Jeremiah 49:1-39 – God’s Fury

Read Jeremiah 49:1-39

We see five individual prophecies of doom in today’s reading. Each recipient of God’s wrath has a little different story, but what they share in common is proximity to Israel and Judah. Why do you think we need to see how God is going to deal with other nations?

It’s helpful to know God is fighting for those he loves. Sometimes it means he has to take control of those around us who are causing us harm or poised to do so. We don’t have to seek revenge. God does the heavy lifting for us. Here’s a little of what I took note of in my reflection of the text and research of who these nations were.

Jeremiah 48:1-47 – Why Does God Care About Moab?

Read Jeremiah 48:1-47

I hope you didn’t scroll right past the last verse. Almost like an afterthought, the author closes this prophecy with a trickle of hope. Because that was such a long and emotionally draining reading, I’d like to keep the focus on hope. There are plenty of very devastating things promised for the Moabites.

Clearly God was angered by the people of Moab. They ridiculed God’s precious Israelites, they were full of pride and arrogance, they offered sacrifices and burnt incense to other gods, and they boasted against the Lord. How can God forgive those acts of disrespect?

Jeremiah 47:1-7 – What is God’s Purpose?

Read Jeremiah 47:1-7

man in overalls with his back facing us and the word WHY? written in a thought bubble above his head, blue sky in the background

The Philistines had always been a rival to the Israelites. Now, they, too, were caught in between the powers of Babylon and Egypt. The exact date of Egypt’s attack spoken of here is not known, but it’s clear God was going to destroy the Philistines, too. I was curious to note that the prophecy’s destruction seemed to be from the north whereas Egypt is on the southern border of the region.

Scholars have looked at how God’s prophecies speak of a major transformation in world power. We can’t help but ask what was God’s purpose in all of this? Wasn’t he simply angry at his own people for falling away and refusing to listen to him? No reason was given as to why the Philistines would suffer in this manner.

Jeremiah 46:1-28 – All Part of God’s Plan

Read Jeremiah 46:1-28

To the political world as well, including nations surrounding Israel, God has spoken. Today’s passage is devoted to Egypt. We can’t help but pay special attention to that nation’s fate since that’s the last place we know Jeremiah to have been. However, the destruction Jeremiah prophesies about here was fulfilled years before Jeremiah arrived.

When I first read through this, I thought this prophecy was the exact thing Jeremiah was now walking into. I had marveled at how surreal that would have been. We already encountered the fact the chapters in the book of Jeremiah aren’t in chronological order.

Jeremiah 45:1-5 – God’s Promises

Read Jeremiah 45:1-5

We first met Baruch in Chapter 36 when Jeremiah called for him to be the scribe to write down all of God’s messages. We also know that he and Jeremiah were both taken to Egypt, most probably against their wishes. Both Jeremiah and Baruch seemed to be in touch with God’s view of the situation, wanting to be obedient to the one true God.

Having received this message from the Lord long before the trek to Egypt would suggest multiple applications. Baruch, and possibly Jeremiah, would have had a shimmer of hope as they were facing a new life in Egypt (from our last reading). This promise probably also sustained Baruch when he spoke in Jeremiah’s place. God protected them then as well. I don’t think God’s promises have expiration dates.