Canonical Reading Plan for Aug 25, Jer 46-48

Today's readings are Jer 46-48.

Jer 46 is a bookend to Jer 25, one which describes the judgment that will pour out on the nations that oppose Judah and Israel. Notice that Egypt, which was thought to be a safe place against the Babylonian invasion, will be particularly hard hit. Egypt had always been an enemy to Israel. But when the Babylonians (Chaldeans) came in, the people of Judah ran to them for shelter instead of relying on God to protect them. Egypt’s opposition to Israel and their rejection of God will not go unpunished.  God will send the Babylonians against Egypt. Even though they are now among the Egyptians, God promises to preserve His people throughout the slaughter that will take place.

The Philistines will fall as well, as will Ashkelon. 

Moab will be decimated, their primary god, Chemosh, carried away into exile.

God is all-powerful and omnipresent. As we've seen in the last few chapters of Jeremiah, the safety we seek from the world can be precarious, even dangerous. The only true safety is in Him. This is a remarkable portrayal of the gospel as the only safety from judgment and condemnation is in Christ Jesus.

There’s another dynamic at play here, though. God is using the Babylonians, an ungodly nation, to punish other ungodly nations. Is God forcing the Babylonians to do evil? No! But, we know that all power and authority come from God. Any power the Babylonians have comes from Him alone. God gave them power, they abused it by using it for their own selfish desires, using it to build themselves up instead of God. 

This is what unregenerate man does with God’s blessings. He perverts and distorts them. Like the Babylonians, anyone who uses their God-given talents and blessings to bring glory to themselves will suffer the wrath of God. The miracle that takes place is that God first uses the Babylonians for His one holy purposes, then brings judgment upon them for falling victim to their own self-centeredness. God does not force them to act like barbarians. It is in their nature. They want to act that way. God just uses their evil schemes and evil hearts for His own purposes.

Therefore we, as believers, never need to worry about evil overcoming good. We never need be concerned that someone’s evil behavior can have any eternal impact on the church or us. Ultimately, we know that God’s people will receive the greatest blessing ever, eternity with Him. Those who oppose Him and His people will suffer eternal, conscious torment.