The beginning of a new section: Prophesies to the nations. First up, Egypt.
In the Introduction to the book of Jeremiah in my Ryrie Study Bible, the outline breaks the book into 4 unequal sections.
- Section 1 is Chapter 1 and Jeremiah's calling.
- Section 2 is Chapters 2-45 and related to Judah from the warnings, through the judgement, and even what happens to the remnant who were not carted off to Babylon.
- Section 3 starts in this chapter and extends through Chapter 51, covering God's prophesies for all of the other nations surrounding Judah's history.
- Section 4 is just the last chapter—52.
I just wanted to review that framework because I think it gives some scaffolding for this subject change.
Today's chapter, 46, covers the prophesies against Egypt.
It opens referring back to the 4th year of Jehoiamkim's reign over Judah. In that year, Nebuchadnezzar defeated King Neco, Pharaoh of Egypt. This was in 605 BC. This tipped the balance of power to Babylon in their surge through the region.
This is the word of the Lord for Egypt at that time, via Jeremiah:
- Get ready for battle.
- Prepare your horses, helmets, armor, spears.
- The men are terrified and defeated.
- No one is going to escape. Your mighty men will fall.
- Egypt think it will rise, but Babylon is coming like the rising Nile river.
- Send your mercenaries ahead, it's not going to end well.
There's no summarizing this next verse, verse 10. Here it is:
For 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.
The Judge has spoken and the sentence is severe.
Verse 11 includes the ancient saying, "Go up to Gilead and obtain balm." We see this a few times in the Old Testament, but here it means...do what you got to do to try and make yourself feel better; but there is no healing for you. Yikes.
Verse 12 adds insult to injury. The whole world sees your shame and hears your cries as your soldier stumble over each other...
Starting with verse 13 the lord narrow the focus of the prophesy "...about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ti smite the land of Egypt."
Smite.
Not good news.
- Go ahead and shout it out. Take your stand!
- However
- You'll find your mighty men prostrate and unable to stand.
- Because the lord has struck them down.
- They stumble and fall into one another.
- They call to retreat.
- They cry out against the Pharaoh
- God assures them a big enemy is coming and will loom over them. By appointment.
- The lord tells them to pack their bags, be ready for exile
- The land is about to be desolate.
- Egypt may be beautiful, but trouble is coming a d Egypt hasn't hardener herself for protection
- Their day of calamity and judgement has arrived and their mercenaries and gods cannot save them
The Lord makes it clear that this is a punishment, intentionally handed out through the use of Babylon and the Pharaoh and other Egyptian gods will be put to shame.
As I've often noted, Egypt is often a symbol of the world and our desire to try to get our needs met apart from God. When we try to buy or build or drink or drug or scroll or indulge in an infinite number of legal, illegal, perverted, and innocent acts to meet in our needs from the world as our source, instead of God as our source...we bring on Nebuchadnezzar and defeat. To ourselves and those who pretend they are offering safe harbor, when they are actually just advancing their own agenda.
Egypt didn't allow the remnant of Judah to take refuge out of some charitable response...they had their own agenda and they paid dearly when God handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar for their troubles. Their leader and their gods were shown for who they really were not.
Despite this age-old pattern of running to the world to get our needs met, we find God eternally faithful and loving. After this severe prophesy to Egypt, he ends this message not to Egypt, but to His people. His Children. And as always, it is a message of hope:
“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.
28 Do 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.” Jeremiah 46: 27-28
It's clear that the father is disappointed. There is a punishment for the terrible unfaithfulness displayed by that final remnant. Openly relying on the idols of the wives...on the run to the world, to Egypt, to save them. But also a promise from the Father that He is, even amid this betrayal, WITH THEM. That's just shocking. Reassuring them. giving them hope for the future amid the storm.
I take particular comfort in my Good, Good Father from this passage. Our life has been a pretty disruptive storm of late. And God was with us and God protected us, provided for us, and supported us in physical and spiritual ways. I was and am so grateful.
However, I can also see that in the turmoil of the moment, in the stress and strain, there were moments when I reverted back to worldly sources for comfort and getting my "needs" met. Food, the white noise of social media, and other distractions. I also gave up on some real self-care that would have been more helpful—such as exercise and some of my spiritual disciplines.
I'm grateful that I can see the sanctification of the Holy Spirit in me that I didn't completely run off and join the circus or make even worse choices. That a blessing for which I am deeply grateful. I can also see the runway God provided in advance to minimize the damage I could have done to myself.
But, I can also see the moments I clinched down in the storm and tried to turn off my brain to survive. It's a bit disappointing to find even patches and band aids from Egypt in my choices.
God alone is my provider and defender. He uses His creation to provide and protect; but it's not mine to demand and to take as I see fit.
I want to repent of all of my bad choices in the storm and commit to continue the sanctification process.
Thank you, Jesus Christ my Savior, for making The Way for this to be possible.
To God be the Glory.
Amen.