, ‘the city of renown,’ famous because of its location in a spacious oasis and its trade, as in Ezekiel 27:18.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 49:28-33 ‘Kedar and Hazor’: “Ancient Kedar and Hazor, two Arab tribes located in what is now Saudi Arabia, are prophesied to be totally destroyed with no inhabitants left. Their lands will remain desolate throughout the messianic kingdom, with no restoration to take place.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 49:34-39 ‘Elam’: “Elam is an area now known as Iran. That which is true of Egypt, Ammon, and Moab will also be true of Elam. There will be a partial destruction (verses 34-38) that will result in the survivors coming to faith and will lead to the restoration of Elam in ‘the last days’ (verse 39). Thus, there will be a saved nation called Elam in the messianic kingdom.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 49:39 ‘I will bring back’: “As with certain other peoples in this region of nations, God would allow Elamites to return to their homeland. In Acts 2:9, Elamites were among the group present at the Pentecost event. This has eschatological implications as well.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

 

My Thoughts

First, we must look at who these neighbors are.  Jeremiah is not the only prophet to give curses of Judah’s or Israel’s neighbors.  Isaiah does.  Amos does.  In fact Amos curses all the surrounding nations and right when the northern kingdom is about to celebrate, he leaves their curse for last.  The entire book of Jeremiah is the Lord warning Judah of the impending curses, but they never repent, even punishing Jeremiah for saying such things.

But of these neighbors, Moab descended from an incestuous relation between Lot and one of his daughters.  The other daughter produced the ancestor of the Ammonites, again with incest with her father.  Oddly, compared to these curses even mentioning Sodom and Gomorrah, those acts of incest occurred just after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed.  Now something equal or worse will happen to them.

Edom was the land that descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother.  Where Moab and Ammon were distant cousins, the Edomites were closer relatives.

All these three are cursed here for defying the Lord, false god worship, and being in enmity with the Chosen people.  God told the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites.  That did not include these three nations.  But since they defied the Lord, as it says in the curse of Edom, who are they to avoid the punishment for their sins.

Note: They were not given the Law of Moses, but from the proof of Creation and the conscience within each of us, none has an excuse (Romans 1, as mentioned by a few of the scholarly comments).  Even more is God’s wrath toward those that had the Law.

Elam is basically present day Iran.  It says that the remnant will be scattered.  I have known many people who call themselves Persians not claiming any connection with the present country of Iran.

Damascus is mentioned, now the capitol of Syria.  The other two towns of Kedar and Hazor were in the area of Saudi Arabia.

Of all these nations being cursed, Moab, Ammon, and Elam will have a remnant preserved, even returning the fortunes to them, probably in the millennium reign.  Nothing is said about the cities of Damascus, Kedar and Hazor.  Maybe Damascus will be removed during the last days.

But it is striking that God does not promise a remnant, nor returning of fortunes to Edom.

Esau married local women and worshipped their gods.  He showed no respect for his birthright, giving it away for some porridge, some immediate gratification.  And the sins of the father do not pass on to the son unless the son does even worse in the eyes of the Lord.  Esau was a descendant of Abraham, but Esau is not listed as part of the promise.  There must be a humble heart that is contrite and repents.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

“Jeremiah 48: 1. Are there any longstanding feuds in your family? What issues do relatives fight over? What punishments do they exact? Why is it so easy for family members to be so hard on each other?
“2. Why does God condemn pride and arrogance so severely? What is evil about them? Where do they turn up in your life?
“3. The Moabites no longer exist as a national group. What do you make of God’s promise to ‘restore their fortunes’?
“4. Does seeing and hearing about disasters from the media affect you anymore? What is the effect of broadcasting disaster after disaster every day? How can you keep from being hardened to the suffering of others in the world?
“5. Have you ever had the ‘last laugh’ on a boss? Parent? Schoolyard bully? How did it feel? Has anyone had the last laugh on you? ls there ever a ‘last laugh’?
“Jeremiah 49:1 6 A Message about Ammon 1. Ammon enjoyed the ‘fruits’ of land that belonged to someone else. Of which countries is that true today? is it true of this country?
“2. Do you benefit from cheap land and labor in another country? What can you do to make the distribution of goods more equitable? Can the group help?
“Jeremiah 49:7 22 A Message about Edom 1. Have you ever been afraid of God? When and why? What does it mean to ‘fear God’ in the way Jeremiah advises?
“2. The flip side of every virtue is a vice, and so it was with Edom’s wisdom. How can intellect hinder spiritual growth? How can it help? What is the role of intelligence in your spiritual life?
“3. Of the ‘orphans and widows’ in your world, for whom can you be an instrument of God’s mercy?
“4. What ‘eagles nest’ (fortress mentality) have you built to feel secure in your private world? How secure are you, really? How has God broken through that to bring you to himself?
“Jeremiah 49:23-27 A Message about Damascus 1. What is the source of trouble in your life: (a) God punishing you for sin? (b) You reap what you sow? (c) Rain falls on the just and the unjust? (d) The devil made you do it?
“2. Has the group helped you in time of crisis? How so?
“Jeremiah 49:28-33 A Message about Kedar and Hazor 1. Are roots important to you? Do you consider yourself ‘settled down’, or do you tend to ‘move on’? Why?
“2. Do you feel you have arrived or are ‘at ease’ spiritually? Where are you now compared to where you used to be? ls there the need to move on to new places, spiritually? Where to?
“3. How do you feel when a large, powerful nation attacks a smaller one? Name a recent example. Should a nation ever attack another, even one of similar size and stature?
“Jeremiah 49:34-39 A Message about Elam 1. What is your ‘claim to fame’? How would life look if God took that away from you?
“2. Did these nations ever hear Jeremiah’s prophecies? For whose benefit were they intended?
“3. Do you learn from the hardships of others? What lesson did you pick up recently?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Jeremiah 48 has a set of questions.  Jeremiah 49 has five sets of question as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.