Jeremiah 46 - Introduction

SECTION 3. PROPHECIES AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONS (Chapter s 46-51).

This SECTION commences in Jeremiah 46:1 with the words, ‘The word of YHWH which came to Jeremiah the prophet --'. This phrase follows the pattern that has gone before, and here indicates a new section. It is also a reminder that what was to happen would result from ‘the word of YHWH' (dbr YHWH). Such a word was seen as powerfully effective in bringing about what was prophesied (compare Isaiah 55:10 ff). The English phrase ‘word of YHWH' translates two alternative Hebrew phrases, ‘dbr YHWH' and ‘neum YHWH'. While it should not be overpressed the former has more in mind the poweful, effective prophetic word that goes actively forth to accomplish its purpose (and became the forerunner of the idea of Jesus as the Word (Logos) while the latter has in mind the prophetic word in its ominiscience, as declaring what will be because God will do it. Where ‘word of YHWH' occurs in the middle of a stream of prophecy it is usually neum YHWH.

In this case this ‘word of YHWH' (dbr YHWH) is ‘against the Gentiles'. Thus it may well have in mind the whole of what is to follow in Chapter s 46-51 as Jeremiah prophesies concerning God's dealings with the nations, revealing His overall sovereignty. The point was that what was being described would be brought about by the effective and powerful word of YHWH. When YHWH speaks it is done. The section is an expansion on the ideas found in Jeremiah 25:15.

It should be noted that these prophecies were not spoken to the nations, but to Judah/Israel. The words were an indication to them that YHWH was in control of world events, and a warning to them against trusting in any of these failing nations. They were no more secure than Judah was. And they were also an assurance to them that God had not overlooked what Judah had suffered at their hands, and would deal with them accordingly, although that is not the prominent idea. They are difficult to date but may well have mainly been spoken in the time of Josiah and Jehoiakim.

We can analyse this Section as follows:

A) ‘Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh-necho king of Egypt which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish --' - this was the army that had slain Josiah and had taken over the lands south of the Euphrates in the early days of Jehoiakim. Here it receives its judgment (Jeremiah 46:2).

B) ‘The word that YHWH spoke to Jeremiah the prophet how Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon would come and smite the land of Egypt --' (Jeremiah 46:13).

C) ‘The word of YHWH that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines before Pharaoh smote Gaza, thus says YHWH --'(Jeremiah 47:1).

D) ‘Against Moab, thus says YHWH of Hosts, the God of Israel -' (Jeremiah 48:1).

E) ‘Concerning the Ammonites, thus says YHWH --' (Jeremiah 49:1).

F) ‘Concerning Edom, thus says YHWH of Hosts --' Jeremiah 49:7).

G) ‘Concerning Damascus --' (Jeremiah 49:23).

H) ‘Concerning Kedar and concerning the Kingdom of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon will smite, thus says YHWH -- (Jeremiah 49:28).

I) ‘The word of YHWH which came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam --' (Jeremiah 49:34).

J) ‘The word that YHWH spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet --' (Jeremiah 50:1 to Jeremiah 51:58).

K) ‘The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neriah, --' when at Jeremiah's request he took to Babylon, to which he was being transported along with King Zedekiah, Jeremiah's scroll of his prophecies against Babylon and, having read them over Babylon, threw them in the River Euphrates as evidence that Babylon would one day sink in a similar way (Jeremiah 51:59).

Thus the order of the judgments on the nations is - Egypt (SW), Philistia (including Tyre and Sidon) (W), Moab (E), Ammon (E), Edom (SE), Damascus (N), Arabia (E), Elam (NE), Babylon (NE).

The concluding words of the Section, ‘thus far are the words of Jeremiah' (Jeremiah 51:64 b) possibly refer to this section only, but are more probably intended to apply to the whole prophecy when it was brought together.

This section will then be followed by the final CONCLUSION in chapter 52, which closes the prophecy by outlining the taking of Jerusalem and the blinding and exile of Zedekiah, gives information about the different exiles that took place, and describes the restoration to honour of King Jehoachin by Evil-merodach (Arwel Marduk). Most of this is paralleled in 2 Kings 24:18 to 2 Kings 25:30. The purpose of the conclusion is to end the prophecy with an indication of hope, and especially of the commencement of the process by which the final son of David will take his throne. It emphasises that the Davidic house is still a part of the purposes of God.

PROPHECIES AGAINST FOREIGN NATIONS.

It will be noted that, contrary to other prophets, in Jeremiah these prophecies concerning foreign nations come at the end of the book (that is, in the MT. In LXX they follow Jeremiah 25:13 where judgment on the nations is previously mentioned). In MT they are in effect a postscript bringing out that it is not only Israel/Judah who must suffer for their sins and idolatry, but all the nations. They were a confirmation that in the end it was not only Israel/Judah, but also ‘the whole world' (of that day), who would be affected by YHWH's judgment, indicating thereby that He is the sovereign LORD of all nations. But along with this there are also hints of future hope for many of them (Jeremiah 46:26; Jeremiah 48:47; Jeremiah 49:6; Jeremiah 49:39).

In Isaiah and Ezekiel, where there are similar large and specific collections of prophecies against foreign nations, such prophecies follow oracles proclaimed against Israel and/or Judah, and in Isaiah's case prophecies concerning the Coming King, but they also precede many oracles speaking of Israel's restoration. Such oracles against foreign nations also appear in other prophets as well. Thus we may consider not only the collections in Isaiah 13-23, Ezekiel 25-32, but also those in Amos 1-2 and Zephaniah 2:2, all of which underline the fact that God's concern is with all nations, something also brought out in the Book of Jonah. But the Book of Jeremiah uniquely places these prophecies against foreign nations at the end of the book, presumably in order to indicate that in all things God will have the last word, not only with His chosen nation, but with all nations. It is a salutary reminder that it is not only His own people who will be called to account. Indeed we should note that from the beginning Jeremiah was called on to prophesy against all the nations (Jeremiah 1:10). Thus here that promise is being fulfilled. It is also possible that in his view what happened to the nations would be a postscript to what was to happen to Israel/Judah. They also would not escape YHWH's notice. It was not only God's people who would be subject to judgment.

It will, however, be noted that among the prophecies directed against Babylon there are clear indications of God's future restoration of a remnant from among His people (Jeremiah 50:4; Jeremiah 50:19; Jeremiah 50:33; Jeremiah 51:5; Jeremiah 51:10; Jeremiah 51:19; Jeremiah 51:50. Compare also Jeremiah 46:27). And on top of this hope is also promised for other nations (Jeremiah 46:26; Jeremiah 48:47; Jeremiah 49:6; Jeremiah 49:39). Thus even as it reaches its conclusion the prophecy of Jeremiah is a prophecy of hope, something again emphasised in the final ending (Jeremiah 52:31) which speaks of the initial restoration of the Davidic monarchy in preparation for what is to come. God has not forsaken either the house of David or His people in Babylon.

The prophecies appear partly to have geographical indications in mind, commencing with Egypt in the South West, and Philistia (and Tyre and Sidon - Jeremiah 47:4) in the West and North West, and moving on to the neighbouring nations in the east, Moab, Ammon and Edom. They then deal with Damascus in the north, the Arab nations in the remote east, and Elam in the far north, before finishing up with the prophecy against Babylon in the north. This fact that the prophets of Israel and Judah gave oracles about other nations reflects Yahweh's sovereignty over the whole earth, and demonstrates YHWH's government and oversight over the whole world. It is noteworthy that apart from in the case of Babylon this oversight is not directly related to any activity by these nations against Israel/Judah (in contrast to Amos 1-2). What is remarkable is rather the matter of factness of the prophecies. Apart from in the case of Babylon there is no reference to their being vengeance for acts performed against Israel (contrast Amos 1-2). Rather they are simply a reminder that all nations will be called to account because of what they are, and that none can finally be relied on by Judah. The message is that only in YHWH is there future hope for any of them. By common scholarly consensus, these Chapter s contain some of the finest Hebrew poetry in the Old Testament.

We may ask ourselves, why should such prophecies be included in the word of God. What message do they have for us today? The answer is clear. They are a reminder that all nations and all men will be called on to give account of themselves to God, and that God does it on a just basis. They are a reminder that God is the sovereign Lord over all nations, and they are an indication that no nation, however powerful, will last forever unless specially preserved by God. They indicate further that He is the Lord of history, calling all to account. As we read through these Chapter s therefore, they should bring home to us the fact that God takes sin seriously, something which includes our own sins if they are not fully repented of. They indicate that if we treat God and His word lightly we should not be surprised if it inevitably results in unpleasant repercussions.

We may summarise some of the lessons learned from this section as follows:

1. God is sovereign over all nations. This idea is a commonplace to us precisely because of prophecies such as this. But it was not so obvious in Jeremiah's day.

2. God will call all nations and people into account. None can assume that they will be overlooked.

3. God will judge all peoples in accordance with the moral principles revealed in His covenant. Such moral principles are universal (compare Romans 2:13).

4. These prophecies are an indication of how God works in history, using one nation to punish another, and then punishing that nation for its own sins at the hands of others, and so on. They indicate the tide of history, and that God is the Lord of history.

5. They reveal the powerful effectiveness of God's ‘powerful word' in reaching out to the nations (even though they did not at the time know it) and bringing about His purposes.

6. They bring out that even in the worst moments and in the worst of circumstances there is hope ahead for those who look to Him.

One important lesson comes out in respect to all this, and that is that it brings out how we are to see God's activity in history. All that is described in Jeremiah's prophecies resulted from the outworking of the activities of nations against each other as man revealed his inhumanity to man. None of those nations even dreamed that what was happening to them resulted from ‘the word of YHWH', but Jeremiah assures us that it was so. And yet we can look back and see how it all developed ‘naturally', and our historians can describe it without even bringing in God as a factor. So whilst the tide of history is seen by the prophets as being under the control of God, we must also recognise that it moves forward as a direct result of man's activity. The judgments of history can be seen as being the result of the outworking of history as man reveals himself for what he is. Thus God is not to be seen as to blame for the cruelties revealed in that history. Those cruelties are simply the result of ‘man's inhumanity to man'.

But what Scripture does unequivocally reveal is that in the last analysis behind all that happens is the hand of God. And if God is the sovereign Creator that is in fact inevitable, unless we assume that He simply withdraws from the situation. The point is that having created the world He continues to sustain it (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:1). And that involves His influencing the way that history develops. But in all this God's sovereignty and man's freewill are seen as moving forward hand in hand. That is why some Scripture writers can describe God as being behind all that happens and can describe even the most horrific things as resulting from His activity. This is because they are seeing God as the ‘overall Cause' of everything. But this is then ameliorated by other parts of Scripture which bring out a different aspect of things. A good example of this is found when the writer of Samuel describes David's ‘numbering of Israel' as resulting from God's initiative, in contrast with the writer of Chronicles who points out that it really resulted from Satan's initiative. This would not be seen as a contradiction. The point is that in 1 Chronicles 21:1 the Chronicler is looking at the detail of history, the flow of events, and the forces that directly lay behind it, whilst the writer in 2 Samuel 24:1 is in contrast seeing all from the angle of God's sovereignty over all things. He sees the ‘flow of events' as being all under God's supervision and control. So in his view had God not specifically allowed Satan a free rein it could not have happened. Thus he rightly draws our attention to the fact that it was all within God's purposes. But we would be wrong to assume from this that every detail resulted directly from God's positive intention and initiative. Rather He used the activity of Satan in the fulfilment of His final purpose, that of dealing with David's sin. In a freewill world it was inevitable that such things would happen, but they were not outside God's overall control. On the other hand He was not ‘to blame' for them, except in the sense that He created man's free will and allowed it free rein even when He did not like the consequences. In the end it was man who was responsible for the evil of the situation.