Truth and Consequences:
A study in the prophecy of Jeremiah
Chapter 49
By Bob Mendelsohn
Given 25 November 2022
Lesson Forty-eight: Ammon and others
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is a big book, with information about nations and individuals, with info about transportation and what to make happen when a person is well settled. It contains stories and long lists; it features marital advice and tells us how to conduct ourselves in many social situations.
1) The problem of Those People
One of the mistakes we make as we read it, certainly the first few times, is to read a passage and think about a possible linkage with a similar-sounding other passage and put those two passages into a relationship. Forever. We marry ideas and peoples and our own thoughts with regularity.
Here's the problem. When you hear the name “Egypt” for instance, sometimes the country is in view and sometimes, it’s a symbol for an empire, while at other times, say in the Book of Revelation, it’s a code word substitute for Rome-occupied Jerusalem. (Rev. 11.8) What about ‘frogs?’ In Egypt at the time of the Exodus, frogs were a plague brought by God on the nation as they refused to let our people out, a similar usage in Psalms (78.45, 105.30), but in Revelation the unholy Trinity (The Dragon, The Beast, The False Prophet) had demons/unclean spirits that were like frogs.
The reason I’m telling you this today is that in today’s chapter, we see nations like Ammon and Edom, Qedar and Assyria. While at times in the past, and into the future, their reputation and their relationship with God has been bad, at times, even in today’s reading, there might be hope. But not for all.
Think of Nineveh, which during Jonah’s time was in God’s plan for salvation but by the time of Nahum, just decades later, was out of God’s graces. This is NOT an attempt by me to make a cavalier God into some reputable deity. This is simply a description of the reality. There are times when we push the envelope too far, when God’s kindness has met its limit. The King James authors used the term ‘longsuffering’ to mean ‘patient.’ There are two NT words for patience and the difference is worth noting.
“The difference of meaning is best seen in their opposites. While hupomonē is the temper which does not easily succumb under suffering, makrothumia is the self-restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. The one is opposed to cowardice or despondency, the other to wrath or revenge (Prov. 15:18; 16:32) ... This distinction, though it applies generally, is not true without exception.” (Joseph Thayer)
Now this notion of God’s patience is critical, as we read three times in Peter’s letters.
“Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3.20)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3.9)
“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you.” (2 Peter 3.15)
All that to say, longsuffering is real and I’m a grateful recipient of God’s patience. In light of our chapter today, longsuffering is not permanent. LONG, not forever, suffering. God’s patience has limits. Much longer than mine. Much longer than anyone’s, but has a terminus. The ark’s door closed. The rains fell. The world was destroyed.
OK, back to our text.
2. The people of Ammon (1-6)
The first nation in today’s list is Ammon. Remember, he was the son of one of the daughters of Lot. And he was the grandson of Lot. Ah, the details the Bible gives us. Lot’s daughters got him drunk, they had sex with him, and each produced a child, one Ammon and the other the focus of last week’s study Moab.
Today we zoom in first on Ammon. He lived east of the Jordan, north of Moab, between three rivers. On the west the Jordan river, and his territory generally bound by two others, one on the north, the other on the south, which he shared with his cousins in Moab. Ammonites were destroyed long ago, and do not exist any longer as a people. But in Jeremiah’s days, they did exist. And their existence was an annoyance to the people of Judah and Israel who were more their immediate neighbours.
One more historical note. Back in chapter 40 Gedaliah was murdered. (40.14-41.15) He was the one whom Nebuchadnezzar had installed as mayor of Mizpah and the entire area, and who was a good guy. The Ammonites were ok with his being the top man and came ‘to him’ it said. Then Jeremiah records for us this in verse 13
“Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.”
Baalis sent an assassin named Ishmael to kill Gedaliah, who was both naïve about the hostility between the nations and dismissive of the warning given him by Yochanan.
Ishmael’s murder was successful and along with 8 other men ran back to the safe haven of the king of Ammon. (41.15)
Ammon is also shown to be trouble when other OT prophets mention him. (Amos 1.13-15, Zeph. 2.8-11, Ezek. 25.1-7)
In our section today, we see in verse 1, Gad, (the tribe on the east of the Jordan occupying this turf) owns the area, and the battle lines have now been crossed. God will vindicate his people and ruin the cities of Ammon. What is their sin? Pride and arrogance. Look at verse 4. “Mi yavo ailai?” Who will come against or upon me? And at the first,
“מַה־תִּתְהַֽלְלִי֙
What self-praise you demonstrate!
Pride always has a result, and it’s not one you want to be given in your life.
Even so, look at verse 5. Keown says, “The judgment against Ammon was the initiation of terror from every side, or perhaps from all its neighbours. The clause “you will be driven out single file” suggests the departure of prisoners of war, through the breaches of the destroyed city, for exile.”
Then the shock again comes in verse 6.
אָשִׁ֛יב אֶת־שְׁב֥וּת
Ashiv et sh’voot. I WILL RETURN THE RETURN. I will restore the captivity. I will make them come back to me. God is ever the God of mercy. He will initiate it and cause it to happen. For the Ammonites. For that time. For some of those people. Amazing.
3. The people of Edom (7-22)
We turn quickly to the Edomites. Remember Edom (meaning ‘red’) is the new name of Esau, brother of Jacob and grandson of Abraham.
In verse 7 we see they are the intellects of the area. Full of wisdom and cleverness. God says, even so, in verse 10, I will strip Esau bare. But in verse 11 there seems to be a hint of God’s care on the widows and the orphans, and you have to wonder how that will play out. But Jeremiah makes no mention of who will be the agents of such care.
Verse 13 shows the complete ruin predicted for the Edomites.
Verses 14 and 15 are a direct quote from Obadiah 1 and 2. Someone is reading the other’s mail.
Verse 16 highlights the pride and arrogance of Edom, same as all those who are judged by God. They thought they could hide in enough places and manipulate the situations, but they could not. Compare Sodom and Gomorrah. No chance to wiggle out of that one.
Verse 19, the three questions are rhetorical. The answer? No one!
The answer? Devastation which is comprehensive and the capacity to fight? You will be like a woman in labour. Incapacitated.
But listen—is there any hope listed for Edom? Not a lick. Ouch.
4. Assyria and their conquest (23-27)
Next we turn to Damascus which is the capital of Assyria. The people whom the Babylonians had already conquered.
A brief summary is given by Jeremiah of the ruin and the inability to resist by Assyria. No reason is given for the fall and no hope is given for restoration. This may simply be a geographic inclusion as Jeremiah is summarizing the neighbours’ troubles leading up to the final summary against Babylon.
5. Kedar and Arabia are the next nation in focus. (.28-33)
Again, no mention is made of the cause of ruin to these nomadic tribes who made the peninsula their home. Verse 30 shows them as nomads and yet they are open prey to their enemy of Babylon.
מָג֖וֹר מִסָּבִֽיב׃
In verse 29, we see this phrase we have seen again and again in Jeremiah’s prophecy. Terror on every side.
As to Kedar, he was the son of Ishmael, listed back in Genesis 25.13. The point I’m making is that all these neighbouring towns and peoples were formerly at the family reunions. But were never welcomed, or never welcomed us and thus a tribal split occurred, and the voice of hostility overtook the voice of family. Shame.
Again, no hope mentioned for the Arabians of that generation.
6. Elam/ Persia (.34-39)
The final grouping in view today is the Persians of Elam.
Verse 36, the ‘four winds’ refers to the four directions of the compass which they already had been using. But don’t miss this, the scattering reminds me of Israel’s scattering to those same four corners. (Deut. 28.64, Leviticus 26.33)
And you have to ask yourself…why did God need to mention the Elamites? And why give them hope (.39) like he did with Judah and with Ammon?
For that fulfilment, let us quickly check one last Bible verse today. From Acts chapter 2.
“They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs — we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.” (Acts 2.7-11)
God’s people, from Egypt and Rome, Mesopotamia and Elam (verse 9) are there in Jerusalem 600 years later and listening to God’s word and they were among the 3,000 who got saved in Jesus’ name on Sh’vuot. Awesome, eh?
When God promises he will restore us, He does it. When he offers us salvation, let us not be like those arrogant ones who bring ruin on our families or on our houses or on our land.
In a moment we will lead you in a prayer, if you would like, to be restored, personally, to the Almighty. He longs to help you. God has initiated this whole process. He reminds you of your sin, your arrogance, and your ruin SO THAT YOU might come to him. Are you willing to do so?
CONCLUSION
God is calling each of us to know him and to walk with him, today and throughout our days. Have you received Yeshua as your messiah and Lord? He is risen from the dead! Have you renounced your sin, your idolatry, your forsaking God and given him First Place in your life? If not, please, do so now, just now, as we pray together. Use your own words, if you want, but yield, surrender, to the Lord of life.
PRAYER
Then please write us (admin@jewsforjesus.org.au) to tell us what you have just done, and we will send you literature and encourage you. You are part of our family; we love and appreciate you. And we want you to enjoy the presence of the Lord who calls, who knows, who blesses and builds us up.
We hope to see you again next week as we study chapter 50. Until then, Shabbat shalom!
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnes, Albert, Commentary on the Old Testament. (Published by many, from 1880 on)
Henry, Matthew, Commentary.
Keown, Gerald, Scalise, Pamela, Smothers, Thomas, Word Biblical Commentary. Book of Jeremiah (Part 2). 1995.
McConnville, Gordon, Jeremiah, New Bible Commentary.
Wright, Christopher, The Message of Jeremiah, The Bible Speaks Today. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, 2014.
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