Jeremiah 46
COMMENTARY:
: 10 For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that HE may avenge HIM of HIS adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates. (5358 “avenge” [naqam] means to take revenge for a perceived wrong, take vengeance, to suffer vengeance, or the desire of vengeance.)
DEVOTION: As believers we have the responsibility to allow the LORD to deal with those who mistreat us or in this case mistreat the children of Israel. Jeremiah is telling the people of Judah that the LORD is going to deal with Egypt. HE is going to handle the situation and they should trust HIM.
Too often we think that once someone has hurt us for not apparent reason that we have to do something about it. That is not the case in Israel and it is not the case for us today. We have to depend on the LORD to deal with those who mistreat us or falsely accuse us.
The people of Judah were trying to run away from those who were trying to take them into captivity. However, here we find that the LORD of hosts has a day of vengeance coming here in the Old Testament and HE has one coming at the end of our age.
Our responsibility is to trust the LORD to deal with those who mistreat us now. It is not to be out goal to get even with those who mistreat us. We are to leave it to the LORD and HIS timing to deal with those who are giving us a hard time.
The problem is that sometimes we, like the children of Israel, need chastening and the LORD sometimes uses those who are not saved to deal with us. However, HE is doing it for our good and growth. Even here HE is doing it to help Judah to understand that HE loves them and wants them to live lives that are pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: We need to leave vengeance in the hands of the LORD and watch HIM take care of us. HE is the one who needs to be in control of what happens to those who mistreat us.
: 11 Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, daughter of Egypt: in vain shall you use many medicines; for you shall not be cured. (7499 “medicines” [raphu’ah] means remedies or healing.)
DEVOTION: When we are sick we like healing from our sickness. No one likes to suffer for long periods of time without an end in sight. I visited someone in the hospital because of food poisoning. He had been there for four days already and they were starting him on solid food for a change. He thought it would never end. He thought that it was worse than any cramps a woman could have. He wanted relief.
The people of Judah wanted to have relief from their suffering. They had run to Egypt to find relief from the armies of Babylon. The LORD had instructed them to remain in Judah but they refused to listen to HIM.
HE stated that there would be no cure for their present condition. They had disobeyed HIS direct commands given by Jeremiah to them. They just told Jeremiah they were going to do as they pleased and didn’t care what he had to say about it.
There our Christians who develop this same attitude today. They are told that what they are doing or not doing is wrong but they repeat the same sin that the children of Judah did to Jeremiah. It is sad but true.
We don’t seem to learn from the sins of the Israelite. The LORD informs us that we are to learn from the example of the Old Testament saints and sinners. We can learn what God expects of HIS people from their lives. It would be good if we learned.
We have the same problem as those of Judah. We are hardhearted at times. We continually revert back to our old nature of being selfish and lazy. We don’t want to work at our relationship with the LORD. We sort of figure that HE can take us as we are and not want us to change. This is a wrong attitude and chastening is on the way to our house because of it.
CHALLENGE: Watch that you don’t develop an incurable disease. The LORD doesn’t change between Testaments.
: 18 As I live, says the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts, Surely as Tabor is among the mountains, and as Carmel by the sea, so shall he come. (2516 “live” [chay] means alive, living one, absolute being, Yahweh is living, or exist.)
DEVOTION: Some people don’t believe that there is a true God. Some think that we are independent of any external deity. Some believe we just came into existence through evolution. We started from a single cell and then matured into what we are today.
The problem is that we don’t continue to mature. We seem to regress from in the eyes of most people in our society. If asked if the human race is getting better and better most will say that our knowledge has increased but our relationship with others has regressed to a point of not communicating with others very well.
We see more people looking at their phones more than communicating with those around them. People are independent of any external source except their phone. Facebook is alive with people who are not really talking with each other but using this source to do all their talking.
God wants to communicate with us through HIS Word the Bible. HE wants us to listen to HIM just like HE wanted the children of Israel to listen to HIM. HE sent HIS prophets, so that, the children of Israel could see someone human to tell them what was going to happen in the future. They didn’t want to listen to the prophets.
So the LORD communicated with the fact that HE is alive. HE does exist. HE gave them warning that they didn’t listen to but it still happened just like HE said it would. We are still not listening to HIS Word. We are not listening to Biblically accurate pastors and teachers but to many false teachers like the children of Israel.
CHALLENGE: Are we aware that we have a communication from an absolute being that exists and has communicated with us through the Bible? Are we listening to the living God of the Bible?
: 28 Fear you not, O Jacob my servant, says the LORD: for I am with you; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven you: but I will not make a full end of you, but correct you in measure; yet will I not leave you wholly unpunished. (3256 “correct” [yacar] means to chasten, discipline, instruct, admonish, or reformed.)
DEVOTION: This chapter deals with those nations that are affecting the children of Israel. The LORD predicts how HE is going to deal with those nations that HE used to chasten Israel.
The first nation HE deals with is Egypt. HE states that they are going to be defeated by the Babylonians. HE is going to war against their gods to show that they are powerless in front of the TRUE God of the universe. HE is the ONLY TRUE GOD.
Some of the people from Judah were trying to escape the Babylonians by going to Egypt. They thought they were safe. The LORD gave this message to them that they were not safe. Most of those who said they were going to obey the LORD didn’t. They ran instead of staying in Jerusalem. They were going to be judged. Jeremiah and Baruch and some others were going to be spared.
They were going to have their day of affliction. However, the LORD promised that HE would never leave HIS people. HE promised that they would return to the land of Israel in the future. HE promised them rest.
HE wanted them to not be afraid or dismayed. HE uses the words “Fear not” many times to HIS people throughout the Old Testament. Believers are always told to not fear others. HE also used the word “chasten” many times in the Old Testament as HE dealt with HIS people regarding their sin.
These same promises are repeated in the New Testament for those who are members of HIS church. All those who become followers of Christ have nothing to fear because the LORD is with us. Praise HIS name.
A warning is given at the end of this verse. HE will discipline HIS people so they will return to HIM. HE does the same to us. We need to listen to HIM daily!!!
Learn that the chastening of the LORD is good for us. It causes us to return to HIM. It would be better for us to examine ourselves so that HE doesn’t have to chasten us. The problem is that like the Israelites we are slow learners.
CHALLENGE: Realize that the LORD always gives us a measured chastening. There is always just enough chastening to move us to the right path again.
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