Day 233. Jeremiah 46-48

This portion of the Book of Jeremiah was not written or compiled by either Jeremiah or Baruch, but a disciple of his school. These oracles against the nations may have been composed in part by Jeremiah—or they may be simply delivered by another nameless prophet in the spirit of Jeremiah. We just don't know. But written in the Babylonian period, they repeatedly assert that nations rise, shine and then perish and are reduce to dust, but it is the LORD who guides the course of history and speaks through history.
One of history's landmark battles was fought at Carchemish on the banks of the Euphrates River in 605 B.C., where Babylonian forces under King Nebuchadrezzar delivered a resounding defeat to the Egyptian army under Pharaoh Neco. It was a crucial battle, establishing Babylon as the dominant force in the region and Egypt as a paper tiger. But the prophet has another interpretation. "That day," he writes of Carchemish, was "the day of the LORD of hosts, a day of retribution, to gain vindication from his foes"(46:10). The LORD used his servant King Nebuchadrezzar to defeat the many gods of Egypt—Apis, the bull form in which the god Osiris revealed himself (46:15), Amon-Re of Thebes, the chief god of Egypt, and Pharaoh himself, who styled himself a god in human form(46:25). But at the same time he defeats and humiliates the Egyptian gods, the LORD promises to save Israel "from the land of their captivity" (46:27)—and eventually "make an
end of all the nations among which [he has] …banished them" (46:28)—Babylon as well as Egypt.
The Philistines, traditional enemies of Israel whose city-states occupied the coastal plain of Palestine, will also be overwhelmed—"See, waters are rising out of the north, and shall become an overflowing torrent; they shall overflow the land and all that fills it, the city and those who live in it" (47:2). This torrent will be the conquering armies of Babylon, but it is "the sword of the LORD" that will destroy the arrogant Philistines. "Baldness," silence, and gashing themselves are references to pagan practices surrounding mourning (47:5)—in this case mourning for the Philistine cities, destroyed by the power of the LORD through the agency of Babylon. It is another case of God using history to settle old scores.
The nation of Moab, which bordered Israel on the south and east in the direction of the Dead Sea, will also be destroyed by the rising power of Babylon, the prophet foretells. Moab had always maintained a smoldering relationship with the Israelite nation, and tension often broke out into open hostility. The Moabites often ridiculed the kings in Jerusalem, but now their laughter is silenced. "'Moab is destroyed!' her little ones cry out" (48:4). This destruction may appear to be the work of a foreign army, but it is the LORD's hand that accomplishes it. And he demands that it be done in a yeomanly fashion—"Accursed is the one who is slack in doing the work of the LORD; and accursed is the one who keeps back the sword from bloodshed" (48:10), our text says.
God the warrior is making war on the false gods of that nation. "I will bring to an end in Moab, says the LORD, those who offer sacrifice at a high place and make offerings to their gods" (48:35). Those who worship idols are rebels against the true God. Therefore, God passes judgment on the traitor nation--"Moab shall be destroyed as a people because he magnified himself against the LORD" (48:42). It is because of their pride and apostasy that they are taken into captivity just like God's people have been. Yet there is hope even for these traditional enemies of the chosen people—they also will be chosen. "I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days," (48:47), the LORD proclaims. On "that day" mercy will be extended to the suffering people of Moab, and they will experience the same restoration as Israel and Judah.