Does Jeremiah begin a series of prophecies about various nations? What could He say to our nations today? Let’s begin in Jeremiah 46.
What does God have to say to Egypt beginning with Pharaoh Neco?
That which came as the word of Yahweh to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations. To Egypt, concerning the military force of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck down in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: (Jer 46:1-2 LSB)
Did God prophecy through Jeremiah that the military force of Pharaoh Neco would be defeated?
“Set up the buckler and shield, And advance to the battle! Harness the horses, And mount the steeds, Take your stand with helmets on! Polish the spears, Put on the coats of armor! Why have I seen it? They are terrified, They are retreating, And their warriors are defeated And have taken refuge in flight, Without facing back. Terror is on every side!” Declares the Lord. Let not the swift man flee, Nor the warrior escape. In the north beside the river Euphrates They have stumbled and fallen. (Jer 46:3-6 NASB)
Though Egypt rises like the Nile in flood, would that nation be humiliated in battle?
“Who is this that rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters? Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers of surging waters. She says, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy cities and their people.’ Charge, you horses! Drive furiously, you charioteers! March on, you warriors—men of Cush and Put who carry shields, men of Lydia who draw the bow.
But that day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty—a day of vengeance, for vengeance on his foes. The sword will devour till it is satisfied, till it has quenched its thirst with blood. For the Lord, the Lord Almighty, will offer sacrifice in the land of the north by the River Euphrates. (Jer 46:7-10 NIV)
Is there a healing medicine that could cure Egypt of its shame?
“Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured. The nations have heard of your shame, And your cry has filled the land; For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; They both have fallen together.” (Jer 46:11-12 NKJV)
Does God predict defeat for several Egyptian cities? Will the people say that Pharaoh is just a noisy do-nothing windbag?
Then the Lord gave the prophet Jeremiah this message about King Nebuchadnezzar’s plans to attack Egypt. “Shout it out in Egypt! Publish it in the cities of Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes! Mobilize for battle, for the sword will devour everyone around you. Why have your warriors fallen? They cannot stand, for the Lord has knocked them down.
They stumble and fall over each other and say among themselves, ‘Come, let’s go back to our people, to the land of our birth. Let’s get away from the sword of the enemy!’ There they will say, ‘Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a loudmouth who missed his opportunity!’ (Jer 46:13-17 NLT)
Does God warn Egypt of coming national captivity and desolation?
“As I live,” says the King, whose name is Yahweh of Armies, “surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so he will come. You daughter who dwells in Egypt, furnish yourself to go into captivity; for Memphis will become a desolation, and will be burned up, without inhabitant. (Jer 46:18-19 WEB)
Was Egypt once beautiful with vast dense forests? Would the land be humiliated?
Egypt is a beautiful, yes, beautiful heifer, but a horsefly from the north is coming to bite her. Even her mercenaries are like well-fed calves; they too will retreat and run for cover; they won’t survive. The day of disaster has come to haunt them, the time of their punishment. Like the sound of a snake hissing as it slithers away is Egypt as armies approach in force; they come against her with axes, like woodcutters.
They destroy her dense forest, though it is vast, because they outnumber locusts and can’t be counted, declares the Lord. Daughter Egypt will be humiliated, handed over to people from the north. (Jer 46:20-24 CEB)
Will God restore Egypt after punishing her and her fake gods?
I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. Soon I will punish the god Amon of Thebes and the other Egyptian gods, the Egyptian kings, the people of Egypt, and everyone who trusts in the Egyptian power. I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army. But I also promise that Egypt will someday have people living here again, just as it had before. I, the Lord, have spoken. (Jer 46:25-26 CEV)
Will God also restore Israel and make an end of nations that destroyed them?
“But fear not, O Jacob my servant, nor be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, for I am with you. I will make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.” (Jer 46:27-28 ESV)
Does God determine the appointed times and boundaries of occupants of a land?
From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. (Acts 17:26 HCSB)
Does Jeremiah begin a series of prophecies about various nations? What could He say to our nations today? You decide!
