Jeremiah 49
COMMENTARY:
: 4 Wherefore glory you in the valleys, your flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me? (982 “trusted” [batach] means confidence, secure, hope, feel safe, reliance, or be unsuspecting.)
DEVOTION: There is a big difference between having confidence in God and having confidence in humans or wealth. Here we find a nation that has not been honoring the LORD at all. They were worshiping other gods and basing their reliance on their location. They had a great location that could hold off any army because they were protected on three sides. They thought no one would bother them. They were wrong.
We find today that many nations and groups of people even in our nation who think that they can have confidence in their money that is stored in banks around the world will be safe. We find that even those who claim to depend on the LORD for their blessings will sometimes think that if they have money in the bank that nothing can go wrong.
However, we have had many individuals who have tried to warn us that paper money will fail and the only safe way to protect your wealth is to have it in gold. So some people are storing gold in their houses and in the bank safes but the problem is that if people find out that you have it they will want yours. Nothing is safe in hard times.
Only our dependence on the LORD will carry us through the most difficult times of judgment on our nation. If we genuinely rely on the LORD alone for our security HE will never fail us. If we rely on anything or anyone else we will be disappointed.
The nation of Ammon trusted in their wealth and it failed them.
CHALLENGE: Our hope is built on NOTHING less than Jesus Christ. HE is the only reliable ONE to safe us in difficult times. HE will provide for our every NEED!
: 11 Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let your widows trust in me. (490 “widows” [almanah] means desolate house, one whose spouse has died, or class of person.)
DEVOTION: There is a special place in the heart of God for those who have lost their spouse and usually their income in the ancient world. There are occasions when we will read about a rich widow but that is rare.
Here we find the LORD giving a promise to the widows of Edom. While the rest of the people will be killed these individuals will be able to trust in the LORD for their care. For more information regarding this same judgment look at the book of Obadiah.
Today we find in the New Testament that the ones that were neglected first were the Grecian widows. The Hebrew widows were taken care of but this was not true of the Grecian widows.
The disciples called together the church and told them to find men for this ministry. They were to look for men who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.
They found seven men who were called deacons to care for the widows of the church. They made sure that their needs were met. This was especially true of them having food on the table.
These same men were found to be preaching for the LORD in different locations as well. They fulfilled their responsibility to the widows. They didn’t stop there. So the characteristics of these men were added to for ministry in the church throughout the world.
The LORD helped the widows of a nation that didn’t love HIM. We are to help those in need especially the widows and shut ins of our congregations. They should never be neglected. Many churches do neglect this group because they say they are too busy with other ministry. The LORD will deal with them because of this neglect.
The other group of individuals added to those who are special in the eyes of the LORD are the fatherless. If the church neglects this group it will answer to the LORD for this neglect. There are many homes that the mother is raising all of the children alone. The men and women of the church should give these children special consideration.
CHALLENGE: Our responsibility is to help those in our church who fall into these two categories. How is your church doing?
: 13 For I have sworn by MYSELF, says the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. (8678 “sworn” [sa-ba] means swear on oath, promise, take an oath, make a promise to do something, or affirm the truth of a statement, with sanctions to follow if the conditions are not met.)
DEVOTION: Here we have the LORD stating that HE is going to do something and confirms it with an oath. We have to realize that if the LORD says it is going to happen it is going to happen. HE seems to say that if circumstances change than the judgment will not happen but usually it will follow HIS statement.
In this instance what HE said would happen did happen because there was not a change of attitude by those involved. The future was certain. Judgment was going to happen to the nation that was not honoring the LORD.
The LORD even makes statement concerning the children of Israel throughout the Bible. These statements have come to pass in the past and will take place in the future. The LORD is not just making empty promises of judgment but HE is going to carry them out as HE did here and throughout the Old Testament regrading Israel and the nations around them.
HE is going to judge the world at the end of the ages. This judgment is stated in the Word of God and it is going to happen. HE is also going to deal with those who call themselves HIS people. We are dealing with the Old Testament people of God here but at the end times HE will be dealing with those who are living today.
CHALLENGE: Our relationship with HIM is very important to the future of every human being that is living today. Those who are genuine believers today are supposed to be sharing the message with those around them. The Bible doesn’t lie about a judgment coming.
: 18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. (4114 “overthrow” [mahpekah] means destruction, demolishing, ruin, or implying a change of state.)
DEVOTION: This word is used six times and in five of the six it refers to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The Bible teaches us that these two cities with three others were located in a beautiful valley. Lot picked this place because it was green with grass for his animals. The LORD, because of the sin of sodomy and other perversions of sin, destroyed four of the five cities. The LORD judged the cities because of their sin. Lot, nephew of Abraham, was in the city of Sodom. His wife and two daughters left the city with him but his wife looked back and turned to a pillar of salt. The cities were destroyed to the point of never having people in them again. These cities are thought to be under the Dead Sea. Lot and his two daughters were spared.
The Ammonites are the result of Lot and one of his daughters having a son named Ammon. In this chapter Jeremiah gives the message of judgment from God to six nations. The first one is the other son of Lot. The second nation is made up of descendants of Esau. He was the older twin brother of Jacob or Israel. The LORD is dealing with relatives first. They should be the first ones to help those related to them. They didn’t help – they hindered.
Jeremiah is telling the Edomites that the LORD was going to destroy their cities with the same conclusion as Sodom and Gomorrah. They were not going to be lived in again. As we look at the present world, can we see the two angels coming down and finding sin running rampant in our world? We can hear Abraham asking the LORD to spare the city if ten righteous people could be found. We are praying that the LORD will spare our nation for those who are righteous. We need to be lights in a dark world. If the LORD had found ten righteous individuals in the city, he said he would not destroy it. Can we have our light shining in all of the cities around us?
CHALLENGE: Judgment Seat of Christ is coming and we have to answer for how we have reached our world for the LORD. Lot failed. Abraham succeeded.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SOUL
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORDverse 34
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 1, 2, 6, 7, 12-14, 16, 18, 20, 26, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 37-39
I will cause an alarm of warverse 2
Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master)verse 5
GOD – Jehovahverse 5
Lord GOD of hostsverse 5
I will bring a fear upon youverse 5
I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammonverse 6
LORD of hostsverses 7, 26, 35
Is counsel perished from the prudent?
Is their wisdom vanished?
I will bring the calamity of Esau upon himverse 8
I will visit himverse 8
I have made Esau bareverse 10
I have uncovered his secret placesverse 10
I will preserve your fatherless childrenverse 11
Let your widows trust in MEverse 11
I will bring you down says the LORDverse 16
I have sworn by MYSELFverse 13
I will suddenly make him run away from herverse 19
Counsel of the LORDverse 20
Purpose of Godverse 20
I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascusverse 27
and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad
I will break the bow of Elam verse 35
I will bring the four winds from the four quarters of heavenverse 36
Judgment of the LORDverse 37
I will send the sword after Elam till they are consumed
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Ammonitesverses 1-6
Rabbah of the Ammonitesverse 2
Alarm of war
Desolate heap
Her daughters shall be burned with fire
Heshbonverse 3
Aiverse 3
Daughters of Rabbahverse 3
Edomitesverses 7-22
Teman
Inhabitants of Dedan
Shall not be able to hide himself
You shall not go unpunished
Bozrah shall become a desolation
a reproach, a waste, a curse,
cities shall be perpetual wastes
I will make you small among the heathen
despised among men
terribleness has deceived you
pride of your heart
dwell in the clefts of the rock
shall be a desolation
every one that goes by it shall be
astonished and hiss at all
the plagues thereof
counsel of the LORD against Edom
against the inhabitants of Teman
Heathenverses 14, 15
Sodom and Gomorrahverse 18
Red Seaverse 21
Damascusverses 23-27
confounded
waxed feeble
fear has seized her
anguish and sorrows have taken her
as a woman in travail
Arpadverse 23
heard evil tidings
fainthearted
Nebuchadrezzar – king of Babylonverses 28, 30
has taken counsel against Kedar
Kedarverses 28-29
kingdom of Hazor
spoil the men of the east
fear on every side
Hazorverses 30-33
dwelling for dragons
Elamverses 34-39
will be dismayed by the LORD
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Backslidingverse 4
Trust in treasureverse 4
Fearverses 5, 24, 29
Thiefverse 9
Drunkverse 12
Heathenverses 14, 15
Deceivesverse 16
Prideverse 16
Faintheartedverse 23
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Prudentverse 7
Wisdomverse 7
Trust in the LORDverse 11
Chosenverse 19
Shephardverse 19
Praiseverse 25
Joyverse 25
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israelverses 1, 2
Son or Heirverse 1
Kingverse 1
Gadverse 1
Esauverse 10
Jordanverse 19
Jeremiah – the prophetverse 34
Against Elam in the beginning of
the reign of Zedekiah
king of Judah
Zedekiah – king of Judahverses 34-36
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Latter daysverse 39
LORD will bring again the captivity of Elam
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