Introduction In the opening chapter the Lord spoke to Jeremiah and said, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:6). In these final chapters (46-51) the Lord prophesies about the future of foreign nations. Jeremiah s ministry has stretched out 40 years. What value is there in examining the prophecies to these ancient nations that surrounded Israel and Judah? God is in charge. God is sovereign. God is the God of the nations. God raises up one nation and lays down the other. Over and over again we read in God s Word about His plans and His purposes. Over and over we read God says I will or I will not. Does God order the course of nations? Is God really controlling everything? Egypt s Two Prophecies A.T. Pierson used to say history is His story. God judged Egypt in the past when he delivered the children of Israel from bondage. Now we are given another glimpse of Egypt s future in the famous battle of Carchemish and the invasion of Egypt. The Lord has a message for Egypt. The Lord has determined to judge Egypt for pride, brutality and idolatry (see The Preacher s Outline and Sermon Bible p. 159). What can we learn from these ancient prophecies? If God judged the nations in the past for pride, brutality and idolatry--doesn t it make sense He will do so in the future? Pride and violence invite judgment. Idolatry and misplaced loyalty invites judgment. We can believe the promises of God. We can believe the promises about the Messiah and the Messiah s coming Kingdom! The First Prophecy (vv.2-12) Jeremiah 46:1 12 (NKJV) 1The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations. In this final section (chapters 46-51) Jeremiah will prophecy against the nations of Egypt, Moab, Philistia, Ammon, Edom, Kedar and Hazor. We are given a glimpse into the future of Damascus and of course Babylon. 1
2Against Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: Pharaoh Necho headed north to assist the armies of Assyria against Babylon. He was stopped briefly at the Valley of Megiddo by King Josiah. But Josiah was tragically killed in that battle (609 B.C.). The people of Judah installed Jehoahaz as King--but Necho--deposed him and made Jehoikim ruler (see 2 Kings 23:29-34; 2 Chron. 35:20-36:4). The power of Egypt had started to decline. Necho was defeated at the Battle of Carchemish (Fort Chemosh) in 605 B.C.--in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim. Necho (or Neco) was the second ruler of the 26th Dynasty--(609-593 B.C.). The defeat signaled the end of Egypt s power and now Babylon rose to the position of power and supremacy in the Ancient Middle East. Archeology (indicates the city was destroyed about 600 B.C.) modern site--jerabis or Jerablus. Egypt s Pride and Panic and Punishment (vv.3-26) 3 Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle! The troops are called to battle Forward--close combat. 4Harness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor! Jeremiah describes the soldiers who prepare for war. Prepare the infantry--prepare the calvary. Harness the horses (to the chariots)--helmets were rarely worn except for ceremony or battle. 5Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty ones are beaten down; They have speedily fled, And did not look back, For fear was all around, says the Lord. 6 Do not let the swift flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; They will stumble and fall Toward the north, by the River Euphrates. 2
7 Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers? 8Egypt rises up like a flood, And its waters move like the rivers; And he says, I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants. Again as the army of Egypt approaches the Battlefield they look like a swollen river. The military leaders--the officers in charge are very confident-- I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants. The Egyptian s army looks like the mouth of a swollen river--like the Nile. Egypt thought of her army like the irresistible flood waters of the Nile--swallowing her enemies like the roaring river that floods its embankments. The Generals order the attack--but the troops are defeated, scattered, panic stricken. 9Come up, O horses, and rage, O chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: The Ethiopians and the Libyans who handle the shield, And the Lydians who handle and bend the bow. (Cush--Ethiopia--Put--Libya--Lydia NW Africa?) The Egyptian army is composed of mercenary fighters. Hired guns--ethiopians and Libyans-- Lydia (N.W. Africa?) who bend the bow--archers. The Egyptian army is eager to fight and highly skilled. Wiersbe writes; But the Lord had determined that Egypt would lose the battle (p.165). 10For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, A day of vengeance, That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; For the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice In the north country by the River Euphrates. What does it mean For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts? It is a holy day--a divine appointment--a day of Judgment for Egypt. A day of vengeance. Why? Egypt is being punished. Why? The reason given-- That He (God) may avenge Himself on His adversaries. Egypt was against God and God s plans for His people. The image is of a person offering a sacrifice--and in this instance the sacrifice is the Army of Egypt. 11 Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured. 3
Gilead and its balm were famous for medicines. The Lord describes Egypt s loses and wounds as incurable and her shame inevitable. 12The nations have heard of your shame, And your cry has filled the land; For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; They both have fallen together. The Lord resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. The Lord resists arrogance and selfexaltation. The Lord opposes those who act with brutality and violence. God resists oppressors. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and the he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (Matt. 23:12). But he gives more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but gives grace unto the humble (James 4:6). The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor; let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined (Psalm 10:2). These six things doth the Lord hate; yea seven are an abomination unto him; a proud look, a lying tongue,and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among the brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19). See Romans 3:10-18. We are warned about idolatry, and misplaced trust. The Second Prophecy (vv.13-28) Jeremiah 46:13 26 (NKJV) 13The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt. 14 Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say, Stand fast and prepare yourselves, For the sword devours all around you. 15Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand Because the Lord drove them away. (why has Apis fled?) 16He made many fall; Yes, one fell upon another. And they said, Arise! Let us go back to our own people And to the land of our nativity From the oppressing sword. 4
Jeremiah paints a picture of a battle--where the Egyptian army stands fast--but the Babylonian army just keeps coming--until the Babylonians sweep over them. Before long--not only does the mercenary army begin to crumble, they fall--and they begin to fall over each other in their haste to escape. The mercenaries cry; Arise! Let us go back to our own people --lets get of here and go home! In other words--mass desertions. 17They cried there, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time! The Babylonians accuse Pharaoh of being a big mouth, a loud mouth, all talk and no action. All hat--and no ranch. We use the expression full of hot air. 18 As I live, says the King, Whose name is the Lord of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains And as Carmel by the sea, so he shall come. 19O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, Prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant. 20 Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north. Now Jeremiah will use several images to describe Egypt; a very pretty heifer (think fat cow); but this may have something to do with Apis (the bull god); the soldiers in Pharaoh s armies are like fatted calves that stampede (v.21); they flee like hissing serpents (v.22); and before the Babylonian army they are like trees ready to be chopped down (v.23). The invading army is like a swarm of locusts that cannot be avoided and tragically, Egypt is like a young helpless woman-- violated --unable to escape (v.24). 21Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, For they also are turned back, They have fled away together. They did not stand, For the day of their calamity had come upon them, The time of their punishment. 22Her noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood. 23 They shall cut down her forest, says the Lord, Though it cannot be searched, Because they are innumerable, And more numerous than grasshoppers. 24The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She shall be delivered into the hand Of the people of the north. 5
25The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says: Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings Pharaoh and those who trust in him. Amon (the hidden one)--the local deity of Thebes--or No--the capital city of upper Egypt? In Midde Egypt--the deity was also known as Ra--and under the name Amon-Ra. What does this punishment mean? It means that the gods of Egypt have failed to rescue, failed to deliver. In the ancient world the Babylonians were tempted to think that the gods of Babylon were stronger than the gods of Egypt. The Lord asserts that He is stronger than both the gods of Babylon and Egypt--as a matter of fact--those nations deities were worthless, helpless, useless. Jeremiah asserts that Nebuchadnezzar won and Pharaoh Necho lost because of God s decree. 26And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old, says the Lord. But there is a word of hope--a window of opportunity. Egypt will be restored. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old says the Lord. A restoration will take place. The Lord will also promise restoration for Moab (48:47); Ammon (49:6) and Elam (v.39). A Future Promise For Israel (vv.27-28) Jeremiah 46:27 28 (NKJV) 27 But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid. The Lord brings a message of comfort and hope. The nation of Egypt is being judged. But the descendants of Jacob were not to be dismayed. Yes God was bring judgment on the nations--but God s judgment on the nations did not mean God s promises to Israel were null and void. 28Do not fear, O Jacob My servant, says the Lord, For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished. 6
A band of Jews had made their way into Egypt. They did not belong there. God warned them not to go there. The Babylonian invasion of Egypt would have profound and severe consequences for the refugees in Egypt. Remember the captives in Babylon. They would wonder whether or not anything or anyone could stop Babylon. They may have even wondered whether Jeremiah s promise that the captivity would last 70 years was true! Would they ever be released? Would there ever be an end to their discipline and punishment? But s God s promises are true. The Lord says, I will save you. I will rightly correct you. For I will not leave you wholly unpunished. The Lord says, the nations will be punished. Nations will come and nations will go--but the promises of God toward His people Israel remain intact. Twice the Lord repeats the admonition, Don t be afraid. Will the nations of this world truly be destroyed? See Jeremiah 23:5-8 Conclusion 7