Prophetic Voice To The Nations
Most of what remains in Jeremiah are a series of prophetic voices
intended to be delivered to a specific nation.
It is in these final chapters that we see the fulfillment to God’s
calling for Jeremiah way back in Jeremiah 1:5.
When God called Jeremiah, God called him to be a prophet to the
nations. So far in this book, we have
walked with Jeremiah as he dealt with Judah – specifically Jerusalem. Now we shall hear the voice of God as
Jeremiah speaks to the surrounding nations.
It should not surprise us that Jeremiah starts with Egypt. This is the country that started it all a
millennium prior to Jeremiah. It is now
the country to which the rebellious Hebrew people have run once again. There is no more fitting nation than Egypt to
have as a beginning.
Things Don’t Go As Planned
This prophecy is written around 605 BC. Pharaoh Necco had killed Josiah in
battle. Then, Pharaoh Necco had inspired
Jehoiakim to revolt against Babylon.
Egypt had promised help to the Hebrew people but the Egyptians were
unable to help. It is at this time that
this prophecy was penned by Jeremiah.
The opening poem is a poem of mocking. Egypt has just lost in battle to
Babylon. They have turned tail and are
fleeing back to Egypt. God asks them
where they are going. God wonders where
their arrogance and pride in their polished shields and other implements of
warfare has gone. They had been so sure
that they could protect Judah. They had
convinced Judah that they could protect them.
They had been quite wrong. God
now mocks their wisdom as they see God’s truth and run away from it.
In the end, God tells Egypt that there will be no healing for
them. There will be no salve that they
can put on their wound. There will be no
place that they can go and have a reprieve from their shame. They overextended themselves in a prideful
manner and fell. It was to their shame.
Their Fall Comes In Stages
Egypt had lost a battle in 605 BC to Babylon. But the reality is that Nebuchadnezzar won’t
come to invade Egypt until about 571 BC.
For thirty years they live with the specter of Babylon threatening to
their north. Jeremiah tells Egypt that
while it might take a while, Babylon is indeed coming for them.
The images towards the end of this second poetic section are
haunting. Jeremiah compares Egypt to a
serpent slithering away in the grass while people come with axes. What defense can a snake muster when a
numerous opponent comes with sharp axes intent upon inflicting harm? The snake can do nothing but retreat and pray
to outlast the wrath of the larger human force.
Egypt will try to outlast Babylonian power. But they won’t make it.
Jeremiah also compares Egypt’s warriors to fattened calves. Of course, fattened calves were animals that
were prepared for the slaughter. God’s
point couldn’t be clearer. When Babylon
came for Egypt, there would be much bloodshed on the side of Egypt.
Jeremiah also tells Egypt that her forests would be cut down. Trees were one of the most valuable
commodities in Egypt. They didn’t have
much access to lumber as most of their land was desert. Jeremiah is telling Egypt in no uncertain
terms that it’s most prized possessions would not be safe from the Babylonians. They would come from the north and they would
plunder the Egyptians.
In fact, the Babylonians are compared to locusts. This will not be the first time that God will
have used judgment in the form of locusts (or people compared to locusts). The Babylonians will come and their armies
will be so thick that they won’t even be able to be counted.
Hope For The Hebrew People
In the midst of this dark prophecy on Egypt, God chooses to tell a
prophetic voice to the Hebrew people.
Their destruction would not be complete.
They will be spared, although it will not be easy. In fact, the words that God uses are “their
destruction will not be complete.” This
is a very foreboding image. There will
be destruction, just not complete destruction.
It would be for this new generation of Hebrew captives as it was
with the captives who once wandered through Sinai. A generation perished wandering the
desert. But their offspring inherited
the Promised Land. So it will be for the
captives now. They were being dragged
into captivity. But the time would come
when their offspring would return to the Promised Land.
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