Judgment against Egypt
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| Pharaoh Necho |
Preparation of the Egyptian army for war
1. The word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations.
2. Against Egypt. Concerning the army of Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt, which was by the River Euphrates in Carchemish, and which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3. "Order the buckler and shield, And draw near to battle!
4. Harness the horses, And mount up, you horsemen! Stand forth with your helmets, Polish the spears, Put on the armor!
5. Why have I seen them dismayed and turned back? Their mighty ones are beaten down; They have speedily fled, And did not look back, For fear was all around," says the LORD.
6. "Do not let the swift flee away, Nor the mighty man escape; They will stumble and fall Toward the north, by the River Euphrates.
7. "Who is this coming up like a flood, Whose waters move like the rivers?
8. Egypt rises up like a flood, And its waters move like the rivers; And he says, 'I will go up and cover the earth, I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.'
9.
Come up, O
horses, and rage, O chariots! And let the mighty men come forth: The Ethiopians
and the Libyans who handle the shield, And the Lydians who handle and
bend the bow.
We say so often that the Scriptures are the revelation of God and He is revealed in them in myriads of ways. I would like to mention three great topics, among many, which we have encountered in the book of Jeremiah that describe His ways. I mentioned one in the last chapter: 1) There are prophecies to the individual, as the word to Baruch, earlier to the Ethiopian eunuch, proving the Lord’s interest in each person. 2) In the following chapters, we will study prophecies to other nations, besides Israel, to show that God is the Lord of the whole earth and is interested in every nation. 3) We will notice in the way this book ends in chapter 52:31-34, that God wants to leave the reader on a positive note. He not only does this at the end of Jeremiah, but it is His practice throughout the Bible. The Lord wants to show that He is very compassionate and merciful, as James describes Job’s final days on earth, in the last chapter of his letter (Jm.5:11).
Beginning in this chapter and continuing through chapter 51, Jeremiah joins with Isaiah and Ezekiel in giving several prophecies to nations outside of Israel. Daniel´s prophecies, as well, were on an international level, particularly aimed at four world powers – Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Let’s not forget that Jonah and Nahum’s word was exclusively for Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire. Obadiah’s word was for Edom and other prophecies to foreign nations are interspersed in the minor prophets.
To outline the rest of the book, this chapter concerns Egypt; chapter 47, the Philistines, Tyre and Sidon. In chapter 48, there is a prophecy for Moab and chapter 49 concerns a variety of nations… Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. Chapters 50 and 51 have to do with Babylon and finally, chapter 52, reiterates the conquest of Jerusalem. Then, there is a remarkable ending to the book, the Holy Spirit being careful not to end the book without mentioning King Jehoiachin’s release from a Babylonian prison, and brought to the emperor’s table for the rest of his days.
The series of chapters that I have just described is the word of the Lord against the nations and this chapter is against Egypt. It is extremely important that these nations should understand their position before their Creator. Man is not right before Him and he must know the truth. When we go to the doctor with an ailment, the cure begins with an accurate diagnosis of something that is out of order in our system. The cure for spiritual ailments begins with a recognition that mankind is out of step with God (1).
The prophecy goes back to the reign of Pharaoh Necho in Egypt, beginning at the time, when he went to the aid of Assyria against the Babylonians. This was at the end of the reign of King Josiah of Judah, who was killed by Necho at Meggido, when he opposed the Pharaoh (2 K.23:28-30). The prophecy ends four years later, when Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho near the Euphrates River, during the reign of Jehoiakim, Josiah’s son (2). Jeremiah takes satisfaction over the revenge for the life of his friend, Josiah.
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1. Lo,
the conflict of the ages is upon us today,
And the armies are assembling all in battle array;
Are you numbered with the faithful, one of God’s loyal few,
Who have sworn Him full allegiance? can He count upon you?
Refrain
Have your eyes caught the vision?
Have your hearts felt the thrill?
To the call of the Master do you answer, I will?
For the conflict of the ages, told by prophets and by sages,
In its fury is upon us, is upon us today.
2. Catch
the vision of a lost world going downward in sin,
While the Master’s great commission long unheeded has been;
See the children of the kingdom joined in heart and in hand,
Pressing forward in the struggle to redeem this fair land. [Refrain]
3. See the
Church of God awaking and with glorious zest
She is laying on her altars now her noblest and blest;
T’ward the final consummation we are hastening on,
And the time for loyal service will forever be done. [Refrain]
This inspiriting anthem was written by a wonderful old Methodist Episcopalian warrior, Mrs. C. H. Morris, who went blind at the age of 52, and wrote over 1000 texts and many tunes. Our God is the Lord of Hosts and there is no way to avoid His battles, as the Christian marches through this world. In our text today, He prepares for battle against Egypt, in a war, in which He will surely triumph.
The poetic wonder that came to Jeremiah through the prophecy continues: The Egyptians made careful preparations for the battle, yet the astonishing outcome was one of fear and dismay, as they retreat (5). The Lord ordains that the very swiftest and most powerful of the army should not escape (6).
The Egyptian army, along with their confederates, are described as a flood coming over the land (7). They have aspired to victory, hoping to go over the Euphrates and into Babylon (8). It is a mighty army of Ethiopians, Libyans and Lydians, as well as Egyptians, all African nations (9), equipped with the finest horses and chariots, artful with the defense of shields, skillful with bows. History tells that the Libyans used a long shield extending to the feet.
God retaliates against Egypt
10. For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, A day of vengeance, That He may avenge Himself on His adversaries. The sword shall devour; It shall be satiated and made drunk with their blood; For the Lord GOD of hosts has a sacrifice In the north country by the River Euphrates.
11. “Go up to Gilead and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt; In vain you will use many medicines; You shall not be cured.
12. The nations have heard of your shame, And your cry has filled the land; For the mighty man has stumbled against the mighty; They both have fallen together.”
We have seen man’s preparation for warfare, and now we will learn of God’s retaliation. All the skill and preparation is in vain, when the Lord is the adversary. “There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the Lord” (Pr.21:30-31). The prophet describes the Lord taking a sacrifice for Himself. Here is divine principle: If a substitutionary sacrifice is not made for men’s offenses against a Holy God, He will make a sacrifice against the sinner. The ultimate sacrifice is eternal fire that ascends forever and ever.
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Probably the prophet Nahum describes most graphically the vengeance of the Lord: “God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and he reserves wrath for His enemies” (Nah.1:2). His sacrifice will be killed by the Euphrates River in the north (10). Another sacrifice is being prepared against all nations in the Valley of Armageddon, and an angel invites all carnivorous birds: “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great” (Rv.19:17-18).
After the great conflict and defeat by the Euphrates, Egypt will look for a cure, but will find none (11). Egypt has fallen shamefully and his cry will be heard everywhere. The alliance that fought together will die together (12). Egypt has been broken as a world power and no longer can launch an offensive.
The prophecy unites with chapters 43 and 44
13. The word that the LORD spoke to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon would come and strike the land of Egypt.
14. "Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; Proclaim in Noph and in Tahpanhes; Say, 'Stand fast and prepare yourselves, For the sword devours all around you.'
15. Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand Because the LORD drove them away.
16. He made many fall; Yes, one fell upon another. And they said, 'Arise! Let us go back 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 has passed by the appointed time!'
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 he shall come.
19. O you daughter dwelling in Egypt, Prepare yourself to go into captivity! For Noph shall be waste and desolate, without inhabitant.
20. "Egypt is a very pretty heifer, But destruction comes, it comes from the north.
21. Also her mercenaries are in her midst like fat bulls, For they also are turned back, They have fled away together. They did not stand, For the day of their calamity had come upon them, The time of their punishment.
22. Her noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood.
23. "They shall cut down her forest," says the LORD, "Though it cannot be searched, Because they are innumerable, And more numerous than grasshoppers.
24. The daughter of Egypt shall be ashamed; She shall be delivered into the hand Of the people of the north."
25. The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, says: "Behold, I will bring punishment on Amon of No, and Pharaoh and Egypt, with their gods and their kings—Pharaoh and those who trust in him.
26. And I will deliver them into the hand of those who seek their lives, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of his servants. Afterward it shall be inhabited as in the days of old," says the LORD.
Now, the prophecy leaps into the future, 16 years after the conquest of Jerusalem, and becomes very similar to that, which we studied in chapters 43 and 44. Nebuchadnezzar is to invade Egypt (13) and the hand of God strikes the Egyptian homeland. Migdol Noph, and Tahpanhes, chief cities, should prepare their defense (14). Once again the armies of Egypt are defenseless against the Lord (15). They became homesick after their defeat by the Euphrates and return to the comfort of their homeland (16). Pharaoh has forever lost his fame at home and becomes a has-been, a power of the past (17).
The Lord speaks comparatively of His established mountains in Israel, stating that His word concerning the emperor invading Egypt, will also be established (18). The country will no longer be their own; their comfort in their land will be no more, but they will be totally conquered and the people will be carried into captivity. The emphasis in verse 19 concerns their uprooting from their dwelling and being carried into captivity (19).
There will be a destruction of the beauty of the nation (20), the business economy has also been ruined and its mercenaries have abandoned it. God has punished Egypt and chaos reigns (21). The protest of Egypt is reduced to the low hiss of a serpent, now that its population has gone into captivity and its merchants have abandoned it. An army will then enter to destroy the natural assets of the land (22). The invasion will be innumerable, like a plague of grasshoppers (23).
It is the Lord’s work worldwide to bring down pride and Egypt has been humbled and ashamed, submitting her sovereignty to a foreign power (24). Egypt is an example for us, to show how thoroughly He does His work, punishing the nations. In particular, the gods of the nations are destroyed, illustrated in verse 25 by Amon and No, better translated No-Ammon, known as Thebes, capital of Upper Egypt. Jupiter was the deity of Ammon, and Ammon signifies “the concealed one”. The high human powers, idolized by their followers, are brought to shame with them, demonstrating the foolishness of confiding in men. We have in one verse, human heroes, their followers, and their gods utterly humbled.
God is the God of both heavenly and earthly armies. He has used the armies of Babylon to humble and conquer the individual nations around them. When the humiliation is complete, He may allow them to be rebuilt (26). His work continues into modern times. You can observe this if you are patient, because the work seldom takes place suddenly, but over a period of years and decades. “The wheels of justice turn slowly, but surely,” claims the old adage.
A special word for Israel
27. "But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, And your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; No one shall make him afraid.
28. Do not fear, O Jacob My servant," says the LORD, "For I am with you; For I will make a complete end of all the nations To which I have driven you, But I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, For I will not leave you wholly unpunished."
Seven Canaanite nations fell to the judgment of God, when Israel moved in to take possession of the Promised Land. In Israel, we have an exception to all the nations of the world. While it will be disciplined, and that discipline may be very severe, it will not be destroyed.
There are two great landmarks of deliverance in Israel’s history. As the Lord saved Israel from Egyptian slavery, so He will save them from the captivity of Babylon. Jacob is the Lord’s servant, to fulfill His purposes on the earth and will continue to do so, until the end of time. I have been meditating again on the great miracle of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the hand of God upon them over the centuries. Their discovery and the timing of their discovery is amazing, and to contemplate them does good things for our souls.
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Allow me to quote from these church giants. First, Spurgeon: “There will be a native government again; there will again be the form of a body politic; a state shall be incorporated, and a king shall reign. Israel has now become alienated from her own land. (My note: There are not many times, when I can claim to know more than Spurgeon, but I can here. Mr. Spurgeon, since your time, this has been fulfilled. Israel is in her land and has formed a sovereign government.) Her sons, though they can never forget the sacred dust of Palestine, yet die at a hopeless distance from her consecrated shores. But it shall not be so forever, for her sons shall again rejoice in her: her land shall be called Beulah, for as a young man marrieth a virgin so shall her sons marry her. ‘I will place you in your own land,’ is God's promise to them . . . They are to have a national prosperity which shall make them famous; nay, so glorious shall they be that Egypt, and Tyre, and Greece, and Rome, shall all forget their glory in the greater splendor of the throne of David . . . If there be anything clear and plain, the literal sense and meaning of this passage [Ezekiel 37:1-10]—a meaning not to be spirited or spiritualized away—must be evident that both the two and the ten tribes of Israel are to be restored to their own land, and that a king is to rule over them.”
"It is certain that the Jews, as a people, will yet own Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David as their King, and that they will return to their own land, and they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the old cities, the desolations of many generations."
Now Ryle: “I believe that the Jews shall ultimately be gathered again as a separate nation, restored to their own land, and converted to the faith of Christ, after going through great tribulation (Jer. 30:10-11; 31:10; Rom. 11:25-26; Dan. 12:1; Zech. 13:8-9).”
“Christ will come again to this world with power and great glory... He will take to Himself His great power and reign, and establish an universal kingdom. He will gather the scattered tribes of Israel, and place them once more in their own land....As He literally rode upon an ass, was literally sold for thirty pieces of silver, had His hands and feet literally pierced, was numbered literally with the transgressors and had lots literally cast upon His raiment, and all that Scripture might be fulfilled so also will He come, literally set up a kingdom and literally reign over the earth, because the very same Scripture has said it shall be so (Acts 1:11; 3:19-21; Ps. 102:16; Zech. 14:5; Isa. 24:23; Jer. 30:3,18; Dan. 7:13-14).”
“I beseech you to take up anew the prophetical Scriptures, and to pray that you may not err in interpreting their meaning. Read them in the light of those two great polestars, the first and second advents of Jesus Christ. Bind up with the first advent the rejection of the Jews, the calling of the Gentiles, the preaching of the gospel as a witness to the world and gathering out of the election of grace. Bind up with the second advent the restoration of the Jews, the pouring out of judgment on unbelieving Christians, the conversion of the world and the establishment of Christ's kingdom upon earth.”
I would like to quote so much more from these two wonderful and insightful sources from the church in the 19th Century, but we must leave this study now and go on to the rest of the great book of Jeremiah. I only ask that you study carefully their conclusions and I would hope that you make them your own, as I have.
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