Judgments, Judgments, and More Judgments (Jeremiah 48-49)

Written by Heather Zempel | March 18, 2010 | Jeremiah 47 - 49

After pages of prophecy concerning Judah’s discipline and exile for idolatry, Jeremiah now turns his attention to the other nations of the world- the Philistines, the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. Today’s reading is an example of the importance of reading the Bible cover to cover because these chapters would never be turned to for a quick personal daily devotional thought, encouraging word for the day, or tip for living our best life now. This is really difficult stuff to read without a clear application to our lives today. And yet if all Scripture is inspired and useful, as 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, then these passages are here for a reason, and a global understanding of the story of the Bible is helpful in that discovery process. Here are a few global takeaways:

1. God is in control. These judgments on other nations demonstrate that God is ultimately in control. While he will discipline his own people using these nations, their own idolatry and sinfulness will eventually be disciplined by God, as well. These chapters point to God’s sovereignty. No matter what we experience or how wrong things seem with the world, we must remember that God is in control.
2. God is just. We live in an evil world, marred and motivated by sinfulness. While evil may be allowed to persist, God will execute justice. These nations are judged for idolatry, for self-sufficiency, greed, and for unjustly taking land and resources from other nations. This should give us pause and motivation to reflect on our own idolatry and how our greed may be promoting unjust labor practices for other people.
3. God is merciful. At the end of many of these passages, God’s mercy is promised. The fortunes of the Moabites will be restored (Jeremiah 48:47), the fortunes of the Ammonites will be restored (Jeremiah 49:6), and the fortunes of the Elamites will be restored (Jeremiah 49:39). The widows and orphans of Edom would be spared judgment (Jeremiah 49:11). In Acts 2:7-9, we learn that some of the Elamites were present at Pentecost, heard the Gospel, and likely returned home and started a Christian community in their region.

And just for fun, it’s worth cross referencing the judgment against the Edomites in Jeremiah 49:7-22 with the book of Obadiah which contains similar warnings. The Edomites were descendants of Esau, but they did not stand with their extended family in Israel and Judah.