God Opposes the Proud

In The Word

Read: Jeremiah 46, 47

 

 

Defeat of Pharaoh Foretold

46 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.

To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

“Set up the buckler and shield,
And advance to the battle!
Harness the horses,
And mount the steeds,
Take your stand with helmets on!
Polish the spears,
Put on the coats of armor!
Why have I seen it?
They are terrified,
They are retreating,
And their warriors are defeated
And have taken refuge in flight,
Without facing back.
Terror is on every side!”
Declares the Lord.
Let not the swift man flee,
Nor the warrior escape.
In the north beside the river Euphrates
They have stumbled and fallen.
Who is this that rises like the Nile,
Like the rivers whose waters surge?
Egypt rises like the Nile,
And like the rivers whose waters surge;
And He has said, “I will rise and cover that land;
I will destroy the city and its inhabitants.”
Go up, you horses, and drive wildly, you chariots,
So that the warriors may march forward:
Cush and Put, who handle the shield,
And the Lydians, who handle and bend the bow.
10 For that day belongs to the Lord God of armies,
A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes;
And the sword will devour and be satisfied,
And drink its fill of their blood;
For there will be a slaughter for the Lord God of armies,
In the land of the north at the river Euphrates.
11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,
Virgin daughter of Egypt!
You have used many remedies in vain;
There is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
And the earth is full of your cry of distress;
For one warrior has stumbled over another,
And both of them have fallen down together.

13 This is the message which the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt:

14 “Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol,
Proclaim also in Memphis and Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,
For the sword has devoured those around you.’
15 Why have your powerful ones been cut down?
They do not stand because the Lord has thrust them away.
16 They have repeatedly stumbled;
Indeed, they have fallen, one against another.
Then they said, ‘Get up, and let’s go back
To our own people and our native land,
Away from the sword of the oppressor!’
17 They shouted there, ‘Pharaoh king of Egypt is nothing but a big noise;
He has let the appointed time pass by!’
18 As I live,” declares the King,
Whose name is the Lord of armies,
“One certainly shall come who is like Tabor among the mountains,
Or like Carmel by the sea.
19 Make your baggage ready for exile,
Daughter living in Egypt,
For Memphis will become a desolation;
It will be destroyed and deprived of inhabitants.
20 Egypt is a pretty heifer,
But a horsefly is coming from the north—it is coming!
21 Also her mercenaries in her midst
Are like fattened calves,
For they too have turned away and have fled together;
They did not stand their ground.
For the day of their disaster has come upon them,
The time of their punishment.
22 Its sound moves along like a serpent;
For they move on like an army
And come to her as woodcutters with axes.
23 They have cut down her forest,” declares the Lord;
“Certainly it will no longer be found,
Even though they are more numerous than locusts
And are without number.
24 The daughter of Egypt has been put to shame,
Turned over to the power of the people of the north.”

25 The Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to punish Amon of Thebes, and Pharaoh, and Egypt along with her gods and her kings, indeed, Pharaoh and those who trust in him. 26 I shall hand them over to those who are seeking their lives, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to his officers. Afterward, however, it will be inhabited as in the days of old,” declares the Lord.

27 “But as for you, Jacob My servant, do not fear,
Nor be dismayed, Israel!
For, see, I am going to save you from far away,
And your descendants from the land of their captivity;
And Jacob will return and be undisturbed
And secure, with no one making him afraid.
28 Jacob My servant, do not fear,” declares the Lord,
“For I am with you.
For I will make a complete destruction of all the nations
Where I have driven you,
Yet I will not make a complete destruction of you;
But I will correct you properly
And by no means leave you unpunished.”

Prophecy against Philistia

47 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh conquered Gaza. This is what the Lord says:

“Behold, waters are going to rise from the north
And become an overflowing torrent,
And overflow the land and everything that is in it,
The city and those who live in it;
And the people will cry out,
And every inhabitant of the land will wail.
Because of the noise of the galloping hoofs of his stallions,
The roar of his chariots, and the rumbling of his wheels,
The fathers have not turned back for theirchildren,
Because of the debility of their hands,
Because of the day that is coming
To destroy all the Philistines,
To eliminate from Tyre and Sidon
Every surviving ally;
For the Lord is going to destroy the Philistines,
The remnant of the coastland of Caphtor.
Baldness has come upon Gaza;
Ashkelon has been destroyed.
Remnant of their valley,
How long will you gash yourself?
Ah, sword of the Lord,
How long will you not be quiet?
Withdraw into your sheath;
Rest and stay still.
How can it be quiet,
When the Lord has given it an order?
Against Ashkelon and against the sea shore—
There He has summoned it.”

 

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation


Walking In The Word

 

Israel was not the only nation receiving God’s wrath. He also poured it upon the Egyptians and Philistines for their pride, sin, and worship of false gods. God’s chosen tool to discipline each of these nations was the Babylonian army. The Egyptian army was so greatly routed that the soldiers fell over each other while retreating from the Babylonians. The Philistines were so afraid that some parents abandoned their children when they fled their pursuers.

Israel, Egypt, and Philistia had each become prideful by doing what they wanted rather than submitting to God’s will. They felt secure in their own strength and riches. They chose not to humble themselves and worship God alone. God warns that He fights against the proud, but gives grace to those who humble themselves (James 4:6). God humbled the three nations by sending an enemy they could not withstand. 

One form of pride is to trust in our own ability, strength, wisdom, and finances. God warns that to put faith in any object or person, including ourselves, will likely lead to a negative outcome (Jeremiah 17:5-8). We may do well for a while, but we will not be able to stand long-term (1 Corinthians 10:12). If we place our faith in God alone, then we will never be let down. Today in prayer, humble yourself and ask for God’s strength and wisdom to help you. Through the Holy Spirit, God promises to pour out His grace upon you.

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