Jeremiah

Jeremiah Chapter 46

• Jeremiah 46:1 The word of Jehovah which came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
• 2 Of Egypt: concerning the army of Pharaoh-neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon smote in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah.
• 3 Prepare ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle.
• 4 Harness the horses, and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, put on the coats of mail.
• 5 Wherefore have I seen it? they are dismayed and are turned backward; and their mighty ones are beaten down, and are fled apace, and look not back: terror is on every side, saith Jehovah.
• 6 Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; in the north by the river Euphrates have they stumbled and fallen.
• 7 Who is this that riseth up like the Nile, whose waters toss themselves like the rivers?
• 8 Egypt riseth up like the Nile, and his waters toss themselves like the rivers: and he saith, I will rise up, I will cover the earth; I will destroy cities and the inhabitants thereof.
• 9 Go up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men go forth: Cush and Put, that handle the shield; and the Ludim, that handle and bend the bow.
• 10 For that day is a day of the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour and be satiate, and shall drink its fill of their blood; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

When God decides to allow one nation to overtake another, there is no power on earth that can stop it. The only thing that could possibly stop it; is if the nation that is oppressed turns to God and repents of sin. That would be the greatest thing any nation could do if they were faced with judgment from God.

Repentance is the only thing that can possibly stop judgment. I might add here that God knows our hearts and He would know whether we were changing our minds because we sincerely see that we have done evil and want to repent or if we were repenting just to avoid receiving evil from the Lord. Of course that type of repentance is not true repentance.

This is probably why we see different types of Christians. Some live and walk in the Spirit while others just get by. Those who truly receive God into their lives repenting of sin and genuinely want to live for God will succeed much more than those who just receive Jesus Christ to avoid hell.

Some receive Christ for the latter reason but later start learning of God and desiring to walk in the Spirit. It is not wrong to come to Christ out of fear of hell in the beginning but the person needs to learn about God and start seeking Him on a daily basis so that he begins to walk with God out of love and not just fear. When we start learning of God and desire to know Him, we begin to serve Him with joy and not just to escape the judgment or wrath of God.

In other words, we need more than just another religion. We need a relationship and fellowship with God that lasts. The new birth is just the beginning. We can have a daily walk with God that lasts forever. Once we receive Jesus Christ, we can walk with Him all the time.

• Genesis 5:24 and Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.

Enoch walked with God and was taken to Heaven without dying. We too can walk with God. We don't have to be an important person who does a lot of charitable deeds. We too can have a close relationship with God. 

• Genesis 6:9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations:

Noah walked with God. Noah walked with God and was saved from the flood. Not only himself but his wife, three sons and their wives.

• Micah 6:8 He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?

To walk with God means to believe in God, keep His word, and love God in all our ways. It is an every day thing, not just on Sunday. One cannot tell me they love God but they don't want anything to do with His written word. If they continue in sin and doing what they want as opposed to what God wants, they do not love God. How can a husband say he loves his wife but he never does anything to please her or make her happy. He may run his household, be domineering and do things his way but never show any consideration for the desires and opinions of his wife. I would say that man does not really love his wife.

• Jeremiah 46:11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt: in vain dost thou use many medicines; there is no healing for thee.

They had gone so far away from God that as a certain medicine would not heal a fatal incurable womb, they couldn't heal. Continual forsaking and departing from God actually gives strength to disease, war and famine.

When God is not around, evil comes in like a flood. When we choose worldly things over God, we really can't see what we are doing. We are actually giving the enemy of our souls more power to destroy us.

• Jeremiah 46:12 The nations have heard of thy shame, and the earth is full of thy cry; for the mighty man hath stumbled against the mighty, they are fallen both of them together.
• 13 The word that Jehovah spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land of Egypt.
• 14 Declare ye in Egypt, and publish in Migdol, and publish in Memphis and in Tahpanhes: say ye, Stand forth, and prepare thee; for the sword hath devoured round about thee.
• 15 Why are thy strong ones swept away? they stood not, because Jehovah did drive them.
• 16 He made many to stumble, yea, they fell one upon another: and they said, Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity, from the oppressing sword.
• 17 They cried there, Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath let the appointed time pass by.
• 18 As I live, saith the King, whose name is Jehovah of hosts, surely like Tabor among the mountains, and like Carmel by the sea, so shall he come.
• 19 O thou daughter that dwellest in Egypt, furnish thyself to go into captivity; for Memphis shall become a desolation, and shall be burnt up, without inhabitant.
• 20 Egypt is a very fair heifer; but destruction out of the north is come, it is come.
• 21 Also her hired men in the midst of her are like calves of the stall; for they also are turned back, they are fled away together, they did not stand: for the day of their calamity is come upon them, the time of their visitation.
• 22 The sound thereof shall go like the serpent; for they shall march with an army, and come against her with axes, as hewers of wood.
• 23 They shall cut down her forest, saith Jehovah, though it cannot be searched; because they are more than the locusts, and are innumerable.
• 24 The daughter of Egypt shall be put to shame; she shall be delivered into the hand of the people of the north.

To those that fled to Egypt for help instead of turning to God, it was a complete waste of effort, for judgment followed them into Egypt. God allowed the king of Babylon the power to take over Judah and also Egypt.

No nation can stand against the power of God. Babylon did not fear God so God later allowed a nation to conquer them. That nation had wickedness yes but it was the very one that many in Israel admired and wanted to be like. It's like the very sin that we can't overcome and we hold onto is the very one that can bring us into bondage. 

• Jeremiah 46:25 Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, saith: Behold, I will punish Amon of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with her gods, and her kings; even Pharaoh, and them that trust in him:

Any nation with idols or false gods will eventually be destroyed.

• Jeremiah 46:26 and I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants; and afterwards it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith Jehovah.
• 27 But fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return, and shall be quiet and at ease, and none shall make him afraid.

This is a prophecy of hope that Israel will be saved and return from captivity.

• Jeremiah 46:28 Fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, saith Jehovah; for I am with thee: for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee; but I will not make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in measure, and will in no wise leave thee unpunished.

Here is the hope of Israel, though all nations that came against them will most likely perish, God will not allow the complete destruction of Israel. We cannot fight against God. If God wills that Israel exists, they will exist. I believe the Israel mentioned here is the literal Israel and not the church. In 1948 we saw Israel become a nation again after many years of being scattered all over the world. Much false doctrine and speculation has come from those that confuse Israel with the church or some religious group.

There have been many groups and religions that claim that they are the lost tribes of Israel. This is nonsense. Israel is Israel and the church is the church. We can be saved and receive the gift of eternal life without making unproven claims to be some lost tribe of Israel. We don't have to make ourselves fit into some tribe of people.

If we have received Jesus Christ, we are part of the kingdom of God and we don't need to be anything else. The true church (true believers in Jesus Christ) may be adopted into the same promises as Israel and will be part of the New Jerusalem but they are not the Israel that is to be judged and brought back to God in the times of tribulation. They are not the lost tribes of Israel or anything like that. The biggest key to understanding bible prophecy starts when we stop confusing Israel with the church. I will add here that there is a possibility that some of our ancestors may descend from one of the tribes of Israel but that doesn't mean the nation we were born in, is of the tribe of Israel. Whether they are or not though have nothing to do with our salvation. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ and no other.

There are things that we can learn from God's dealings with Israel though. Being delivered from sin is similar to being delivered from Egypt. Egypt represented bondage just like those in sin are in bondage to sin. Jesus Christ makes us free from that bondage just like Moses by the help of God freed Israel from bondage to Egypt. The Old Testament is full of teachings and warnings about backsliding and turning away from God. It should be read and understood. We can see that if we turn from God as Israel did, we would receive the same judgment. Just as judgment came upon Israel for falling away from God, it can come on the church as well.

The gospel was first preached to Israel, they rejected it except for the apostles and a few others. The gospel was then given to the Gentile nations. The gospel is the only way of salvation for everyone in the whole earth both Jews and Gentiles. The reason Israel has suffered so much is because of their rejection of Jesus Christ. In fact that is why the whole world is always so full of trouble. Jesus Christ is the real Prince of Peace and there will never be peace unless we all become born again and start living for Jesus Christ.

This is something that cannot come by force like some religions try to force people to become converts. No. The gospel has to come by something that takes place inside our innermost being. It is a spiritual conversion that has to come by the power of God. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and causes us to repent and come to Jesus Christ for salvation. This spiritual birth brings forth a new life and a new beginning. It is something that has to come from God. It is something that is for everyone. It is available for all of us now.

Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved now. We are to go forth and preach the gospel to every person but we can't go forth and force anyone to be saved. This is not a religion to force on people it is salvation to be received willingly. DC

Jeremiah 47