Year 9, Day 98: Jeremiah 46

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In this chapter, Jeremiah proclaims disaster upon Egypt.  They will experience judgment in much the same way as Jerusalem has.  Their rebellion will be punished.

There are two interesting dynamics in this chapter, however.  We continue to see the grace of God upon a people who are undeserving – not unlike all of us.  God tells Egypt that after judgment by the Babylonians the land will return to normal.  He also reminds the Hebrew people that they too will return to their land.  God is not about extinction; God is about reminding people of the truth.

The second interesting dynamic is a deeper reflection upon human nature.  In this chapter, Jeremiah compares Egypt to the flooding of the Nile.  When the Nile flooded, it was devastating.  The river didn’t creep out of its banks, it flooded the land and brought tons of rich silt that it would deposit upon the banks.  This is where the farmers in Egypt would grow their crops.  The floods were devastating, but necessary.

This is important because it teaches us about human civilization.  Nations rise and fall.  After all, can’t we see power in the Promised Land constantly cycling?  Canaanites.  Hebrews. Egyptians. Hebrews.  Assyrians.  Babylonians.  Persians.  Greeks. Romans. Muslims. Christians.  Muslims.  Nations rise and fall.  Power comes and goes.  Civilization, like the Nile, ebbs and flows.

The good news is that this means that bad times won’t last forever.  That’s the glass half full perspective.  The bad news, or glass half empty perspective, is that every cycle of greatness will be followed by a fall.  No nation, no group of people, rise and stay risen.  Only God is truly supreme.

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