CHAPTER 49

1 Concerning the Ammonites, thus saith the LORD; Hath Israel no sons? hath he no heir? why then doth their king inherit Gad, and his people dwell in his cities? 2 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the LORD. 3 Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is spoiled: cry, ye daughters of Rabbah, gird you with sackcloth; lament, and run to and fro by the hedges; for their king shall go into captivity, and his priests and his princes together. 4 Wherefore gloriest thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter? that trusted in her treasures, saying, Who shall come unto me? 5 Behold, I will bring a fear upon thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts, from all those that be about thee; and ye shall be driven out every man right forth; and none shall gather up him that wandereth. 6 And afterward I will bring again the captivity of the children of Ammon, saith the LORD.

God continues to use Jeremiah, the prophet, and dictate His determination of Gentile nations.

The Ammonites, were descendents of Lot. They caused trouble for the Kingdom of Israel from the entrance to Canaan until its demise. A king of the Ammonites, Nahash (1Samuel 11) attacked the town of Jabesh Gilead during the first years of King Saul's reign. Though he had no real army at that time, Saul gathered men, and saved the town from the Ammonite king.

Amos 1:13-15 also speaks of judgment against the Ammonites. God said that Rabbah, the chief city of the Ammonites, would be burned with fire (verse 2), and that the king would be led into captivity (Amos 1:15).

But God gives HOPE to even these people. SOME of them, a "remnant" if you will, would be able to return (verse 6).

Throughout history, God has used nation's sins against nation to show His eternal power, reveal His glory, and protect His people. And ALWAYS, God has show MERCY upon any who would believe and surrender to Him!

7 Concerning Edom, thus saith the LORD of hosts; Is wisdom no more in Teman? is counsel perished from the prudent? is their wisdom vanished? 8 Flee ye, turn back, dwell deep, O inhabitants of Dedan; for I will bring the calamity of Esau upon him, the time that I will visit him. 9 If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough. 10 But I have made Esau bare, I have uncovered his secret places, and he shall not be able to hide himself: his seed is spoiled, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and he is not. 11 Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in me. 12 For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. 13 For I have sworn by myself, saith the LORD, that Bozrah shall become a desolation, a reproach, a waste, and a curse; and all the cities thereof shall be perpetual wastes. 14 I have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent unto the heathen, saying, Gather ye together, and come against her, and rise up to the battle. 15 For, lo, I will make thee small among the heathen, and despised among men. 16 Thy terribleness hath deceived thee, and the pride of thine heart, O thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, that holdest the height of the hill: though thou shouldest make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down from thence, saith the LORD. 17 Also Edom shall be a desolation: every one that goeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues thereof. 18 As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. 19 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me? 20 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitations desolate with them. 21 The earth is moved at the noise of their fall, at the cry the noise thereof was heard in the Red sea. 22 Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread his wings over Bozrah: and at that day shall the heart of the mighty men of Edom be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

The Edomites were descendents of Isaac through Essau. As brother had contended against brother, so the nations derived from them still contended against one another. It seems mankind has a bent toward unforgiveness and prejudicial treatment.

When Moses wanted to lead Israel through Edomite territory, the king refused their passage (Numbers 20:14-21).

All during the history of Israel as a nation, the Edomites caused problems. But some of them believed and even came to serve in the armies of Israel.

The Edomites were a proud and vain people. Obadiah speaks of how they built fortresses in the high mountainous region and defied anyone to defeat them (verse 16 above, and see also Obadiah 1:3). But David conquered them, and Solomon used their land for his benefit.

Verse 8 speaks of "the calamity of Esau." Esau had sold his birthright for a meal. He was a man of "appetites." And he allowed his lust to cause him the loss of his birthright.

God is saying (verse 8) that the nation of Edom had a birthright to eternal salvation; but they lost it because of their lusts.

God also says (in verse 10) they would be totally destroyed, none would be left. In the 3rd century B.C., Edom was overrun by the Nabataeans and totally destroyed.

Friends, knowing God IS and KNOWING GOD are two quite different things! Those who KNOW that God IS, yet live as they desire, will one day face God in final judgment. At that time, they will be like "a woman in her pangs" (verse 22). They will be helpless to do anthing but accept what comes next!

23 Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet. 24 Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail. 25 How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy! 26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts. 27 And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-ha'dad.

Damascus was in Syria and had a series of kings named "Ben-hadad." Ben-hadad I conspired against Judah, but was "bought off" by Asa, king of Judah (1Kings 15:19-20). Ben-hadad II invaded the northern kingdom of Israel, but was ultimately defeated and captured by Ahab, king of Israel (1Kings 20). Ben-hadad III also oppressed Israel (the northern kingdom), but was defeated by Joash and Jeroboam II (2Kings 13:25).

In 722 B.C., the Assyrians routed and killed the people in Damascus and carried many away into captivity never to be heard from again.

28 Concerning Kedar, and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon shall smite, thus saith the LORD; Arise ye, go up to Kedar, and spoil the men of the east. 29 Their tents and their flocks shall they take away: they shall take to themselves their curtains, and all their vessels, and their camels; and they shall cry unto them, Fear is on every side. 30 Flee, get you far off, dwell deep, O ye inhabitants of Hazor, saith the LORD; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath taken counsel against you, and hath conceived a purpose against you. 31 Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the LORD, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone. 32 And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter into all winds them that are in the utmost corners; and I will bring their calamity from all sides thereof, saith the LORD. 33 And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.

Some nomadic tribes in the Arabian desert were constantly "heckling" Israel by stealing sheep and cattle. They had no regard for God or His people.

Nebuchadnezzar invaded that area in 599 B.C. and utterly destroyed it and the people.

There are those today who constantly "heckle" Christians with no regard for God, His Word, or His people. There will come a day when they will face the Almighty Eternal God for final disposition of their eternal souls.

34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might. 36 And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. 37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them: 38 And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD. 39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Elam was a city in the area of the Tigris and Euphrates river. They were responsible for the downfall of Ur when they destroyed the city and took the king prisoner.

Genesis 10:22 says that Elam was a son of Shem. The city of Elam was captured by Ashurbanipal the Persian king in 645 B.C. And Darius I moved the Persion capital there about 520 B.C.

It was God Himself that orchestrated the downfall of the city and its people (verse 35). And it was indeed God's "throne" that was "set" in the city (verse 38). God certainly used Ashurbanipal and Darius I for His glory and to help His people.

There is still a great prophecy about Babylon and the Babylonian people in chapters 50 and 51.

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.