Day 235 (Jeremiah 49-50) - Year 4
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap.

Today we read about God's judgment on several more enemy nations and cities. We probably won't remember all of them, and some you may not even recognize. That's okay. Chapter 49 is like a destruction charcuterie board. It's got a lot going on. We start out with Amman, as in the Ammonites. If you're familiar with the modern-day city of Amman, Jordan, then you have an idea of where these people are located.

They're Israel's neighbors to the east. God says he will drive them out of their land, but, like we saw with Moab yesterday, he also promises that they will experience restoration afterward. And I'll be honest, I have no idea why. I read 11 commentaries about this and none of them gave a reason for it. Mostly they either said, oh hey, he did that for Moab too, or they basically said, wow, God is merciful to his enemies, so maybe this is just to display his mercy? Who knows?

Then we move on to judgment against Edom. These people are the descendants of Esau. You may recall that Esau is the older twin brother of Jacob Israel, who was the father of the twelve tribes. Esau and Jacob Israel have been enemies since they were in the womb together. God promises judgment and destruction for the Edomites too, but he adds an interesting caveat in verse 11. He says he will be the one to take care of their orphans and widows.

In verse 12, there's a prophecy that could have two layers. It says, If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, will you go unpunished? At the time, this meant that there were people who suffered through the effects of God's judgment who had been faithful to him. The remnant of Israel still had to be driven out of their land as a result of the sins of those who were destroyed. Sin has consequences that reach far beyond just the person who is disobedient. No one sins in a vacuum.

So God is basically saying to them, look, if the remnant of my people have had to endure exile and destruction because of sin and rebellion, then you're definitely not getting off the hook because you're not even my people. The second potential layer of prophecy is that this could be pointing to Christ. He had to drink the cup he didn't deserve to drink. Three times he asked the Father if there was any other way, and three times the Father said no.

Jesus drank the cup of the Father's wrath toward the sins of his people. He paid for those sins. But these people who don't know God are having to pay for their own sins. He says his cup is filled to the brim for them. Next up is Damascus, a city in modern-day Syria, which is north of Israel. He promises to burn it with fire.

I also think it's interesting that the phrases God associates with his enemies and their circumstances are the opposite of what he associates with his kids. God's people will not be afraid because he's with him. But for his enemies, he says things like, They melt in fear. They are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet. Panic seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her.

While God's people experience his presence to bless, his enemies don't experience his absence. They experience his presence to judge. Then we have Qadar and Hazor, both of which are cities in northern Arabia. I had to look these up. They've managed to avoid a lot of the drama other nations experienced. In fact, things are so low-key for them that they don't even have city gates. So they're probably super vulnerable, but probably don't even realize it.

And King Nebi will come in and take advantage of that, for his gain and for their destruction. Kedar and Hazor are like our friends from a small town who brag that they never have to lock their doors unlike you big city folks, but then they get robbed.

Our last judgment in chapter 49 is on Elam. And once again, they're an enemy nation he promises to restore. And once again, I have no idea why. From my vantage point, it seems to be arbitrary. But from God's vantage point, perhaps he's just choosing who he wants to be merciful to. Jesus said something kind of like this in Matthew 5 45. He said, the rain falls on the just and on the unjust. In modern language, that sounds like he's saying bad things happen to everyone. But

But in ancient language, rain was a blessing. So Jesus was actually saying that God sends out some of his blessings on all mankind, like common grace. And nations like Ammon and Elam get caught up in the current of his kindness. Then we move to the judgment of Babylon in chapter 50.

After God uses Babylon to punish Israel and Judah, then he judges Babylon and lays it to waste. He says it will be the last of the nations, which kind of sounds like it will be the final survivor, but what that actually means is that it will be the least prominent in position. It will be the bottom tier.

When God destroys Babylon, it will also end the captivity of his people who were there. How very efficient. Then the remnant from among Israel and Judah will return to Zion with hearts that love God and that remember and rejoice in the everlasting covenant he made with them.

What was your God shot from today's reading? Mine was in 5020. It says, In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found. For I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant. This says a lot more about God than it does about people. God isn't saying his people will be sinless. He's saying that their sins will be pardoned.

The very act of pardoning suggests that there has been sin. God's people do sin. But when God looks at his kids, he doesn't point to our sin. He points to our righteousness, which is, as we know, the righteousness of Christ. Christ's death on the cross made atonement for our sins. And because he paid the penalty, we receive the pardon. He's where the righteousness is, and he's where the joy is. ♪

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