Yesterday, God pronounce judgment on Moab. In this next chapter, He judges Moab’s little cousin, Ammon, along with Israel/Judah’s brother Esau/Edom, Syria, Persia and the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. The Middle East is a hotbed of wars and rumors of wars. We’ll get into the future of these wars in the Book of Ezekiel, that’s next in line. (I can’t wait! Subscribe so you don’t miss out). In the mean time, let’s see how God feels about these other pagan nations. Let’s dig in…
Jeremiah 49
A Message about Ammon
This message was given concerning the Ammonites. This is what the Lord says:
“Are there no descendants of Israel
to inherit the land of Gad?
Why are you, who worship Molech,
living in its towns?
2 In the days to come,” says the Lord,
“I will sound the battle cry against your city of Rabbah.
It will become a desolate heap of ruins,
and the neighboring towns will be burned.
Then Israel will take back the land
you took from her,” says the Lord.3 “Cry out, O Heshbon,
for the town of Ai is destroyed.
Weep, O people of Rabbah!
Put on your clothes of mourning.
Weep and wail, hiding in the hedges,
for your god Molech, with his priests and officials,
will be hauled off to distant lands.
4 You are proud of your fertile valleys,
but they will soon be ruined.
You trusted in your wealth,
you rebellious daughter,
and thought no one could ever harm you.
5 But look! I will bring terror upon you,”
says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“Your neighbors will chase you from your land,
and no one will help your exiles as they flee.
6 But I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites
in days to come.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Messages about Edom
7 This message was given concerning Edom. This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“Is there no wisdom in Teman?
Is no one left to give wise counsel?
8 Turn and flee!
Hide in deep caves, you people of Dedan!
For when I bring disaster on Edom,
I will punish you, too!
9 Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.
10 But I will strip bare the land of Edom,
and there will be no place left to hide.
Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors
will all be destroyed,
and Edom itself will be no more.
11 But I will protect the orphans who remain among you.
Your widows, too, can depend on me for help.”12 And this is what the Lord says: “If the innocent must suffer, how much more must you! You will not go unpunished! You must drink this cup of judgment! 13 For I have sworn by my own name,” says the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and a heap of ruins; it will be mocked and cursed. All its towns and villages will be desolate forever.”
14 I have heard a message from the Lord
that an ambassador was sent to the nations to say,
“Form a coalition against Edom,
and prepare for battle!”15 The Lord says to Edom,
“I will cut you down to size among the nations.
You will be despised by all.
16 You have been deceived
by the fear you inspire in others
and by your own pride.
You live in a rock fortress
and control the mountain heights.
But even if you make your nest among the peaks with the eagles,
I will bring you crashing down,”
says the Lord.17 “Edom will be an object of horror.
All who pass by will be appalled
and will gasp at the destruction they see there.
18 It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring towns,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.
19 I will come like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan,
leaping on the sheep in the pasture.
I will chase Edom from its land,
and I will appoint the leader of my choice.
For who is like me, and who can challenge me?
What ruler can oppose my will?”20 Listen to the Lord’s plans against Edom
and the people of Teman.
Even the little children will be dragged off like sheep,
and their homes will be destroyed.
21 The earth will shake with the noise of Edom’s fall,
and its cry of despair will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
22 Look! The enemy swoops down like an eagle,
spreading his wings over Bozrah.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
like a woman in labor.
A Message about Damascus (Syria)
23 This message was given concerning Damascus. This is what the Lord says:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear,
for they have heard the news of their destruction.
Their hearts are troubled
like a wild sea in a raging storm.
24 Damascus has become feeble,
and all her people turn to flee.
Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her
as they grip a woman in labor.
25 That famous city, a city of joy,
will be forsaken!
26 Her young men will fall in the streets and die.
Her soldiers will all be killed,”
says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
27 “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus
that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
A Message about Kedar and Hazor
28 This message was given concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which were attacked by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This is what the Lord says:
“Advance against Kedar!
Destroy the warriors from the East!
29 Their flocks and tents will be captured,
and their household goods and camels will be taken away.
Everywhere shouts of panic will be heard:
‘We are terrorized at every turn!’
30 Run for your lives,” says the Lord.
“Hide yourselves in deep caves, you people of Hazor,
for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has plotted against you
and is preparing to destroy you.31 “Go up and attack that complacent nation,”
says the Lord.
“Its people live alone in the desert
without walls or gates.
32 Their camels and other livestock will all be yours.
I will scatter to the winds these people
who live in remote places.
I will bring calamity upon them
from every direction,” says the Lord.
33 “Hazor will be inhabited by jackals,
and it will be desolate forever.
No one will live there;
no one will inhabit it.”
A Message about Elam
34 This message concerning Elam came to the prophet Jeremiah from the Lord at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. 35 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says:
“I will destroy the archers of Elam—
Jeremiah 49 NLT
the best of their forces.
36 I will bring enemies from all directions,
and I will scatter the people of Elam to the four winds.
They will be exiled to countries around the world.
37 I myself will go with Elam’s enemies to shatter it.
In my fierce anger, I will bring great disaster
upon the people of Elam,” says the Lord.
“Their enemies will chase them with the sword
until I have destroyed them completely.
38 I will set my throne in Elam,” says the Lord,
“and I will destroy its king and officials.
39 But I will restore the fortunes of Elam
in days to come.
I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Key Points
Ammon
- Ammon was the son of Lot’s youngest daughter. The Ammonites were cousins to the Moabites. These guys were way more hostile to Israel. It was the King of Ammon who had the Babylonian-appointed governor, Gedaliah, killed.
- Today, it’s part of Jordan. In fact, Jordan’s capital city is Amman. The contested territory of the West Bank is where the Israelite tribe of Gad was.
- They trusted in their wealth, rather than God, like America.
- Their fake god was Molech, the despicable acts of child sacrifices were their major sin. He’ll be no help when the Babylonians come. Again, it’s similar to America with their detestable act of abortion.
- Nevertheless, God gives them a future hope. As you can see by the map, the true boundaries of “Greater Israel” encompasses all of Jordan and most of the Middle East.
Edom
- The Edomites were descendants of Easu, Jacob’s (Israel’s) twin brother.
- God asks, where is their wisdom? Is there no wise counsel? I could ask the same of America and the world today. It seems like there is a significant loss of common sense, don’t you think?
- Petra is still abandoned, but that’s where the Jews will flee to escape the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation.
Damascus, Syria
- In Isaiah 17, God foretells of the Last Days destruction of Damascus. At that time, the longest inhabited city will cease to exist.
- Hadad was the Syrian idol / fake god. Hadad was equated with the Greek god Zeus; the Roman god Jupiter; the Hittite storm-god Teshub; and the Egyptian god Set. See, they all borrowed or copied each other’s gods. How the Roman Catholic Church venerates Mary is the same as the ancient goddesses. Nothing has changed! No matter which way you look at it, it’s paganism and idolatry!
- Right now, there is war in and around Damascus. Was the destruction mentioned here in Jeremiah’s time or the latter days? Hard to tell. This whole Middle Eastern area has been in conflict year after year. Cities are destroyed and rebuilt. Empires come and go, but God stays the same. Too bad the people don’t follow the One True God.
Kedar and Hazor
- This is the area of the Arabian Peninsula, which includes Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- These people were nomadic tribes. They moved around all the time.
- Yet, being mobile doesn’t help them against the Babylonians.
Elam
- Today this is Iran. Iran’s extremist Muslim regime, is set on destroying Israel — the “Little Satan” — and the U.S. — the “Great Satan”.
- Back then, they were the Persians. They’ll partner with the Medes and conquer Babylon. We’ll get to that in the Book of Daniel in a few weeks. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!
- They, in turn, will be conquered by Alexander the Great from Greece. Pastor Sandy Adams explains…
The Elamites were renown for their archery. They were sharpshooters. Skilled with a bow. Yet here God breaks their bow. He strips them of their military might. The Medes and Persians (which included the Elamites) were eventually conquered by the Greeks. Here Jeremiah is seeing 250 years into the future.
Sandy Adams
There really has never been peace in the Middle East. Their conflict is with God. True peace won’t come to these countries until Jesus comes back in His full Glory.
Pastor Sandy concludes…
Egypt trusted in idols… Moab in materialism and pride…Ammon in opportunism… Edom trusted in its fortifications…The tribes of Arabia in their isolation and mobility… Elam in its skill with a bow, and it’s weaponry. Yet all these nations fell to the Babylonians.
Numerous times in Jeremiah God speaks of Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar as His instrument of judgment. He even calls its pagan king “the servant of Yahweh.”
But the fact that God used the Babylonians, didn’t mean He approved of all they did. In fact, after He uses the Babylonians to judge, He, in turn, judges them. Don’t ever think that just because God uses you, it means you’re immune from His scrutiny. Not so! And we’ll discover in the last three chapters of Jeremiah, when God gives His Prophet amazing predictions concerning the fall of Babylon.
Sandy Adams
It you want to be informed of the latest in the “wars and rumors of wars” of the Middle East, here are some the sources I follow…
- Amir Tsarfati of Behold Israel on Telegram.
- The Watchman with Erick Stakelbeck on YouTube.
- End Times Headlines
- Prophecy Today
Here are more Bible Prophecy Teachers…
We are living in the the Last Days. If you think otherwise, you’re only fooling yourself. It’s time to GET RIGHT WITH GOD — before it’s too late!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…