Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. In lots of the books of prophecy, we read about prophecies not only for Israel and Judah, but also for the enemy nations. Jeremiah is no exception. He spends the next few chapters addressing the surrounding nations directly, and we read three of those chapters today.
In chapter 46, the first country he holds accountable is Egypt. He's already told us what's coming for them, but today he tells them what's coming for them. And he does it in two separate oracles. While they're initially in a position of power, they'll be brought low. Their towns will be destroyed, their soldiers will attempt unsuccessfully to flee, and as their nation is crumbling, their leader Pharaoh will be rendered powerless. Verse 17 says he's all bark and no bite.
In verse 19, God tells the Egyptians, At the end of the chapter, God circles back around to have a chat with the Israelites who have disobeyed him and fled to Egypt.
And he's much more gentle with them than he was the last time he spoke with them about this. He starts out by reminding them, don't be afraid. And surely by now you know why they can be fearless, right? Because he is with them. Throughout scripture, the most common reason given for God's kids not to be afraid is that his presence is with them no matter what happens. If we can remember who God is and how much he loves us, then the awareness of his nearness is the antidote to fear.
God tells them a few ways he's going to handle things with them in the midst of dealing with Egypt where they're currently hiding out. He's going to offer protection and deliverance, but he's also going to bring discipline and punishment. While two of those sound awesome and two sound not so great, all four things are evidence of his love because they're things every loving father provides for his kids.
In chapter 47, we read an oracle to the Philistines, another long-standing enemy of the Israelites. When the Philistines get invaded from the north, they'll cut themselves either as an act of mourning or as a prayer to their gods. Cutting yourself was a common part of the pagan worship rituals back then. If their gods weren't doing what they asked, they would sometimes assume their god was asleep, and the way to wake up the gods was to spill their blood on the ground.
So while they're cutting themselves, Yahweh says he'll bring a sword too. But it won't be to wake up their gods. It will be to destroy them. In chapter 48, God addresses Moab. Here are a few of the things this oracle tells us about the Moabites. They've had it pretty easy. They're wealthy, they haven't experienced trials or exile, and life has generally been smooth sailing for them.
And since character is often formed through suffering, Moab doesn't have much to speak of. It has made them entitled and arrogant. They've put their hope in their strength and their wealth. But God has all the strength, and God has all the wealth. He can take it from them in a second. And he says he will, because they've exalted themselves against him. In fact, he says that last part twice. Edom magnified himself against the Lord.
Repetition in Scripture is never meaningless. It's usually, if not always, intended to emphasize a point. As a result of their arrogance, God will make them drunk on the cup of His wrath. But still, at the end of this, we see God offer up mercy and grace. Moab is a pagan nation. But in verse 47, God says, "...I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days," declares the Lord.
Moab is an enemy of Israel, but they also have some familial ties with Israel. Ruth was a Moabite, so David and Jesus both have ties to the Moabites. And it's almost certain that God offers them this unique benefit because of their connection to his people Israel. We'll continue to read more of God's judgments on enemy nations tomorrow. But as for today, what was your God shot?
Mine was in the overarching purpose of these prophecies. In book after book, God sends prophets to talk to his enemies, not just his people. If God is in relationship with his people, then why does he spend so much time repeatedly addressing others who aren't in his family? One of the purposes behind this is to display that God is sovereign over all nations and all people.
In ancient times, nations would attach themselves to specific gods, and the idea is that they were only accountable to the gods they attached themselves to, and those gods were responsible for those people. That's how they viewed things. Here's a comparison that might be helpful. As an American citizen, I'm under no obligation to abide by the laws of Canada. Their prime minister has no authority over me, so I have no responsibility to him unless I go visit his country. That's kind of how the ancient Near East treated the situation with gods.
So by talking to his enemies, Yahweh is establishing that he's a different kind of God than all the rest. He's not just sovereign over his people Israel, he's sovereign over everyone, everywhere, and all people are accountable to him, whether they worship him or not. He's unique in this way, set apart among the gods.
So then how incredible is it that our God is not just a local God? He's the universal God who is sovereign over all those lesser gods, those false gods and pagan gods and demon gods. They all answer to him and they will all bow to him. And not only is he the God of gods, but he's also your father. Your father is the sovereign God of all creation. He loves you. He's with you. And he's where the joy is.
If you've ever wanted to learn more about the mysteries of the Trinity, I have some exciting news for you. I've written a Bible study about it. It's called He's Where the Joy Is, Getting to Know the Captivating God of the Trinity. This six-week study is a great way to learn more about God and His character, and you can order your copy today. So check out the link in the show notes or head to thebiblerecap.com forward slash books.