Concerning the False Prophets
23: 9-40

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Jeremiah now turns to the false prophets, his antagonists during his entire prophetic ministry. The adulterous state of the nation was a result of these false prophets. Having given a positive picture of the Righteous Branch in 23:1-8, the prophet now returns to a negative message. Throughout the scroll, there is a constant pattern of sin and judgment. It was a message that he was called to bring, but did not enjoy doing. Again it was tearing him up as it did before. Finally, we learn of Jeremiah’s burden of his prophetic office.

A summary of the false prophets: first, they were never sent by God (23:32b); second, they used God’s name without His authority, not having stood in the Counsel of ADONAI (23:18-23); third, they had low moral character (23:14-15); fourth, they spread false hopes and promises among the people (23:16-17); and fifth, the origin of their false prophecies came from their own minds (23:31), their own dreams (23:25-29) and other false prophets (23:30).

Jeremiah stood in striking contrast to those false prophets. He was sent and appointed by God (to see link click Aj – The Call of Jeremiah) and used God’s name with authority. He was a man of high moral integrity. He preached judgment. He stood in the council of ADONAI. And He depended upon nothing but direct revelation from YHVH Himself.

But the prophet from Anathoth lived in the midst of false prophets who purported to know God’s will. In that dispute, the test of a true prophet could be found in the TaNaKh (Deuteronomy 18:15-22 CJB). The problem was that Jeremiah prophesied about the near historical events that took decades to come to pass. In the interim, it was not clear who was telling the truth and who was in fact God’s mouthpiece. Yirmeyahu, against the other false prophets, announced the fall of the Temple, Jerusalem and Judah. The false prophets, however, tried in various ways to soften the massive judgment that he anticipated. But history would record that Jeremiah alone had indeed stood in the council of the LORD.

The Righteous Branch
23: 1-8

The righteous branch DIG: Who are the shepherds? In what ways did the leaders of Judah exploit the people? How were they scattering the flock? What caused them to stop trusting YHVH? What will the LORD do to them? What new shepherds and righteous Branch will God appoint (Isaiah 11:1-2)? Zedekiah is Hebrew for ADONAI my righteousness. What is the significance of the future King’s title? What historical benchmarks define Isra’el as a nation? Why is one more significant than the other?

REFLECT: Jesus applied this shepherd imagery to Himself. How does He fulfill this promise to you? Which title, name or role of Yeshua is most special to you? Hope shines in even the darkest chapters in Isra’el’s history. How does hope shine for you?

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Now Jeremiah gives us a different picture. The branch of David through Jechoniah had been “cut off” (to see link click Dv – The Curse of Jeconiah, Also Known as Jehoiachin or Coniah). However, God promised to raise up to David another King who would be a righteous Branch, that is, another member of the Davidic line. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Jeremiah begins with a negative contrast before moving to the positive and describes the wicked leaders of his day. Under their evil leadership the people abandoned the ways of righteousness and suffered exile. It is noteworthy that in the final analysis the transgressions of the nation are attributed to their leaders. Inspired by the Ruach ha-Kodesh, the prophet declares: Woe to the shepherds, including King Zedekiah and the nobles who seemed to dominate him, who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture (23:1)! But this term may be more comprehensive to include a long list of inept, careless, and neglectful shepherds for so many years past.²⁴⁶

Therefore, this is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, says to the shepherds who tend My people. “Because you have scattered My flock and driven them away (into exile) and have not watched over them, but I am watching you to punish you for the evil you have done,” declares Ha’Shem (23:2). Because they did not watch over the people, God will judge them for the evil they had done in fulfillment of His threat (Deuteronomy 28:15ff).

Throughout Jewish history, the Exodus has been considered the high point; but after the final regathering that perception will change. Yirmeyahu promised a much greater regathering of the Jews . . . a greater miracle than their deliverance from Egypt. A Righteous Ruler will ensure them tranquility and safety. The hope of God is not nullified because of Judah’s failure. I Myself will gather what remains of My flock from all the countries (plural) where I have driven them (see Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison) and bring them back (shuwb) to their homes, and they will be fruitful and increase their numbers. I will appoint shepherds over them who will truly shepherd them; then they will no longer be afraid or disgraced; and none will be missing unlike sheep carried off by beasts of prey through their shepherd’s neglect (23:3-4 CJB).

The new community that YHVH will gather is a real historical fact. The hope of the united Kingdom of Isra’el was, and is, concrete and offered against the devastation that would soon visit Tziyon. This regathering did not happen after the seventy-year captivity (see Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule) because not all the Jews returned from Babylon. And in 70 AD the Israelites were scattered all over the world. That diaspora continues today, and awaits the arrival of the righteous Branch.

But in contrast to the unhappy past, a messianic prophecy of hope for the future is spoken. The days are coming. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the eleventh of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases.

The context here is in the far eschatological future, the days are coming says ADONAI when I will raise a righteous Branch for David. The branch (Hebrew: tzemach) never denotes a twig, or an individual branch of a tree, but a growth or sprout that grows directly from a root, forming a new, or second, plant or tree (Genesis 19:25; Psalm 65:10; Isaiah 61:11; Ezeki’el 16:7, 17:9-10; Hosea 8:7).²⁴⁷ It also emphasizes the humanity of the righteous Branch because He will be a descendant of David and sit on David’s throne. He will not be like Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin or Zedekiah. He will reign as king and succeed, He will do what is just and right in the Land (23:5 CJB). He will be the One who ultimately fulfills God’s covenant with David (Second Samuel 7:5-16). He will reign wisely (Isaiah 11:1-2). He will execute justice and righteousness. These were the two responsibilities of the house of David that Jeremiah talked about in 22:3. Where the kings listed above failed, this descendant of David will succeed.

The rabbis have always taken these verses as being messianic until recently. In the midrash in the book of Proverbs (which was assembled somewhere between 200 and 500 AD), the rabbis said that there were eight names given to the Mashiach. They included Shiloh, David, YHVH (in earlier Jewish writings the rabbis did apply the name YHVH to the Messiah based upon Jeremiah 23:5-8), and Branch (based upon Jeremiah 23:5). Midrash aggadah is a form of rabbinic literature. It is a form of storytelling that explores the ethics and values of biblical texts; whereas midrash halakha attempts to take biblical texts that are either general or unclear and to clarify what they mean.

Now Jeremiah turns to His deity. He not only sits on David’s throne, but He brings salvation. Elsewhere in Jeremiah this was a promise only God could achieve. In His days the southern kingdom of Judah will be saved and the northern kingdom of Isra’el will live in safety (Romans 11:26). His deity is seen in His name, and the name given to Him will be ADONAI Tzidkenu, or, the LORD our righteousness (23:6 CJB). This King will embody righteousness, to which His very name will attest. It is perhaps intentional and ironic that the “real King” anticipated is called YHVH our righteousness (or ADONAI tzidkenu), while the last king of the line up to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC was Zedekiah (or YHVH is righteous). The coming King will be genuine righteousness (tzedakah), whereas the remembered King Zedekiah did not embody righteousness at all. The coming King will embody the reality. The proposed name for the new King indicates that He will govern with justice (see the commentary on Revelation Fi – The Government of the Messianic Kingdom). This is considered such an important prophecy that it is repeated in 33:16.²⁴⁸

The rabbis also took this verse to be messianic. In the midrash on Lamentations the rabbis teach that YHVH is His name and is proved by the name: ADONAI our righteousness. The Talmud says the following three will be named with the Name of the Holy One blessed be He. The upright as it is said from Isaiah 43:7; the Mashiach as it is written from Jeremiah 23:6; and this His name where He shall be called the LORD our Righteousness. The midrash on Psalm 21:1 comments: ADONAI calls Messiah by His own name. What is His name? The answer is the LORD is a Man of Strength, and concerning the Messiah we read, the LORD our righteousness is His name.

If you ask a modern rabbi about this, how does he answer? The Masoretic vowel point does not allow for the word is in the phrase YHVH is our Righteousness. The rabbis usually respond, “When YHVH’s name is used as part of a man’s name only the first two letters are used. But all four letters are never used as the name of a man. But in the phrase YHVH is our Righteousness, all four letters are used. That is the issue that they see.

The King in verses 5 and 6 will accomplish the regathering of Isra’el in verses 3 and 4. “Therefore,” says ADONAI: the days are coming. This is the twelfth of twenty-five times that Jeremiah uses one of these phrases. The context here is a far eschatological future prophecy about the Messianic Kingdom. The days are coming when people no longer swear, ‘As ADONAI lives, who brought the people of Isra’el out of the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As ADONAI lives, who brought the descendants of the house of Isra’el up from the Land of the north and from all the countries where I drove them’ (23:7-8a CJB).” The exodus will no longer be viewed as the high point of Jewish history. There will be a new high point, the worldwide regathering back to the Promised Land by the Righteous King. The final result will be at the end of verse 8: Then they will live in their own Land in the Messianic Kingdom (Isaiah Chapter 11; Ezeki’el Chapters 34 and 37). This is one of the most important passages in the book of Jeremiah.

True and False Prophets
23: 1-40

597 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Jeremiah summarized the unrighteous kings as being like shepherds who were destroying and scattering God’s sheep. The branch of David through Jehoiachin had been cut off. However, YHVH promised to raise up to David another King who would be a righteous Branch, ADONAI Tzidkenu, or, the LORD our righteousness (23:1-8).

On the other hand, the false prophets who had not understood ADONAI correctly had, therefore, misled the people (Deuteronomy 13 and 18). Among these words of judgment are also claims that God intends to redeem His scattered people and to raise up a Shepherd in whose days Judah and Isra’el will find security (23:9-40).

Zedekiah Ruled For 11 Years
from 598/597 to 586 BC

Nebuchadnezzar looted the city of Yerushalayim and removed the leaders of the Israelites. Jehoiakim, after a three-month reign, was taken into captivity with the second deportation of exiles to Babylon in 597 BC (Second Kings 24:13-15). His uncle Zedekiah was installed as Judah’s vassal king, but there was little left over which to rule.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Tziyon for eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah (Second Kings 24:18). She was from Libnah. Second Kings 23:31 also mentions she was the mother of Jehoahaz, making them full brothers and the sons of Hamutal and Josiah. The other sons of Josiah had different mothers and were half brothers. He did evil in the eyes of ADONAI, just as Jehoiakim had done (52:1-2). Zedekiah learned nothing of Ha’Shem’s judgment from any of his brothers and suffered accordingly.

It was because of Ha’Shem’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end God thrust Zion and Judah from His presence (52:3). The persistence of Zedekiah in his evil ways brought down upon his kingdom the manifestation of Ha’Shem’s anger. From a human perspective, the thing that brought about destruction of the Temple, Jerusalem, Judah and resulting exile was Zedekiah’s rebellion against the king of Babylon. From a divine perspective all this came because of Zedekiah’s wickedness and rebellion against YHVH. But in reality, both of these worked in the providence of God.

The final scene in this tragedy was enacted in the reign of the ill-fated Zedekiah (his throne name) or Mattaniah (his personal name), who ruled from 597 to 586 BC (Second Kings 24:17 to 25:7; Second Chronicles 36:11-21). His eleven-year rule was marked by continual social and political unrest. The die had been cast for Judah’s unavoidable fall. He was Josiah’s third son and was only 21 years old when Nebuchadnezzar appointed him. An evil king, his reign was marred by spiritual decline and political instability. Zedekiah was too weak to control his nobles and too fearful of public opinion. It seems clear that many in Judah still regarded Jehoiachin as the rightful king and hoped for his speedy return. He allowed his nobles to take control of events that brought about Judah’s destruction.

Zedekiah’s reign proved that Judah had not learned her lesson about submission to Nebuchadnezzar and within eleven years she was demolished. He rebelled against Babylon, was captured, forced to watch the execution of his sons, blinded, then bound in shackles and taken into captivity in the third deportation of exiles where he died in prison.

Back in Yerushalayim, after each of the first three deportations, the pro-Egypt party was hard at work. They always seemed to think that if they could just align Judah with Egypt that they would be protected. This never materialized, but they kept trying. It was the pro-Egypt party that kept Zedekiah off balance for much of his reign. And it was the pro-Egypt party that was eventually responsible for taking Jeremiah and Baruch hostage and forcibly took them down to Egypt against their will after the assassination of Gedaliah.

In 594/593 BC Zedekiah’s trip to Babylon (51:59) may have been to explain away the plots against Babylon (27:2-3) and disguise his loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar. Afterwards Zedekiah was allowed to return to Judah and reign, only later to rebel more overtly.

We now turn to the cluster of events in Jeremiah’s ministry that took place in 594 BC. The prelude to these events took place in Babylon in December 595 or January 594 BC. At the time there was an attempted uprising against Nebuchadnezzar by some of the Babylonian military units. Nebuchadnezzar got word of it and put it down brutally. He boasted that he executed the ringleader with his own hands. But in the next few months a report of the attempt must have gotten back to Jerusalem, raising the hope that if the little states there in the west could combine forces, they might be able to throw off the domination of Nebuchadnezzar. There may also have hope for help from Egypt because a new pharaoh, Psammetichus II, had just come to the throne.²⁴⁵

That same year plans for revolt were discussed among Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon and Judah in Zedekiah’s fourth year. False prophets both in Judah and in these small countries were encouraging revolt.

In 588 BC with the enthronement of another Pharaoh (Hophra) in Egypt, Judah was again enticed to revolt against Babylon. A coalition of vassal states (Judah, Tyre and Ammon) refused to pay tribute and remain under Babylon’s control (Jeremiah 52:3; Second Kings 24:20). Nebuchadnezzar’s response was swift and harsh. Therefore, the Babylonian army did not attack Jerusalem at once, but slowly eliminated the fortified cities throughout Judah to put down resistance for good (34:6-7 and 38:4).

In 587 BC hope came when the Egyptian army entered the Land. At Jerusalem, the Babylonians temporarily lifted the siege in order to meet the Egyptian threat (37:5). One senses in Jeremiah that hopes were high that the Egyptians would prevail (34:8-11; 37:3-10). Yirmeyahu, however, warned the people against undue optimism since the City of David was doomed. It was a very brief time, perhaps only a few weeks, when the Egyptians were defeated and the siege was resumed. Tziyon hung on for about another year. Jeremiah urged surrender and Zedekiah seemed willing (38:14-23) but feared to do so.

By 586 BC it was the third year of the siege and Nebuchadnezzar had returned to Jerusalem to finish the job. On the ninth of Tammuz, in the nineteenth year of his reign (Second Kings 25:8), the walls of Yerushalayim were finally breached just as the supply of food ran out. Zedekiah and his family with some Judean troops managed to flee by night toward the Jericho plains, but were captured near Jericho and taken to Nebuchadnezzar’s military headquarters in Riblah in central Syria. There, Zedekiah’s sons were slain before his eyes, then he was blinded and taken in chains to Babylon where he died.

A month later Nebuzaradan, the commander of the royal bodyguard and acting under Nebuchadnezzar’s orders, burned the City and broke down her walls. At the same time he rounded up many priests, military personnel and state officials, as well as some of the most prominent citizens. Some were taken to Nebuchadnezzar and executed at Riblah, while others were deported to Babylon. Jerusalem and the walled cities of Judah were left in ruins and nationhood for Judah had come to an end.

Wineskins and the Threat of Captivity
13: 12-27

Wineskins and the threat of captivity DIG: What is the meaning of the parable of the wineskins? Why belabor the obvious? What should be obvious to Judah? Is Judah’s drunkenness literal or figurative? What’s the message in this for Y’hudah to hear? Is there any hope for Judah or is this captivity inevitable? Why would Jeremiah weep secretly (9:1)? Who are the king and queen mother? The defeated were often led naked into captivity. What sense of shame does this fate convey (see 13:22 and 26; Ezekiel 16:36-38)? Is Y’hudah unable to stop sinning (see verse 23)? Is it fair to punish people for acts that Jeremiah seems to consider beyond their control? What had Judah done to deserve this fate?

REFLECT: How do you think Jeremiah felt delivering this kind of message again and again? Why didn’t God just warn Y’hudah once and just lower the boom? What do these repeated warnings tell you about YHVH? How easily do you cry? Has the state of your shul or church ever upset you enough to weep? Why did ADONAI liken the worship of other gods to adultery? What does that tell you about the way He thinks of His relationship to us? Can a leopard change its spots? Is that true of people in general? Of you? Is this verse “hopeless” or do you see it differently? How so?

598 BC during the three-month reign of Jehoiachin

The parable of the wineskins: Jeremiah is to go before the people and recite a very well-known proverbial saying. God told him to say to them, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: Every wineskin should be filled with wine.” This riddle seemed designed to evoke an inquiry: If they say to you, “Don’t we know that every wineskin should be filled with wine” (13:12)? In the move from riddle to statement of judgment, however, the language has shifted: Filled with wine has become filled with drunkenness. The latter is a metaphor for destruction. The language suggests bitterness, lack of control, and shame. While we speak of the “cup of blessing” at communion, this is a “cup of cursing” and death (Jeremiah 25:15-29; Mark 10:38-39 and 14:36).

Then Jeremiah was to tell them what the wine represented. It was not physical wine but the wine of the wrath of God. There will be no exceptions. I AM going to fill with drunkenness all who live in this Land, including the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests who were unfaithful to their high office, the false prophets and all those living in Jerusalem (13:13). There will be ample wine to induce drunkenness.

The notion of drunkenness here is not related to immorality, but to a loss of equilibrium, of being dizzy and unbalanced. The image is of people so unstable, as in a crazy drunk, that they will bump against and hurt each other. They will be helpless, unable to act differently or responsibly. They will be at the mercy of their condition, out of control. I will smash them one against the other, parents and children alike (to see link click Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh), declares ADONAI. So the only One who could save them from their uncontrolled act of self-destruction is God, who made them drunk in the first place. But He will not intervene: I will allow no pity, no mercy or no compassion to keep Me from destroying them (13:14). Her state of drunkenness will be allowed to run its full course.²⁴⁴

The warning against pride: Jeremiah prophesied: Listen (Hebrew: shama) and pay attention, do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken. Give glory to ADONAI your God before He brings the darkness, before your feet stumble on the darkening hills. You hope for light, but He will turn it to utter darkness and change it to deep gloom. As travelers hasten to reach safety before darkness overtakes them, so let Y’hudah return to God before the darkness of disaster engulfs her. If you do not listen (Hebrew: shama), I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly (hence, the weeping prophet), overflowing with tears, because the LORD’s flock will be taken captive (13:15-17).

According to these verses there was still time to repent (shuwb). But if Judah did not turn, then the darkness, stumbling, twilight, and gloom was sure to come. God had said: And if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned (Jeremiah 18:8, 26:3, 35:15, 36:7, for the word relent, also see the commentary on Jonah Ax – The Ninevites Believed God).

Yirmeyahu might appear as a stern prophet – so harsh that he roused the fierce hostility of many people, even his own family. But the driving force of obedience to YHVH, however unpleasant, motivated his harshness. A yearning love for his people inspired him with deep compassion for their woes – even if self-inflicted. In a passage of great tenderness, the Talmud interprets the verse, “As a loving Father sorrowing over his son’s misdeeds for which he had had to punish him, so God weeps in a secret place over Isra’el’s glory that has been taken from her and given to others (Chag. 5b).

The weeping for the royal family: Say to king [Jehoiachin] and to the queen mother [Nehushta], “Come down from your thrones, for your glorious crowns will fall from your heads.” Jeremiah pronounces the demise of the royal family. The cities in the Negev will be shut up, and there will be no one to open them. All Judah will be carried into exile, carried completely away (Jeremiah 13:18-19; Second Kings 24:8-15). This is a rhetorical exaggeration. The complete captivity did not take place until the reign of Zedekiah; nevertheless, the magnitude of the present disaster warranted such a description. Moreover, Jehoiachin and the princes were exiled, which represented the whole nation.

Near Eastern etiquette attached great prominence to the queen mother, as is shown by the frequency with which she is specifically named in the Bible. The prominence would be enhanced in this scene since Jehoiachin was only eighteen years old (see Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC). Since kings usually had many wives, not all of them of the same status, the queen mother’s identity was a matter of importance in the succession to the throne.

It is remarkable that the queen mother’s name is given only for the kings of Judah, not those of Isra’el. An exception was Jehoram of Judah, whose mother is not mentioned (Second Kings 8:16). His wife was Ahab’s daughter (Second Kings 8:18) and as a true daughter of Jezebel she may have forced the queen mother into the background who, for that reason, is not named. The queen mothers after that are mentioned for Y’hudah, but not for Isra’el. This seems to indicate that their prominence was confined to the southern kingdom Judah, since Judaism has always paid honor to women. The northern kingdom of Isra’el, on the other hand, which came more strongly under the influence of the surrounding Gentile nations, may have held women in less esteem, in conformity with the general attitude of the ancient world.

The consequences of their guilt: The people’s sins were responsible for the disaster. What now becomes of the nation? Babylon, the one she once courted, would enslave her. The nation was so deeply dyed with evil, it was doubtful that she could ever be clean again. The readers of Jeremiah in captivity already knew they were taken to Babylon.

Look up and see those who are coming from the north. As if talking to Jehoiachin, the prophet asks: Where is the flock that was entrusted to you, the sheep of which you boasted? What have you done with the people entrusted to your care? The shepherd had left the flock to be destroyed and now was then being held responsible for that failure. What will you say when the LORD sets over you those you cultivated as your special friend? Will not pain grip you like that of a woman in labor (13:20-21)?

Jerusalem had committed spiritual adultery. And if you ask yourself, “Why has this happened to me?” – it is because of your many sins that your skirts are pulled up and you have been violated (publically disgraced like a common prostitute). The problem, the root problem was their pride. The idolatry was merely a symptom of their pride. It infected their whole culture. As a result, judgment was inevitable . . . irreversible. Can an Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots? No. Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil (13:22-23). Doing evil had become so ingrained in the people of Judah that they couldn’t do anything else but do evil. Judah was so steeped in evil, it was almost impossible for her to return to righteousness.

The result of this massive and irreversible disobedience is presented in three different metaphors. First, the disobedient people will be blown like chaff. The image echoes Psalm 1:4 and refers to being scattered. Thus, this picture is yet another way of speaking of the exile. ADONAI declared: I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind.

The second metaphor speaks of land allotment. This is your lot, your punishment, the portion I have decreed for you,” declared ADONAI, because you have forgotten Me and trusted in false gods. The picture is used ironically here, for the portion given is now exiled land, that is, land that is ritually unclean and religiously worthless.

The third metaphor is that of a prostitute. I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen – your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields, your favorite places to worship other gods. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean (13:24-27)? How long will it be before judgment finally strikes (see Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC)? Jeremiah had to rest in the promise of a future restoration (31:31-34).

A Linen Loincloth
Jeremiah’s Fifth Symbolic Action
13: 1-11

A linen loincloth DIG: What physical demonstration did God require of Jeremiah as a lesson to the people? What images do you see in this parable? Why a linen loincloth? Why did he need to hide it? Why did it need to be completely useless? What does the parable mean? Why does the LORD use an object lesson?

REFLECT: Have there been times in your life when YHVH used actions to speak louder than words? What happened? How did the message get through? Jeremiah obeyed ADONAI instantly, without questioning. How willing are you to go along with things that you don’t understand? Do you need to see how things will turn out before making a step? We try to convey God’s message through words and deeds. Which is easier for you? In what ways might one without the other confuse people? How would you share Ha’Shem’s message more clearly?

598 BC during the three-month reign of Jehoiachin

The one main point to the fifth symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action)
is that Isra’el had become as useless to God as a rotten loincloth.

The narrative is characterized by two parts – the action and its interpretation.

The action: This is what the LORD said to Yirmeyahu: Go and buy a linen loincloth (not a sash) and put it around your waist (13:1a). This is similar to 19:1, were Jeremiah is told to go and buy a clay jar from a potter. This was a common undergarment like a loincloth that men wore around the hips reaching midway to the thighs. The word that Jeremiah uses for loincloth is used only six other times in the Bible, but Jeremiah uses it eight times. This linen loincloth was a symbol of the priestly calling (Leviticus 16:4). The common man, however, would have been intimately familiar with the fit and purpose of a loincloth, making the symbolism of this passage accessible to the whole Israelite community.

But do not let it touch water (13:1b). If it were worn properly the loincloth would last a long time, but if misused it becomes ruined and completely useless. I always imagine Jeremiah making a production out of the purchase, spending most of the afternoon bargaining with the shopkeeper (not in itself an unusual practice in the Near East) so that a lot of people would know about the purchase. So I bought a loincloth, as ADONAI directed, and put it around my waist (13:2). This symbolized Judah’s closeness and intimacy with YHVH. The word spread fast. “What is Yirmeyahu buying that fine linen loincloth for? What special event is coming up? What was he invited to that we weren’t?”

Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time saying: Take the loincloth you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks. Jeremiah made a show of wadding up this beautiful piece of clothing and sticking it in a rock crevice to keep it safe until a later time. So Yirmeyahu went and hid it at Perath, as ADONAI told him to do (13:3-5).

Some have felt that Yirmeyahu walked to the Euphrates River, a round trip journey of about 700 miles, to bury this loincloth. Walking that distance twice would have taken three or four months. But the point of this symbolic action was that the people could see him perform it. But nobody was going to travel 700 miles to see Jeremiah bury a linen loincloth! The more likely scenario was that the prophet traveled to the village of Perath (usually translated Euphrates as in 51:63) about five miles northeast of Yerushalayim in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin (Joshua 18:21 and 23). A deep wadi in this area fits the description of the place with rocks and crevices. In Hebrew the spelling for to Perath and to Euphrates are identical (Hebrew: peratah). By using the location so close to home, the people were able to observe Jeremiah’s symbolic action.²⁴²

Many days later the LORD said to me: Go now back to the Perath and get the loincloth I told you to hide there. So I went to Perath and dug up the loincloth, as if to wear it for a special occasion, and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but (surprise, surprise) now it was ruined and completely useless (13:6-7). Jerusalem as a useless vine (Ezekiel 15:1-8). It was rotten and destroyed because of the exposure to the elements and insects.

The interpretation: God interprets this for us so we won’t miss the point. Then the word of ADONAI came to me. This is what the LORD says: In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. These wicked people, who refuse to listen to My words, who follow stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this loincloth – completely useless. For as a loincloth is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Isra’el and all the people of Judah to Me, declares the LORD, to be My people for My renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened and are totally corrupted (12:8-11). Just as the loincloth was ruined by the water, YHVH will ruin the pride of Y’hudah by means of Babylon.

The people got the message: Isra’el was the loincloth that God wanted to wear, but she wasn’t ready yet to be used for His purposes. She wanted to live an ordinary life first, so she wadded herself up and stuffed herself into the secure routines, separating herself from what God had at great cost purchased her for. But when the day comes it will turn out that she is good for nothing. The beautiful moral life that she set aside for a more convenient day will turn out, when she picks it up, to be mildewed and worthless.²⁴³

A Linen Loincloth, Wineskins,
and the Threat of Captivity
13: 1-27

598 BC during the three-month reign of Jehoiachin

The people were not responding to Jeremiah’s message, so ADONAI had him perform a symbolic act to get their attention (to see link click Dx – A Linen Loincloth). The prophet also began using parables again (13:12-14). These unusual means of communication were designed to arouse the curiosity and interest of his unresponsive Judeans. He warned them about their pride and the consequences of their guilt. But nothing worked. Finally, as if a last resort, he compared Tziyon to a prostitute and the threat of captivity (see Dy – Wineskins and the Threat of Captivity). I will pull up your skirts over your face that your shame may be seen – your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields, your favorite places to worship other gods. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean (13:24-27)?

The Curse of Jeconiah,
Also Known as Jehoiachin or Coniah
22: 20-30

The curse of Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin or Coniah DIG: What happened to Jehoiachin during his reign as king? Why was he like a broken pot, cast aside? Did any of his descendants sit on the throne of David (Second Kings 24:15-17)? Why or why not? Zedekiah ruled next. If you were Zedekiah, what would you conclude from this sad replay of your family history? Through how many reigns had God been patient? Why did YHVH wait so long to end the line? From Manasseh on, what does this teach us about parenting? How could Josiah have such ungodly sons? What was the consequence of their turning away from God and to other gods?

REFLECT: As in Jeremiah’s day, leaders today usually set a tone for others. What national leader have you seen destroy his country? Whether from incompetence or an outside invasion, did that country every recover? What positive tone or atmosphere are you setting in your home, job, school, shul or church? Where might you have a negative impact? What are you counting on? In whom do you put your hope?

598 BC during the three-month reign of Jehoiachin

Concerning Jerusalem: This section begins and ends with Lebanon. Lebanon is a geographical reality that refers to a far boundary; as a metaphor it refers to pride and security. Go up to Lebanon (north of Judah) and cry out. Spoken to the people collectively; hence the use of the feminine in Hebrew. Let your voice be heard in Bashan (north-east of Judah), cry out from Abarim (south-east of Judah), for all your allies are crushed. Abarim is part of the mountains of Moab and Mount Nebo from which Moshe saw the Land, is the highest peak of the Abarim. The reason for her morning was that all her supposed political allies like Egypt had deserted her (see the parallel in Hosea 8:9). The reason for the judgment comes next: I warned you when you felt prosperous and secure, but you said: I will not listen (Hebrew: shama). This has been your way from your youth; you have not obeyed (Hebrew: shama) Me (22:20-21)! It had been the habitual action of the Jews throughout their history. Rather, the Israelites had trusted in the gods of the surrounding Gentile nations.

However, this reference to Lebanon is in fact a reference to Y’hudah. The wind will drive all your shepherds away. These supposed shepherds were Judah’s leaders and they would be sent into exile, particularly in 597 BC during the second deportation (Second Kings 24:22 to 25:7). But it wasn’t only Judah’s leaders who would go into captivity, but her lovers, her allies would also go into exile. Then you will be ashamed and disgraced because of all your wickedness. You who live in Lebanon, who are nestled in cedar buildings, how you nestled in cedar buildings, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like that of a woman in labor (22:22-23). Y’hudah believed that she could count on other gods and nations, but in the end she was shamed by them. The great city of Jerusalem would be useless when judgment came. A harsh, inescapable judgment was coming, pain like childbirth, only now they would be pangs of death.

Concerning Jehoiachin: The name Coniah is a shortened form or Jeconiah. Also called Jehoiachin (see the commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Du – Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC), was one of the last kings of Judah before the Babylonians took Judah into captivity. The name Coniah is used only in Jeremiah. He dropped from Coniah’s name the part that means ADONAI or the LORD. Because he hardly lived up to the name ADONAI establishes, or the LORD will firmly establish, Jeremiah prefers to call him Coniah rather than Jeconiah. All three forms of the name have this same basic meaning.

As the result of his wickedness, the judgment of Jeconiah became seemingly irreversible. The LORD’s patience with the Jews had about run its course when Jeconiah became king at the age of 18 (2 Kings 24:8-16a). This young king did evil in the sight of God because he resisted Babylonian control of Judah that YHVH had commanded (27:5-11). “As surely as I live,” declares the LORD, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would still pull you off (22:24). The signet of the king was one of his most prized possessions (see the commentary on Esther Aw – The King Gave His Signet Ring to Haman). His name, ADONAI establishes was ironically not true. Coniah would not be established. He would reign a mere three months, then taken away to Babylon. Instead of being a figure of hope, and keeping the thread of royal promise alive, he became only an object of deep pity.

I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear – to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians (22:25). For this, he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, who carried him away to Babylon together with all the treasures of the Temple. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth? (Queen Mother Nehushta in Second Kings 24:8) into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. You will never come back to (shuwb) the Land you long to return (shuwb) to” (22:26-27). This and the following verses, which assume the exile to have already begun, are spoken in prophetic anticipation. There he remained in prison for 37 years before he died.

Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot, an object no one wants? The metaphor is a broken pot not valued. In the second symbolic action of the potter and the clay (see Cw – At the Potter’s House), the potter shattered his pot and once again formed the marred clay into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him (18:4). Of course it was Y’hudah and not the king who is the clay in Chapters 18 and 19. Here, however, the handling of the clay is more specific. It is Jehoiachin, king of Judah.

Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into a land where they do not know? Ha’Shem pronounced a curse upon him in the days of Jeremiah. The curse has several facets to it, but the last one is so significant that God called the whole earth three times over to hear it (22:28-29).

God weeps over the Land and king. O Land, Land, Land, hear the word of the LORD! When something is repeated three times it is meant to be emphatic. This is what ADONAI says: Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime. The Bible says, as if childless. In First Chronicles 3:17-18 we are given a list of his sons that he fathered later in life. So in this context, childless means that he would not prosper in his lifetime, in other words he would not be restored to the throne of David (although Zerubbabel, his grandson, spearheaded the effort to lay the foundation of the Second Temple after the return from Babylon after the exile).

Then the curse is spelled out: No descendant of Jeconiah will ever have the right to sit on the throne of David or rule again in Judah (Jeremiah 22:30). This curse, however, was to be reversed seventy- eight years later by his grandson Zerubbabel (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Bc – King Darius Endorses the Rebuilding of the Temple). Until Jeremiah, the first requirement was membership in the house of David. But with Jeremiah, that requirement was limited even further. One still had to be a member of the house of David, but he had to be apart from Jeconiah. Yosef was a descendant of David, but in the line of Jeconiah; therefore, he was disqualified. If Jesus had been the real son of Joseph, He too would have been disqualified from ever sitting on the throne of David. If a Jew looked at Matthew’s genealogy, he would have thought to himself, “If Yeshua really was Joseph’s son, He couldn’t be the Mashiach.” That is why Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy, addressed the “Jeconiah problem,” and solved it by means of the Virgin Birth (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary).

Jehoiachin Ruled For 3 Months in 598 BC

As the Babylonians were approaching to besiege Jerusalem in 598 BC . . . Jehoiakim conveniently died. We don’t know exactly how it happened, but since he was rebelling against powerful Babylon he might have been assassinated (22:18-19; 36:30) in the hope that Judah might be disciplined lightly. Perhaps Babylon was pacified, for Jerusalem and the Temple were not destroyed at that time, but the city was looted. Nebuchadnezzar only wanted to teach Judah and other vassal nations the awful consequences of rebellion against Babylon. His son Jehoiachin followed Jehoiakim to the throne.

As the grandson of Josiah, Jehoiachin (Second Kings 24:6-17; Second Chronicles 36:8-9; Ezeki’el 1:20), also called Jeconiah (First Chronicles 3:16-17; Esther 2:6; Jeremiah 24:1, 27:20, 28:14 and 29:2), which Jeremiah shortened to Coniah was only 18 years old when he became king of Judah. He was young enough to be controlled and simply surrendered to the Babylonians. Afterwards, because it was actually his father, Jehoiakim, who revolted against Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar did not execute the young king. But he did treat Jehoiakim’s body with extreme disrespect (22:18-19) although the actual record of it is not given in Scripture.

After a three-month reign, Jehoiachin was taken into captivity with the second deportation of exiles to Babylon. Along with Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar also deported the queen mother, 18,000 high government officials, skilled laborers and soldiers of Jerusalem (Second Kings 24:8-16; Second Chronicles 36:9-10). For some reason, Jeremiah was not among those exiled. It may be that he stayed outside Tziyon during the siege or that, if he was within the City, he was marginal to the circles of power whom the Babylonians chose for deportation. However, another one of those taken was twenty-five year old Ezeki’el, who would then begin his prophetic ministry in Babylon.

Back in Yerushalayim, after each of the first three deportations, the pro-Egypt party was hard at work. They always seemed to think that if they could just align Judah with Egypt that they would be protected. This never materialized, but they kept trying.

In tracing Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew went back in time and began with Abraham (Matthew 1:2), and traced the line to King David (Mattityahu 1:6). From David’s many sons, he showed that the line went through Solomon (Matthew 1:6). From Solomon the genealogy came to Jeconiah (Mattityahu 1:11-12). This was a critical turning point, as Matthew traced Jeconiah down to Joseph (Matthew 1:16), who was the stepfather of Jesus. According to Matthew, Yosef was a descendant of David through Solomon, but also through Jeconiah. This meant that Joseph could not be the heir-apparent to David’s throne (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ai – The Genealogies of Joseph and Mary).

We learn this from Jeremiah 22:24-30, where we read: “As surely as I live,” declares ADONAI, “even if you, Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on My right hand, I would still pull you off. I will hand you over to those who seek your life, those you fear – to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to the Babylonians. I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. You will never come back to the Land of Judah that you long to return to. Is this man Coniah a despised broken pot, an object no one wants? Why will he and his children be hurled out, cast into the land they do not know? O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of ADONAI” (Jeremiah 22:29)! This is what ADONAI says: Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah (Jeremiah 22:20).

The name Coniah is a shortened form for Jeconiah. Also called Jehoiachin, he was one of the last kings of Judah before the Babylonians took Judah into captivity. The LORD’s patience with the Jews had about run its course when Jeconiah became king at the age of 18 (2 Kings 24:8-16a). This young king did evil in the sight of God because he resisted Babylonian control of Judah that ADONAI had commanded (Jeremiah 27:5-11). For this, he was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, who carried him away to Babylon together with all the treasures of the Temple. There he remained in prison for 37 years before he was released and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table (Jeremiah 52:33; Second Kings 25:29).

Ha’Shem pronounced a curse upon him in the days of Jeremiah. The curse has several facets to it, but the last one is so significant that God called the whole earth three times over to hear it (Jeremiah 22:29). Then the curse is spelled out: No descendant of Jeconiah will ever have the right to sit upon the throne of David (Jeremiah 22:30). Until Jeremiah, the first requirement was membership in the house of David. But with Yirmeyahu, that requirement was limited even further. One still had to be a member of the house of David, but he had to be apart from Jeconiah. Yosef was a descendant of David, but in the line of Jeconiah; therefore, he was disqualified from the throne of David. If Jesus had been the real son of Joseph, He too would have been disqualified from ever sitting on the throne of David. If a Jew looked at Matthew’s genealogy, he would have thought to himself, “If Yeshua really was Joseph’s son, He couldn’t be the Meshiach.” That is why Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy, addressed the “Jeconiah problem,” and solved it by means of the Virgin Birth (Mattityahu 1:18-24).²⁴¹

The House of the Rechabites
Jeremiah’s Fourth Symbolic Action
35: 1-19

The house of the Rechabites DIG: Chapter 35 flashes back to the reign of Jehoiakim ten years earlier. What is the relationship between Judah and Babylon at that time (Second Kings 24:1-2)? Why did ADONAI tell Jeremiah to offer the Rechabites wine? What two things made them different from other Israelites? Why do you think they had been told to live so radically different (Second Kings 10:15-23; compare to the Nazirite’s vow in Numbers 6:2-4, 20)? Why had they moved into Jerusalem? Why might they feel uneasy about the situation there? What about the Rechabites pleased God? How were they rewarded? Was the Rechabite way of life commended to Jeremiah’s readers? What is the object lesson in this for Judah? For you?

REFLECT: The Rechabites refused to go through the wide gate and take the broad way of the world that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). Who in your world is like the “modern thinking” crowd in Judah? Who in your world is like these Rechabites? What can your messianic synagogue or church learn from such faithful believers? Is your lifestyle distinct from that of your peers at work, school or neighborhood? What one thing distinguishes you? How should believers separate from the rest of society, yet live close enough so that others can see our reflection of the Messiah?

599 BC during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

The one main point to the fourth symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action)
is that while the Rechabites were faithful to their vows, Isra’el was not.

Crowds lie. The more people, the less truth. Integrity is not strengthened by multiplication. We can test this easily. Which promise is more likely to be kept: the promise spoken by a politician to millions on social media or the promise exchanged by two friends?

Since we all have everyday experiences of the unreliability of crowds to discern and reflect the truth, it is puzzling that the appeal to numbers continues to carry so much weight with us. The selling of millions of copies of a book is accepted as evidence that the book is excellent and important. The fact that most people today believe in abortion or homosexuality is given as evidence of its legitimacy. But an elementary knowledge of history verified by a few moments of personal reflection will prove that the truth is not statistical and that crowds are more foolish than wise. We cannot avoid being in crowds. But can we keep from being crowd-controlled. Can we keep from trading our name for a number?

Yirmeyahu dealt with crowds most of his life. Unlike many of the prophets who lived in the desert, the priest from Anathoth was a man of the city. He walked in the streets daily. Frequently he visited the Temple courts. But while Jeremiah was often in crowds, he was not crowd-controlled. The crowd did not dictate his message. The crowd did not shape his values. Jeremiah did not commission a public opinion poll to find out what the crowd in Jerusalem wanted to hear about God. He did not ask for a show of hands to determine what level of moral behavior to emphasize. YHVH shaped his behavior. YHVH directed his life. YHVH trained his perceptions. This shaping and directing and training took place as he listened to ADONAI and spoke to Him. He meditated long and passionately on the Word of God. All he lived and spoke came from this inner action: His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot (20:9).²³⁴

Some strange people appeared on the streets of Tziyon. They were called Rechabites. The Rechabites have usually been described as a nomadic clan that lived a disciplined, ascetic life pasturing flocks in the wilderness. Their way of life was a protest against the corruption of civilization and an idealization of the forty years of wilderness wanderings of the Israelites after receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. Therefore, they led a wandering life and lived in tents. Recent studies have shown that the Rechabites were a guild of metalworkers involved in the making of chariots and other weaponry. They roamed the country, setting up camp outside villages and cities. If you had a javelin that needed straightening or a chariot wheel that needed repair, you put it aside for a time when the Rechabites would arrive. They were a small band that kept to themselves.²³⁵

Craftsmen in metal would have many trade secrets, tightly held. They didn’t drink wine because they followed the well-known adage, “Loose lips sink ships.” Metal workers in antiquity usually formed proud families with long genealogies. Marriages were carefully arranged within the guild, preventing outsiders from learning all their secrets. They had a formidable body of technical knowledge that was handed down and guarded jealously from generation to generation. The nature of their work prevented them from establishing a permanent home. They remained in one place until the supply of ore and fuel were exhausted. Their work required such skill and practice that they didn’t have time for planting or harvesting crops.

The Babylonian invasion of Judah had made their living in the countryside dangerous and so the Rechabites had come inside the city walls of Jerusalem for safety (35:11). To say the least, they were an oddity in the City, conspicuous in their strangeness. They were, of course, noticed and commented on. Like an accident on the side of the road, everyone slowed down and gawked at them. Within two or three days everyone would either have seen them or heard about them.²³⁶

God’s Word Regarding the Rechabites: This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD during the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah. “Go to the house of the Rechabites and invite them to come to one of the side rooms of the Temple and give them wine to drink” (35:1-2). But the Rechabites didn’t drink wine. Everybody knew that. Why invite them to a wine party that they couldn’t enjoy? Then it dawned on the prophet. Of course. The Rechabites were living evidence; right there on the crowded streets of the city of David, of the two things the crowd-conditioned people assumed were impossible. First, they were evidence that everyday, ordinary people could live their entire lives directed by a personal command (opposed to the impersonal pressures of the crowd). And second, they were evidence that it was possible to maintain a lifestyle that was set-apart (and not assimilate to the fashions of the crowd). The people had already noticed the Rechabites – how could they miss them – now if the masses could just be made to notice exactly what it was that set them apart and gave them their identity, then they themselves might realize that a personal identity and a disciplined distinctiveness were possible for them also.²³⁷

So I went to get Jaazaniah son of Jeremiah the son of Habazziniah, and his brothers and all his sons – the whole family of the Rechabites. I brought them into the Temple, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper. This was a dramatic setting for Jeremiah’s graphic declaration. The prophet didn’t ask them anything. He simply set goblets full of wine and some cups before the Rechabites and said persuasively to them, “L’Chaim! Drink some wine (35:3-5 CJB).”

Did they join in? Did they relax their principles for the moment so as not to offend their new friend? Did they realize that they were living under emergency war conditions and that it was only courteous to adapt to the customs of their protectors? Did they do the politically correct thing? Did they take a realistic view of the situation and share the common cup, showing appreciation for being treated so generously?

No they did not, and Jeremiah knew they would not. The Rechabites promptly recited the commands of their ancestor and founder like a catechism: We do not drink wine, because our forefather Jonadab ben Rechab gave us this command, “Neither you nor your descendants must ever drink wine. Also you must never build houses, sow seed or plant vineyards; you must never have any of these things, but must always live in tents. Then you will live a long time in the Land where you are nomads” (35:6-7 CJB).

The Rechabites traced their ancestry back 250 years, to one Jonadab ben Rechab in the time of Jehu. He was not a Jew but did play a role in the northern Kingdom of Isra’el. He sided with Jehu in the bloody extermination of the house of Ahab in 842 BC, and his subsequent purge of the Baal-worshipers who had flourished under the patronage of Jezebel, Ahab’s wife (Second Kings 10:15-17). This experience evidently turned Jonadab against city living, thinking that living in cities lent itself to idol worship. Therefore, he instituted the vow mentioned above in 35:6-7.

They accounted for their disciplined life and distinctive identity in terms of their obedience to the command given by their ancestor: We have obeyed (Hebrew: shema) everything our forefather Yonadab son of Rechab commanded us. Neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters have ever drunk wine or built houses to live in or had vineyards, fields or crops. The climactic statement was: We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed (Hebrew: shema) everything our forefather Jonadab commanded us. But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded this land, we said, “Come, we must go to Jerusalem to escape the Babylonian and Aramean armies.” So we have remained in Jerusalem (35:8-11). They were forced to flee for their lives and enter Zion, but they would not violate their promise not to drink wine. This was an obedient community.

The Rechabites lived their lives on the basis of what had been commanded by their ancestor, not on the whims of the crowd. Their way of life was not formed out of current events but out of centuries of devotion. The ancient command, not the current headline, gave them their identity. That word shaped and preserved their proud traditions as skilled craftsmen. Neither the hospitality of a kind host nor the customs of the city where they had come for sanctuary could distract them from what was essential: that they were a commanded people, that they were a disciplined people. Jonadab’s 250-year-old command carried far more weight with them than Jeremiah’s immediate friendship. The discipline that made it possible for them to maintain their craft was far more important to them than making the “commonsense adaptations” that would make friends.²³⁸

The Israelites and the Rechabites Compared: Jeremiah could now explain his symbolic action, addressing the men of Judah, the Levites, the court officials and the citizens of Jerusalem who were at the Temple compound. The theme of Isra’el’s disobedience is again stressed. The contrast between the loyalty and obedience of the Rechabites to their founder, and the disloyalty and disobedience of the Israelites to their God was once again pointed by Jeremiah through his fourth symbolic action.

Jeremiah was not commending them for their nomadic lifestyle. In fact, the Torah commanded the Jews to own vineyards, sow seed, and so on. But the Rechabites were not Jews so they were not obligated to follow the Torah. The prophet of God, however, was commending their obedience and faithfulness to their vow.

Then the word of ADONAI came to Yirmeyahu, “ADONAI-Tzva’ot the God of Isra’el says to go and tell the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, ‘Won’t you ever learn to listen (Hebrew: shema) to My words and follow this example of obedience?’ says ADONAI. ‘Yonadab ben Rechab ordered his descendants not to drink wine and this command has been kept. To this day they do not drink wine, because they obey their forefathers command. But I have spoken to you persistently (the pronoun is emphasized in the Hebrew to mark a contrast with Jonadab who was obeyed, whereas God’s commands are ignored), yet you have not obeyed (Hebrew: shema) Me. Persistently I sent all My servants the prophets to you. They said: Each of you must turn from your wicked ways and reform your actions; do not follow other gods to serve them. Then you will live in the Land I have given to you and your ancestors. But you have not paid attention or listened (Hebrew: shema) to Me. The descendants of Yonadab ben Rechab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed Me’ (35:12-15 CJB).”

The essence of Jeremiah’s message was this, “You also have a Father who has commanded you to live in complete submission to Him. You know that He has set you apart for His holy purposes. Why don’t you live in response to that command? If you think it’s too hard for you, think again. The Rechabites have been doing it for 250 years. Don’t just look at them. Don’t just talk about them. Pay attention to what is distinctive about them. They are not entertainment, but are a living example of faithfulness. You’re problem isn’t that you can’t do it, but that you are lazy. You have let the crowd turn you into spectators and consumers. You listen to gossip and ignore God’s Word. Why won’t you let God’s command grow within you a life of holy obedience instead of letting the crowd drag you down into the gutter.²³⁹ The descendants of Yonadab ben Rechab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed (Hebrew: shama) Me (35:16 CJB). Everything hinged on their willingness to be obedient (shama) and to listen (shema)!

The Faithlessness of the Israelites Condemned: Therefore, here is what ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says to go to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Tziyon say: Listen! I am going to bring on Judah and on everyone living in Jerusalem every disaster I pronounced against them. I spoke to them, but they did not listen (shema); I called to them, but they did not answer (35:17 CJB).

The Faithfulness of the Rechabites Rewarded: As the disobedience of the Judeans resulted in ruin, the faithfulness of the Rechabites would receive recognition from YHVH. Then Jeremiah said to the clan of the Rechabites, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: You have obeyed (shama) the command of your forefather Jehonadab and have followed all his instructions and have done everything he ordered” (35:18 CJB).

Therefore, based on the obedience to their vow, this is what ADONAI Elohei-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: Yonadab son of Rechab will never fail to have a descendant to stand before Me (35:19 CJB). Yonadab will always have descendants among the elect of God. The words stand before Me are usually used in terms of priestly service to ADONAI (Deuteronomy 10:8, 18:5-7; First Kings 8:11; Second Chronicles 29:11). Therefore, he will have descendants among the priests in the millennial Temple. Isaiah 66:18-21 says that there will be both Jewish and Gentile priests in the Millennial Kingdom. The Mishna states that after returning from the Babylonian captivity there was a specific day of the year for the Rechabites to bring wood for the bronze altar.

Yirmeyahu raises some weighty objections to our superficial lives that are shaped and sanctioned by the crowd. The moral level of our society is shameful. The spiritual integrity of our culture is an embarrassment. Any part of our lives that is turned over to the crowd makes it and us worse. The larger the crowd, the smaller our lives. Pliny the Elder once said that if the Romans couldn’t make a building beautiful, they made it big. The practice continues to be popular: If we can’t do it well, we make it larger. We add dollars to our income, rooms to our houses, activity to our schedules, appointments to our calendars. And the quality of life diminishes with each addition.

On the other hand, every time we retrieve a part of our life from the crowd and respond to God’s call to us, we are that much more ourselves, more human. Every time we reject the habits of the crowd and practice the disciplines of faith, we become a little more alive.²⁴⁰

Dani’el Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
Dani’el 2: 24-49

Dani’el interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s dream DIG: How did Dani’el save the lives of all the magi and astrologers in Babylon? About six hundred years later, what would be the ramifications of this “salvation?” Who gets the glory in this scene? What does Dani’el picture the large statue? How do the different parts of the statue relate to five kingdoms? What is the rock not cut by human hands? How does Dani’el testify to ADONAI by name? How does King Nebuchadnezzar honor Dani’el and his God?

REFLECT: With the state of the world today, how does the promise of the Messianic Kingdom encourage you (Revelation 20:1-10)? How does it make you feel to know that the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies is in total control of human destiny and has everything planned out for the good of His children?

601 BC during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

There is an impressive sunken garden in front of the Beinicke Rare Book Library on the campus of Yale University in Massachusetts. It is meant to simulate the universe. A large marble pyramid stands in one corner, symbolizing time. Another corner sports a huge doughnut shaped structure lying on its side. It signifies energy. In a third corner is a huge die perched on one tip as if ready to topple any which way. It is the symbol of chance. This is the world of modern mankind, a self-existing universe consisting of energy, time and chance. And those in Babylon, ancient or modern, don’t know which way the die will fall. Chance is opaque. It’s the world of whatever.

Believers in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob think the Yale garden is a lie. We trust that ADONAI knows and orders the course of history down through the rise and rubble of nations until the day when He sets up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed (Dani’el 2:44a). This is no brilliant insight; we only have faith in this because of the God of heaven who reveals mysteries.

To have a God who reveals mysteries, however, does not mean we have a God who unveils everything. He doesn’t show us which stocks will profit or whether you can avoid cancer till you’re eighty-nine, or whether one’s nation will still exist twenty years from now. Therefore, He only reveals what we need to know. And yet Dani’el’s praise helps us here, because he assures us that even what YHVH doesn’t tell us He knows; He knows what lies in the darkness (Dani’el 2:22). You can walk into the future with a God like that, who shows you that history is going toward His unshakable Kingdom and who assures you that even though you have many personal uncertainties you follow a God who wrote the end of the book! Therefore, you can keep going with hope and without fear.²³²

The Dream and It’s Interpretation: Then Dani’el went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to execute the magi of Babylon, and said to him, “Do not execute the magi of Babylon. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him.” Arioch took Dani’el to the king at once and said, “I have found a man among the exiles from Judah who can tell the king what his dream means” (Dani’el 2:24-25).

The king asked Dani’el (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you able to tell me what I saw in my dream and interpret it?” Dani’el replied: No magi, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. Dani’el emphasizes the unity of YHVH against the plurality of the Babylonian deities. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. This phrase, in days to come, is a prophetic term. It will be a near historical prophecy or a far eschatological prophecy, depending on the context. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these (Dani’el 2:26-28):

As Your Majesty was lying there, your mind turned to things to come, and YHVH, the revealer of mysteries, showed you what is going to happen. As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind and who is God indeed. Your Majesty looked, and there before you stood a large statue – an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance (Dani’el 2:29-31).

This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands He has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, He has made you ruler over them all (2:36-38a).

1. You are the head of gold (Dani’el 2:32a; 2:38b). The head of the statue was made of pure gold (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Ao – The First Beast of Daniel: A Lion with a Head of Gold):

2. After you, another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours (Dani’el 2:32b; 2:39a). Its chest and arms of silver (see the commentary on Revelation Ap – The Second Beast of Daniel: A Bear with a Chest and Arms of Silver):

3. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth (Dani’el 2:32c; 2:39b). Its belly and thighs of bronze (see the commentary on Revelation Aq – The Third Beast of Daniel: A Leopard with Thighs of Bronze):

4. Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, or beast, strong as iron – for iron breaks and smashes everything – and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others (Dani’el 2:33a; 2:40). Its legs of iron (see the commentary on Revelation Ar – The Fourth Beast of Daniel: Finally, There will be a Fourth Beast, That Breaks and Smashes Everything):

a. The Fourth Beast: Dani’el 2:40 and 7:23a (see the commentary on Revelation As – The Fourth Beast: The Roman Empire State): The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth.

b. The Fourth Beast: Daniel 2:33b. Its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay (see the commentary on Revelation At – The Fourth Beast: The Balance of Power Stage): Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay (Dani’el 2:41-43).

c. The Fourth Beast: Dani’el 7:23b and c (see the commentary on Revelation Au – The Fourth Beast: The One World Government State): It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

d. The Fourth Beast: Dani’el 2:42-43, 7:24a, and also see 11:40-45 (see the commentary on Revelation Av – The Fourth Beast: The Ten Kingdoms Stage): The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay.

e. The Fourth Beast: Dani’el 7:24b-26 (see the commentary on Revelation Aw – The Fourth Beast: The Antichrist Stage): After them another king will arise, different form the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress His holy people and try to change the set times and laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.

5. The Fifth Kingdom will not be Gentile, but Jewish (see the commentary on Revelation Ax – The Messianic Kingdom: A Rock Not Cut by Human Hands). While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and smashed them. So the smashing of the image comes only in the last stage of the image. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were all broken to pieces and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The smashing was so complete that the wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth (Dani’el 2:34-35). When the Bible uses images, it uses them consistently. When a mountain is used symbolically, it always point to a nation or a kingdom. In this case, the huge mountain gives us a picture of the Messianic, or Millennial Kingdom.

In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy (Dani’el 2:44-45).

Isaiah says: Trust in ADONAI forever, for the LORD, the LORD (again a doubling to emphasize the point), is the Rock (Isaiah 26:4a). Many times in the TaNaKh, the use of the word the Rock is a picture of the Messiah (Genesis 49:24; Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:8; Deuteronomy 32:4 and 13; Second Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:2, 10:14, 40:2, 61:2, 92:15; Isaiah 8:14). And the Rock is eternal (Isaiah 26:4b).

The king’s response: Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate before Dani’el and paid him honor and ordered that an offering and incense be presented to him. The king said to Dani’el, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery (Dani’el 2:46-47). The climax of the episode is reached in this verse where the God of Isra’el is acclaimed by the greatest ruler on earth as the supreme God of the universe.

Then the king placed Dani’el in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its magi. Because of Dani’el’s faith and witness many magi were saved. That is why when Messiah was born, we see magi coming from the east, or Babylon, following the Sh’khinah glory, and bearing gifts for the Kosher King (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Av – The Visit of the Magi). Moreover, at Daniel’s request the king appointed Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah administrators over the province of Babylon, while Dani’el himself remained at the royal court (Dani’el 2:48-49).

This solid assurance of the victory of God’s Kingdom is meant to bring a contagious certainty to the people of God, people who are so often squashed under the arrogant heels of the earth’s kingdoms and rulers. Such an immovable belief puts iron in their veins and nerve in their spirits as they walk through the disappointments of life and the reverses of history. They never totally despair because they know that Jesus Christ is not only the faithful witness and the firstborn of the dead, but the ruler of the kings of the earth (see the commentary on Revelation Ai – Look, He is Coming With the Clouds).

The Roman and Christian-hating Emperor Julian (332-363 AD) was mortally wounded in a war with the Persians. While the battle was in progress, one of Julian’s followers asked a Christian in far away Antioch what the carpenter’s son was doing. The Christian replied, “The Maker of the world, whom you call the carpenter’s son, is employed in making a coffin for the emperor.” Within days news came back to Antioch of Julian’s death. That is where Dani’el 2 leaves us. Yeshua has a coffin for every empire and every emperor; the only true security in this world is in the carpenter’s Son.

Nebuchadnezzar did not forget his dream. And you must not forget it either; don’t forget what the God of heaven reveals to you through this dream, for this is a dream that will come true.²³³

Nebuchadnezzar Dreams of an Image
Dani’el 2: 1-23

Nebuchadnezzar dreams of an image DIG: What does the king ask of the magi enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers? Why is he testing their competence? Why is he so firm? So angry? In his fury, what does the king decide to do? How does Dani’el respond to the edict? Embracing the death-defying dare to interpret the dream, what role is played by Daniel’s personal faith? What does Daniel’s psalm in verses 20-23 express? What gifts does he praise God for? Why? What does that say about God? About Dani’el? About intercession, thanksgiving and counting our blessings? Why does Dani’el especially praise God’s wisdom and might? How does this relate to the king’s and magi’s claim? Compare Dani’el and this king to Joseph and Pharaoh (Genesis 41:1-57). How are they alike? Different?

REFLECT: How (or what) drives you crazy with demands? How do you decide when to give in and when to say no? Dani’el was given wisdom. Nebuchadnezzar had power. Who in your life or society claims to have wisdom or power? How do their claims compare to God’s gifts to us? How may your prayer life reflect Daniel’s praise and thanksgiving? And his friend’s powerful intercession?

602 BC during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

Elizabeth Elliot (1926-2015) was twice widowed, first by the martyr death of missionary Jim Elliot, and then by the death of her second husband, theologian Addison Leitch. She tells of how helpful the Apostles’ Creed was to her as she mourned the loss of Doctor Leitch. She used it to answer the question: What things have not changed even though my husband has died? One might imagine Dani’el and his three friends asking a similar question after being hauled off to Babylon (to see link click Ca – Jehoiakim Ruled For 11 Years from 609/608 to 598 BC), far from Judah and all that was near and dear to them. They might have wondered, “What has not changed even though we have been carted off to Babylon?” And the text of Dani’el answers the question: ADONAI.²²⁹

It has been said that when kings suffer bad dreams, ADONAI is at work (see the commentary on Esther Be – That Night the King Could Not Sleep).²³⁰ And so it was with the king of Babylon. In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a number of dreams that night; but one in particular troubled him so much that he could not sleep (Dani’el 2:1). It was during this time that God begins to reveal to Dani’el the time of the Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation An – The Times of the Gentiles) and the four kingdoms (see Ds – Dani’el Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream) that control that time.

The demand of King Nebuchadnezzar and his unique challenge to the wise men: So the king summoned the magi, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed (Dani’el 2:2a). They were the first to speak because of their “supposed” powers of divination. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means” (Dani’el 2:2b-3). Now Nebuchadnezzar uses the singular for dream. Although he had had several dreams, only one of them really troubled him.

Then the magi, who served as the spokesmen for all four groups, answered the king in Aramaic, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it” (Dani’el 2:4). This was the normal procedure for interpreting dreams at that time. At this point the book of Dani’el, he switches to Aramaic from the Hebrew and continues in Aramaic until the end of Chapter 7. This was either their native tongue or the diplomatic language of the time, like Latin in the middle Ages. The Arameans were a highly important branch of the Semitic world, living mainly in Mesopotamia and Syria. Their language comprised many dialects.

But because this dream so agitated the king, he replied to the magi, “This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your homes turned into piles of rubble.” He wasn’t going to trust their interpretation of the dream unless they told him what the dream actually was. He wasn’t going to play by the normal rules of interpretation. This must have been terrifying to the magi because the cruelty of the Babylonian kings is well known. “But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me” (Dani’el 2:5-6).

Once more they replied, please follow the normal procedure: Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it (Dani’el 2:7). The change to the third person indicates a more respectful tone of address.

Then the king accuses them of stalling: I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. Unless they can tell the dream without his help, he will not believe their interpretation. Because, he asserts, it will be an invention on their part, spoken in the hope that the passage of time will obliterate the dream from the king’s memory and save them from certain death. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me (Dani’el 2:8-9). Nebuchadnezzar knew his dream and only their declaration of the specific content of the dream would serve as proof of their claim to interpret it.

Thinking the king to be unreasonable, the magi answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.” What he was asking violated Babylonian tradition. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods and they do not live among us (Dani’el 2:10-11). This is a loaded theological statement.

This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was about to wipe out the entire school of magi, of which Babylon was so famous. And among the ones to be killed were Dani’el and his three friends because, from the Babylonian perspective, they were a part of the magi. So the decree was put into writing and was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were assigned to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Dani’el and his friends to put them to death (Dani’el 2:12-13). At this time Nebuchadnezzar didn’t have much spiritual insight. Because the king noticed the great abilities of Dani’el, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah he elevated their position among the magi (Dani’el 1:17-21). But now, because of their association with that school of the magi, they were also sought to be killed.

God revealed the mystery to Dani’el: When Arioch, the chief of the executioners, had gone out to put to death the magi of Babylon, Dani’el spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Dani’el. At this, Dani’el went in to the king and asked for time so that he might interpret the dream as well as the content for him (Dani’el 2:14-16). Whereas the magi of Babylon were asking for time, Dani’el was asking for an appointment. He was that confident that God would reveal the king’s dream to him. However, Dani’el didn’t merely hope for the best . . . he prayed.

Then Dani’el returned to his home to seclude himself and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah so they could pray together. He urged them to pray also and to plead for mercy from the God of heaven, concerning this mystery, so that he and his fiends might not be executed with the rest of the magi of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Dani’el in a vision. Then Dani’el praised the God of heaven (Dani’el 2:17-19), because no human wisdom was of any help in the crisis, and praised ADONAI, saying:

The content of Dani’el’s prayer has parallels elsewhere in the TaNaKh, showing that he was well versed in whatever Scriptures were available to him at that point. Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom (He is omniscient) and power (He is omnipotent) are His (see also First Chronicles 29:11; Job 12:13 and 16; Psalm 113:1-2). YHVH is sovereign so He changes times and seasons. He controls the affairs of the kingdom of men. He deposes kings and raises up others. Human history and natural phenomena are subject to His divine control. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning (also see First Chronicles 29:12; Job 12:18-21; Psalm 31:15, 75:6-7). He reveals deep and hidden things as He had just done to Dani’el; He knows what lies in the darkness no matter how pitch black in may be because light dwells with Him (also see Job 12:22; Psalm 36:9, 139:12). You I thank! You I praise! For past blessing, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power. For present blessing, You have made known to me (singular) what we asked of You, You have made known to us (plural because four of them prayed) the dream of the king (Dani’el 2:20-23).

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the completion of the divinely revealed record, God now speaks to us through His completed revelation, the sixty-six books of the Bible, rather than through sporadic dreams or prophetic utterances. But does that make Dani’el 2 irrelevant to us? Not at all. We live in an increasingly complex and confusing world. With every new and improved technological advance, we are told that our lives will be simpler and easier. That’s the hype, but when we buy our computer, log onto the Internet, or get out our cell phone or pad, we find a whole host of new questions and challenges facing us there. Where will we find the wisdom necessary to live in a world of growing complexity? Many think it is through intelligence, which is often confused with wisdom. To get along in the world of technology, even to get a decent career, some think that knowledge, advanced degrees, and high IQ’s are the ticket to success and happiness in the world. But this is all foolishness because it misses the point.

The answer is a relationship with Yeshua Messiah and the power of the Spirit of God. We live in a confusing and troubled world. But we can gain wisdom in conversation with Him. And how do we converse with the Lord? Through prayer and reading His Word (Second Timothy 3:16). Through prayer we enhance our relationship with Him through praise, and we draw on His wisdom through sharing our problems and confusion. We then listen to His answer as He speaks to us through the Scriptures and the Ruach Ha’Kodesh.²³¹

Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
Dani’el 2: 1-49

601 BC during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

Soon after Nebuchadnezzar’s accession to the throne in he was plagued with a recurring dream. Since Dani’el’s recalled and interpreted only a single dream (Dani’el 2:24-26), the use of the plural in this section (dreams) seems to indicate a recurrence of the same dream. Nebuchadnezzar evidently perceived this dream as having great significance, for he was troubled by the dream, and was so agitated that he was unable to sleep.

As we read Dani’el 2, the Joseph narrative, which closely parallels this chapter, comes quickly to mind (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Jq – Joseph Before Pharaoh). In Genesis a pagan king, the Egyptian Pharaoh, had a deeply troubling dream concerning seven lean and seven fat cows. When the wise men of Egypt could not interpret the dream for him, his cupbearer (paralleling the role of Arioch in Dani’el 2:14-16) helps him discover one who could interpret his dream, who turned out to be the imprisoned Joseph. Through the help of ADONAI, Yosef revealed the interpretation of the dream to the pharaoh, resulting in his rise in status in the court of Egypt.

Consequently, we see that Dani’el is like Joseph, perhaps even better than Yosef, since he not only interpreted the dream but, with the help of YHVH, actually tells the contents of the dream to the Babylonian king. Both Yosef and Dani’el serve as models for godly behavior to God’s people who live in a foreign culture.

Here, in the chapter, we see Dani’el as a model of Israelite wisdom (verse 14) and a model of Israelite piety, in his prayer (verse 18), his wisdom (verse 19), his praise (verses 19-23), his witness (verses 27-28), his self-effacement (verse 30), and his conviction (verse 45). The fruit of his work is not merely rewards and promotion (verse 48), but obedience and recognition of his God (verses 46-47).²²⁸

The LORD’s knowledge of the future is particularly important to the people in exile and under some measure of oppression because it implies that He controls history. This reminds us of the overall theme of the book: In spite of present circumstances, God is in control.

A (2:1-13) So the king summoned the magi, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed (Dani’el 2:2a).

B (2:14-16) When Arioch, the chief of the executioners, had gone out to put to death the magi, Dani’el spoke to him with wisdom and tact (2:14).

C (2:17-23) During the night the mystery was revealed to Dani’el in a vision. Then Dani’el praised the God of heaven (Dani’el 2:19).

B (2:24) Then Dani’el went to Arioch, saying, “Do not execute the magi. Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him (2:24)”

A (2:25-49) No magi, enchanter or magician can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries (2:27).

A Message Concerning Kedar and Hazor
49: 28-33

A message concerning Kedar and Hazor DIG: How would you characterize the lifestyle of these people of the east living at Kedar and Hazor? What had their ancestors done to the Israelites (Judges 6:1-6)? Who attacks them in 598 BC and why? Were they ready for it or taken off guard? Why are they so vulnerable? Who is behind this disaster?

REFLECT: Are roots important to you? Do you consider yourself “settled down,” or do you tend to “move on?” Why? Do you feel you have arrived or are “at ease” spiritually? Where are you now compared to where you used to be? Is there the need to move on to new places spiritually? Where to?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

The horizon of the prophet now makes a sweep toward the Arabian tribes of the East. Concerning Kedar, Bedouins, or nomadic Arabs; and the kingdoms of Kazor, meaning Arabs living in settlements, as distinct from nomads. The Assyrians conducted campaigns against them on more than one occasion. One of the most serious incursions came in the middle of the seventh century when lands in the Transjordan and southern Syria were invaded by Arabs. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal undertook vigorous punitive raids. With the collapse of Assyria the Arabs troubled Nebuchadnezzar and in 599 BC he attacked the Arabs (49:28a). This probably provided the background for the present prophecy.²²⁴

This is what ADONAI says: Arise, and attack Kedar and destroy the people of the East (49:28b), which is a common biblical term for the Saudi Arabian tribes (Genesis 29:1; Judges 6:33, 7:12, 8:10; First Kings 4:30; Job 1:3; Isaiah 11:14; Ezeki’el 25:4). They dwelt east of the Ammonites in villages (Isaiah 42:11) and their princes carried out extensive commerce with Tyre (Ezeki’el 27:21; Isaiah 21:16-17). Kedar was a son of Ishma’el (see the commentary on Genesis Gi – The Twelve Sons of Ishma’el). He is also mentioned in Song of Solomon 1:5, Isaiah 21:16-17, 42:11, 60:7; Jeremiah 2:10; Ezeki’el 27:21. What were the results of this call for destruction?

As the city dwellers trusted in their strong walls, so the people of the East relied on the wide-open spaces, the immense expanse of desert, which made army expeditions against them very difficult and facilitated their own escape. They felt quite safe and secure even without doors and gates and locks and bars. The prophet warned them. For Nebuchadnezzar would carefully lay his plans, counsel with men experienced in desert warfare, and succeed in rudely shattering their fatal overconfidence of serene security. He would surround them (49:32) and from every direction they would hear the battle cry of the enemy.²²⁵

The near historical destruction of Kedar: Their tents (they were especially famous for their tents) and their flocks will be taken; their shelters will be carried off with all their goods and camels. People will shout to them, “magor misasbib” or terror on every side (49:29, 6:25; 20:3-4 and 10, 46:5; Psalm 31:13; Lamentations 2:22).

The near historical destruction of Hazor: Hazor was more tribal, but we know nothing more than what our text tells us. When Nebuchadnezzar invaded they are told to flee quickly away! Stay in deep caves, you who live in Hazor, declares the LORD. Why? For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is coming and he has made a plan against you and formed a purpose against you (49:30 ESV). The most interesting element is the explicit reference to Nebuchadnezzar, who is said to have a plan and a purpose. This is worth noting, because none of the other messages specifically mention him at all. Why? It is God who claims the verbs: I will scatter, I will bring, I will bring their disaster on them.

Arise and attack a nation at ease, which lives in confidence, declares ADONAI. Thinking themselves secure from attack they had made no preparations for defense. A nation that has neither gates nor bars; its people thought they lived far from danger. Then destruction came. Their camels will be booty, their many cattle a spoil. I will scatter to the winds those who shave the sides of their heads. The Arabs were accustomed to shave the hair around the head and let a tuft stand up on the crown in honor of their god Bacchus.²²⁶ From every direction I will bring their disaster on them: says the LORD (49:31-32 CJB). Such defenseless communities were no match for the well-equipped Babylonians (to see link click Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). The king of Babylon is merely the LORD’s servant. Yes, he hovers over the Gentile nations. But it is God who builds up and plants; it is YHVH who uproots and tears down (1:10), just as He would do to Y’hudah (see Gb – The Destruction of Solomon’s Temple on Tisha B’Av in 586 BC).²²⁷

Far eschatological prophecy: Kedar and Hazor (or Saudi Arabia), like Edom and Babylon will become a haunt of jackals, a desolate place forever (see the commentary on Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again). During the thousand-year Millennial Kingdom, no one will live there; no people will dwell in it (49:33).

A Message Concerning Damascus
49: 23-27

A message concerning Damascus DIG: Where is Damascus? In what state does Jeremiah see the cities of Syria? Who is behind the disaster? What have the Syrians done (Second Kings 8:7-12)? Is there any sign of mercy here? Why? Why not? What is the far eschatological future prophecy given by Isaiah about the destiny of Assyria?

REFLECT: Both Egypt and (Syria) Assyria were long time enemies of Judah and Isra’el. Both, however, will end up enjoying the joys of the thousand year Messianic Kingdom. Does that bother you or please you? How hard is it for you to forgive someone who has hurt you deeply? How hard is it to pray for those who oppress you?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

Concerning Damascus, which represents all of Syria, is now named among the Gentile nations under judgment from YHVH. Syria was often at war with Isra’el (Isaiah 7:1 to 8:4), but this conflicted relationship essentially stopped after the northern kingdom of Isra’el was conquered by Tiglath-Pileser of Assyria in 722 BC. At that point Syria, essentially became Assyria. Although Damascus/Syria is not listed among the doomed nations in 25:18-26, this oracle does have parallels in eighth-century prophetic writings (Isaiah 17:1-6). She was a constant enemy of Isra’el in that day. Her crime was brutality against the conquered people of Gilead, Isra’el’s territory east of Galilee (Amos 1:3-6). In addition, the Aramean armies joined Babylon in the assault on Jerusalem and Judah (Second Kings 24:2), resulting in the second deportation in 598 BC (to see link click Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile Jehoiachin was Released from Prison).²²³

Three cities are named that refer to all of the kingdom: Damascus (the capital of the Aramean state directly north of Isra’el), Hamath and Arpad are all dismayed, for they all have heard bad news of Babylon’s advance. They are all disheartened, troubled like the restless sea. The great city and fortress of Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor (49:23-24).

Why has the city of renown not been abandoned, the town in which I delight? Surely, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be killed in that day, declares ADONAI-Tzva’ot (49:25-26). Her strength is gone; her glory has departed. The mood is not even one of threat, but only of grief, for the great city had been devastated. No one can withstand the resolve of Ha’Shem.

God’s fire of judgment: I will set fire to the walls of Damascus (see Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh); it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad (49:27). Ben-Hadad, literally son the [the storm god] Hadad, was name of the dynasty that ruled in Damascus in the ninth and eighth centuries BC (First Kings 15:18 and 20, 20:1-34; Second Kings 6:24, 13:3 and 24), by which the Syrian royal house was more generally known.

While not mentioned here, we know from other Scriptures that Assyria will have a place in the Millennial Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom). Ancient Assyria today encompasses northern Iraq, another ruthless enemy of Isra’el. But peace will come between Iraq and Isra’el by means of conversion (see the commentary on Isaiah Eg – Blessed Be Egypt, Assyria and Isra’el). There will be economic, religious and political unity because they will all worship the same God.

A Message Concerning Edom
49: 7-22

A message concerning Edom DIG: From whom do the Edomites descend? Where is their country? What kind of land is it? What kind of people were they? The crimes of Edom were well known to Jeremiah’s hearers, but they are only hinted at here. What had they done? How extensive would ADONAI’s wrath be? What were the orphans and widows offered? Did they take advantage of God’s mercy? Why? Why not? What does that say about the sovereignty of YHVH? Ha’Shem is compared to a lion and an eagle. Which image do you think fits the LORD best? Why do you think Ha’Shem makes no promise of restoration, as He does for the Egyptians, Moabites and Ammonites (see 46:26, 48:47, 49:6)?

REFLECT: Have you ever been afraid of God? When and why? What does it mean to “fear God” in the way Jeremiah advises? The flip side of every virtue is a vice, and so it was with Edom’s wisdom. How can intellect hinder spiritual growth? How can it help? What is the role of intelligence in your spiritual life? Of the “orphans and widows” in your life? Of the “orphans and widows” in your world, for whom can you be an instrument of God’s mercy? What “eagle’s nest” (fortress mentality) have you built to feel secure in your private world? How secure are you, really? How has ADONAI broken through that to bring you to Himself?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

Now Jeremiah turns to the third trans-Jordan country. Edom lay south of the Dead Sea and extended for about 100 miles between the Wadi Zered and the Gulf of Aqabah. Like Mo’ab, it was a high mountainous area that fell away steeply to the west into the Arabah. It had cultivable areas and straddled the King’s Highway, which passed along the eastern plateau of Edom to the north.

There was a long history of antagonism between Judah and Edom reaching back to the days of the exodus (Numbers 20:14-21). The Israelites were on one occasion forbidden to mistreat the Edomites (Deuteronomy 23:7-8), who were their brothers. David brought them under his control (Second Samuel 8:13-14). Solomon had trouble with Hadad, who fled to Egypt (First Kings 11:14-22). Yet in the days of Jehoshaphat there was a Judean deputy in Edom (First Kings 22:47), and Edom supported Judah and Isra’el (Second Kings 3:9) in a retaliatory war against Moab. Edom revolted in the days of Joram (Second Kings 8:20-22) when the southern kingdom of Judah was attacked by the northern kingdom of Isra’el and Aram, and broke free from Judah (Second Kings 16:5-6). King Amaziah of Judah defeated the Edomites in battle (Second Chronicles 25:14; Second Kings 14:22) in the eighth century BC. King Uzziah of Judah extended his boundaries into Edom (Second Kings 14:22). But Edom won back much of its territory during the reign of wicked King Ahaz (Second Kings 16:6).²²²

Edom remained hostile to Judah even when Edom was dominated by other nations. Edom paid tribute to the Assyrian King Tiglath-pileser II at Damascus and remained a vassal of Assyria for the next century. Probably the Edomites paid tribute to Nebuchadnezzar after Babylon defeated Assyria at the battle of Carchemish in 605 BC, but Edom plotted rebellion against Babylon in 594 BC with Ammon, Moab, Tyre, Sidon and Judah. When Y’hudah felt the weight of Nebuchadnezzar’s attack in 589-587 BC, Edom not only gave no assistance but seemed to have collaborated with the Babylonians (Ezekiel 25:12-14) and reveled over Judah’s destruction (Psalm 137:7; Obadiah 1-21; Lam 4:21). The Edomites subsequently expanded her territory west and made Hebron her capital. In the B’rit Chadashah, that area was known as Idumea (Mark 3:8). King Herod, whose soldiers ridiculed and mocked Yeshua (Luke 23:11), was an Idumaean of Jewish (Nabatean) and Edomite descent, whose ancestors converted to Judaism (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Aw – Herod Gave Orders to Kill all the Boys in Bethlehem Two Years Old and Under).

Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies says: Is there no longer wisdom in Teman (literally: south)? Teman was the grandson of Esau (see the commentary on Genesis Ip – Esau’s Sons and Grandsons). Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed? Turn and flee, hide in deep caves, you who live in the oasis of Dedan, for I will bring disaster on Esau at the time when I punish him (49:7b-8). Dedan was the grandson of Abraham and his third wife Keturah (see the commentary on Genesis Gf – Abraham Took Another Wife, Whose Name Was Keturah). Dedan and his brothers settled into Arabian border with Edom and the disaster that was to fall on Edom would spill over to those Arabian tribes as well.

The totality of Edom’s near historical prophecy destruction is then described. If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? Normally when grapes are gathered some are left. If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted (this is a quote from Obadiah 5). Normally when thieves steal they don’t take everything away. Although grape gatherers leave gleanings and thieves leave some possessions, this will not be so with the Edomites. But I will strip bare the land of Edom, and there will be no place left to hide. Its children, its brothers, and its neighbors will all be destroyed, and Edom itself will be no more (49:9-10 NLT). The picture is one of total destruction. There will be no remnant. YHVH promised a remnant for both the Moabites and the Ammonites, but He makes no such promise to the Edomites.

In the context of judgment, however, Ha’Shem offers mercy. But I will protect the orphans who remain among you. Your widows, too, can depend on Me for help (49:10b-11). After the initial near historical judgment in which the fathers die, their children and widows are left. If they put their faith in the God of Isra’el and stop their spiritual adultery, they would be saved. However, as subsequent verses show, the LORD’s offer was rejected. YHVH gave Edom a choice and He gives us a choice. We can say “No” to ADONAI and make it stick. And that’s exactly what Edom did. They continued to trust in themselves and their own gods, which eventually caused their total destruction. Nothing will survive and life is not possible.

This is what ADONAI says: In the far eschatological future, if those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, why should you go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, but must drink it (49:12). When the cup is used symbolically in Scripture, it is always a picture of the wrath of Ha’Shem. Although Edom did not want to drink it, God determined that she must. If Jacob must drink it, then surely Esau and his descendants must also be forced to drink it. For the Jews, however, the promise is that they will return (shuwb), but as for the Edomites . . . none will survive.

I swear by Myself, declares the LORD, that Bozrah (the capital of Edom) will become a ruin and a curse, an object of horror and reproach; and all its towns will be in ruins forever (49:13). Here the inspired writer focuses his attention on Bozrah and the effect that this cup of wrath will have on her. Bozrah is commonly known today as Petra. Bozrah, in particular, will suffer divine wrath. It will be the key focal point of Edomite destruction (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

The means of Edom and Bozrah’s destruction is then given. I have heard a message from Ha’Shem; an envoy was sent to [all] the nations to say, “Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle” (Jeremiah 49:14 and Obadiah 1). The gathering of all the nations is part of the overall Campaign of Armageddon (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon). These are the armies of the antichrist for the purpose of wiping out the Jews. They gather in the Valley of Armageddon, also known as the Valley of Megiddo, or the Valley of Jezreel. Then they move south against the Jews of Yerushalayim, which eventually falls (Zechariah 12:1-3, 14:1-2). However, the majority of Jews will no longer be in Tziyon, but Bozrah (Micah 2:12-13). Therefore, the armies of the antichrist continue south past the Dead Sea, to the small village of Paran. Turning east, they will tighten the noose around the neck of the Jews in Bozrah.

The result of the gathering of all the nations will be the destruction of Edom. Now I will make you small among the nations, despised by mankind (Jeremiah 49:15 and Obadiah 2). The reason? Their pride! Edom had a lot of pride in her defenses, but they will be worthless when Messiah comes back. The terror you inspire and the pride of your heart have deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks, who occupy the heights of the hill. Though you build your nest as high as the eagle’s, from there I will bring you down, declares ADONAI (Jeremiah 49:16 and Obadiah 3-4). Jeremiah uses three powerful metaphors to describe the results of the Second Coming.

First, Edom will be like Sodom and Gomorrah. Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds (49:17). As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown (they may have been cities within what later became Edom), along with their neighboring towns, says the LORD, so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it (Jeremiah 49:18; Genesis 19:24-28; Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalm 11:6; Revelation 14:10-11). No one has lived in those cities since then and the same will be true of Edom and Babylon (50:40). They will be three desolate wastelands in the Messianic Kingdom when you include Hazor (see the commentary Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again).

Second, God will be like be like a lion who will attack the flock of sheep that is Edom and will devastate and terrorize her. The sheep will be completely exposed when the lion comes. Verses 19-21 are repeated almost verbatim in the message concerning Babylon (50:44-46). Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, In an instant I will chase Edom away and appoint over it whomever I choose. YHVH will choose the Jews: But on Mount Tziyon there will be a holy remnant who will escape, and the house of Ya’akov will reclaim their rightful inheritance (Obadiah 17 CJB). Then the victorious will ascend Mount Tziyon to rule over Mount Esau, but the kingship will belong to ADONAI (Obadiah 21 CJB). Isra’el will own it, have the title deed to it, even though no one will live there. For who is like Me and who can challenge Me? And what shepherd can stand against Me (49:19)? No one. Yeshua Ha’Meshiach will strike terror into the hearts of the antichrist and his armies (see the commentary on Revelation Ce – The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David Has Triumphed).

Therefore, YHVH calls to the world to understand His special, unique, divine decree: Hear what ADONAI has planned for Edom, what He has purposed against those who live in Teman: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate. At the sound of their fall the earth will tremble. Their cry will resound to the Sea of Reeds (49:20-21), the site of Ha’Shem’s first destruction of a nation that threatened His Chosen People (see the commentary on Exodus Ch – The LORD Will Fight For You, You Need Only to Be Still).

Third, YHVH will be like a large eagle, who will intimidate and terrorize, causing warriors to quake like women in labor. Look! An eagle will soar and swoop down, spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor (49:22). The picture for Edom is one of total destruction, which agrees with the other prophets (Isaiah 21:11-12, 34:1-17, 63:1-6; Amos 1:11-12; Obadiah 1-21). Ezeki’el makes the point that when the whole world is beautiful during the Messianic Kingdom, Edom will be lay waste, desolate forever . . . never to be inhabited again (Ezekiel 25:12-14, 35:1-15). Obadiah 17-21 points out that Esau will not have a single descendent left, while his brother Jacob will have many descendants (see the commentary Genesis Gm – Two Nations, One Womb).

Edom’s land will be reduced to volcanic waste. Her streams will be turned into black sticky pitch, and her dust into burning sulfur. The result of ADONAI’s sword of judgment on Edom is that her land will become blazing pitch! It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise forever (Isaiah 34:9-10a). The word forever means until the end of an age or dispensation. In this case, it will continue until the end of the dispensation of the Millennial Kingdom. Throughout the Messianic Kingdom the land of Edom, and Kedar and Hazor or Saudi Arabia (see Dp – A Message Concerning Kedar and Hazor), like Babylon, will be nothing but a burning wasteland. And in even stronger language than the first line, Isaiah tells us that from generation to generation Edom will lie desolate; no one will ever pass through it again (Isaiah 34:10b). It will have no human inhabitants, but it will have inhabitants. Isaiah lists a number of animals that will dwell there.

The desert owl and screech owl will possess it (see Ad – The Owl as a Symbol of Judgment); the great owl and the raven will nest there (Isaiah 34:11a). These cannot be literal animals because literal owls and ravens could not survive in the burning wasteland described here by Isaiah. We may not know what kind of animals they are, but we do know that they are the only kind of animals who can live in burning pitch and burning sulfur that will not be quenched day and night. When we look at the animal kingdom, none of them could normally survive in this kind of an environment. Then what are these? Keep reading (see the commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch).

A Message Concerning Ammon
49: 1-6

A message concerning Ammon DIG: Where is Ammon? And Gad? How are Judah, Moab and Ammon related? Who is Molech (Second Kings 23:13-14)? What was the source of Ammon’s false sense of security? Why do the Ammonites trust Molech? What did the LORD promise to the Ammonites when their punishment was complete?

REFLECT: How do you feel about the Ammonites being restored and given a place in the Messianic Kingdom? Does it seem fair that a people who have opposed the Jews for centuries and centuries should be saved at the last minute (Matthew 19:16 to 20:16; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18-30)?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

The Ammonites, like the Moabites, were the product of Lot’s incestuous encounter with one of his daughters (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). They were located east of the Jordan River and north of Moab. Isra’el’s relations with Ammon were generally unfriendly. The Ammonites were excluded from the congregation of the LORD to the tenth generation because they joined with the Moabites in retaining Balaam to curse Isra’el (Deuteronomy 23:3-6). Relationships with the Hebrews were frequently hostile (Judges 3:13, 10:6, 9 and 18). David’s soldiers once captured the capital city of Rabbah (Second Samuel). During the reign of Jehoshaphat, the Ammonites and others invaded Judah (Second Chronicles 20:1-30). They and others tormented Jehoiakim (Second Kings 24:2). And after the fall of Jerusalem, her king was active in the effort to destroy Gedaliah’s fledgling government (to see link click Gg – Gedaliah Assassinated). Her principal deity was Molech seen above (First Kings 11:7 and 33), but from time to time Ammon worshiped the Moabite god Chemosh (Judges 11:24). Other prophets denounced the Ammonites (Ezeki’el 21:20, 25:1-7; Amos 1:13-15; Zephaniah 2:8-11).²²¹

Concerning Ammon: This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says: Has Isra’el no sons? Has she no heirs? The sin of the Ammonites was the possession of Jewish territory. If this were true it would be proper for the Ammonites to take over Jewish territory. When the northern kingdom of Isra’el was defeated by Assyria in 722 BC, the Ammonites assumed Isra’el had no heirs who would return to the land. So the Ammonites seized the territory that had belonged to Gad for herself. But Isra’el did have heirs! So it was improper for Ammon to live in the territory of Gad (see the commentary on Genesis Lk – Raiders Shall Raid Gad, But He Shall Raid at Their Heels). Why then has [the king] taken possession of Gad? Why do his people live in its towns (49:1)?

But the days are coming, declares ADONAI. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Ruach HaKodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the tenth of twenty-five times that Jeremiah uses one of these phrases. In these verses, the priest from Anathoth has a prophecy for both the near historical future and a prophecy for the far eschatological future.

But the days are coming in the far eschatological future when I will sound the battle cry against the Ammonite capital of Rabbah in modern Jordan; it will become a mound of ruins, and its surrounding villages will be set on fire during the Great Tribulation. Then Isra’el will drive out those who drove her out, says the LORD (49:2). This has to be in the far eschatological future because Isra’el never drove out the Ammonites, the Babylonians defeated them and took them into exile. The result is that just as the Ammonites had possessed Jewish land, the tribe of Gad will end up occupying their territory once again in the Kingdom. There will be a believing remnant of Ammonites who believe in the Lord (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom).

In a near historical prophecy God describes the destruction of the Ammonites by the Babylonians (Ezeki’el 21:28-32, 25:1-7; Amos 1:13-15; Zephaniah 2:8-11). Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is destroyed! Cry out, O inhabitants of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and mourn; rush here and there inside the walls, for Molech will go into exile just as Chemosh, the god of Moab did, together with his priests and officials. Why do you boast in your valleys, boast of your valleys so fruitful? O unfaithful (from shuwb) daughter, you trust in your riches and say, “Who will attack me”? I am bringing terror on you, says ADONAI of heaven’s angelic armies, from every side. Each of you will be driven out headlong, with no one to gather the fugitives (49:3-5 CJB). The key word is trust, Ammon had placed her faith in her own powers, powers that were inadequate when real trouble came knocking at her door.

But afterwards, I will bring back the exiles of Ammon, says ADONAI (49:6 CJB). In a far eschatological prophecy, just as God promised a restoration of the Moabites, He promises a restoration of the Ammonites. In the Messianic Kingdom there will be a nation called Ammon in a subservient position to Isra’el.

The Punishment and Restoration of Mo’ab
48: 26-47

The punishment and restoration of Mo’ab DIG: Besides worshiping Chemosh, what has Mo’ab done to Judah (Second Kings 24:1-2)? What was Mo’ab’s problem? Why does God condemn her pride and arrogance so severely? What was evil about them? What product was Mo’av particularly famous for (48:11-12, 32-33)? What form of political domination is Mo’ab going to suffer for the first time? When Mo’ab was invaded by the Babylonians soon after the fall of Y’hudah, who occupied their land (Ezeki’el 25:10)? Verses 36-38 describe an ancient Near Eastern funeral. Why do you think these things were done? Around 150 years earlier, Isaiah prophesied against Mo’ab (Isaiah 15:1-9). Why do you think Jeremiah’s language is so similar? How final does Mo’ab’s defeat sound to you?

REFLECT: How does the sin of the Moabites sometimes turn up in your life? The Moabites no longer exist as a national group. What do you make of God’s promise to restore their fortunes? Does seeing and hearing about disasters from the media affect you anymore? What is the effect of broadcasting disaster after disaster every day? How can you keep from being hardened to the suffering of others in the world?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

In his near historical prophecy, Jeremiah declared: Make her drunk, for she has defiled ADONAI. This indictment, on the face of it, seems more than a little curious, because Mo’ab would not have imagined herself in any way in relation to YHVH. But God’s claim, which is the basis to these “Prophecies Concerning the Gentile Nations,” assumes this to be true. Mo’ab’s failure to realize this is the reason for her judgment.

The very origin of Mo’ab was associated with wine and drunkenness (see the commentary on Genesis, to see link click Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). Make her drunk so she can drown out her coming sorrow. People can respect limited drinking, but they look down upon those who throw up all over themselves. Let Mo’ab wallow in her vomit; let her be an object of ridicule. Mo’ab had treated Judah with contempt (Psalm 59:8; Lamentations 1:7; Jeremiah 20:7). This was a way in which Mo’ab had violated YHVH. Therefore, sin against her sister Y’hudah was indeed sin against God. Mo’ab didn’t love the sister whom she had seen, and surely she didn’t love the sister whom she hadn’t seen (First John 4:20).

So Mo’ab, which had been held in great esteem because of her great winemaking ability, will now drink the cup of God’s wrath and will be looked down upon. More to the point was Mo’ab’s anti-Semitism. Was not Judah the object of your ridicule? Was she caught among thieves, that you shake your head in scorn whenever you speak of her (48:26-27)? ADONAI told Abram: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3a). From such a foundational indictment came a severe sentence, Mo’ab was about to experience the full force of God’s cursing.

Mo’ab would then be treated in the same way that she cynically treated Y’hudah. The only counsel God offers through his prophet is that the Moabites should abandon their towns and dwell among the rocks. Be like a dove that makes its nest at the mouth of a cave. Run to the mountains because your cities are about to be destroyed. There would be no hope except to flee.

The pride of Mo’ab was well known in the ancient world (Isaiah 25:10-11; Zephaniah 2:8-11). We have heard of Mo’ab’s pride – how great her arrogance – of her insolence, how proud she is, her boastfulness, and the haughtiness of her heart. Here Jeremiah piles up a number of synonyms designed to emphasize Moab’s pride. They all sound alike coming from the same Hebrew root word for pride beginning with the hard “g” consonant: arrogance (ga’on) pride (ga’on), proud (ge’eh), boastfulness (ga’wa), and haughtiness (gaboah). The rhetorical effect is cumulative.

Mo’ab thought she was immune to God’s sovereignty and could do anything that she wanted. But God’s perspective is terse and abrupt. ADONAI declared: I know her insolence, but it is futile and her boasts accomplishing nothing (48:29-30). All her boasting was futile, and to prove it, verses 31-35 now deal with the punishment itself.

Therefore, in light of all of this, I wail over Mo’ab, for all Mo’ab I cry out, I moan for the people of Kir Hareseth (48:31; also see Second Kings 21:32; Second Samuel 24:5). The strong sympathy of the prophet with Mo’ab should be noted. Isaiah expressed the same sentiment in almost identical words. There was a close bond between Mo’ab and Judah, notwithstanding the apparent tones of part of this chapter and in spite of the fact that when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Y’hudah in Jehoiakim’s reign, he was assisted by the Moabites (Second Kings 24:2). It may well be that the prophets, with their sense of universalism, felt this sympathy with the sufferings of the peoples whose downfall they had to announce even where their words suggested approval. A distinction is probably to be drawn between their official words and their personal feelings.

I weep for you, as Jazer weeps, you vines of Sibmah (see the commentary on Isaiah Dx – My Heart Laments for Mo’ab Like a Harp). The wine of Sibmah was superior to others in Mo’ab and was exported. Those looking forward to drinking it feel its loss. Your branches spread as far as the sea; they reached as far as Jazer, indicating deportation to a great distance. Having mentioned the vines, the prophet makes use of a metaphor in which the whole nation is likened to a huge vine. In fact, no sea would have to be crossed, the phrase is symbolic for going into captivity. All prosperity, however, was gone. The destroyer has fallen on your ripened fruit and grapes. Joy and gladness are gone from the orchards and fields of Mo’ab. The harvest time is a time of cheerful celebration, a time of fruitful profit, an assurance of blessing, and no doubt of excessive drinking. All of that extravagant celebration, however, would now stop. I have stopped the flow of wine from the presses; no one treads them with shouts of joy. The vineyards, which were the pride of Mo’ab, will be brought into contempt. Although there are shouts, they are not shouts of joy (48:32-33). Celebration had been replaced by grief and mourning. The very thing that made Mo’ab famous was destroyed.

The cry now extends throughout the land of Mo’ab. The sound of their cry rises from Heshbon to Elealeh and Jahaz, from Zoar as far as Horonaim and Eglath Shelishiyah, for even the waters of Nimrim are dried up (48:34). The point is that not only will Moabite cities on the plateau be destroyed, but also cities further down the slopes into the Jordan Valley. The conclusion: In Mo’ab I will put an end to those who make offerings on the high places and burn incense to their gods, declares ADONAI (48:35).

The dirge begins: So My heart laments for Mo’ab like the music of a funeral flute (Mt 9:23-24); it laments like a pipe for the people of Kir Hareseth. The wealth they acquired is gone. Every head is shaved and every beard cut off; every hand is slashed and every waist is covered with sackcloth. Mourning will be seen everywhere: On all the roofs in Mo’ab and in the public squares there is nothing but mourning, for I have broken Mo’ab like a jar, the kind of jar that wine was kept in, that no one wants, declares the LORD (48:36-38). The extremity of the lament indicates the depth of the loss.

How shattered she is! How they wail! How Mo’ab turns her back in shame! Moab has become an object of ridicule, an object of horror to all those around her (48:39). That which God prophesied will come true; she who ridiculed Judah will be ridiculed herself (Genesis 12:3a).

The totality of destruction can be seen. This is what ADONAI says: Look! The enemy, like an eagle is swooping down, spreading its wings over Mo’av. The metaphor of an eagle quickly yields to a more concrete, graphic description. The attack will be against the centers of power. Kerioth will be captured and the strongholds taken. In that day the hearts of Mo’ab’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman in labor. Mo’ab will be destroyed as a nation because she defiled the LORD, but there will be a remnant (48:40-42).

Her destruction is inescapable. Terror and pit and snare await you, you people of Moab, declares ADONAI. Whoever flees from the terror will fall into a pit. Then one moved from one danger to another. Whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare; for I will bring on Mo’ab the year of her punishment, declares the LORD (48:43-44). The cumulative effect of the judgment is a sense of inescapability, and therefore, hopelessness. There would be no way to circumvent the harsh reality already set in motion.

The sin of pride and anti-Semitism comes from within the Moabites themselves. Sin always carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction. So the fire actually originates within the cities of Mo’ab and branches out and destroys everything around it. In the shadow of Heshbon the fugitives stand helpless, for a fire has gone out from Hesbhon, a blaze from the midst of Sihon, it burns the foreheads of Mo’ab, the skulls of the noisy boasters (48:45 this is a quote from Numbers 21:28). The sense of the whole verse is that the fugitives of Mo’ab took refuge under the walls of the neighboring city of the Ammonites, but as they stand there in hopes of aid, there explodes from the city on which their only hopes rest a flame kindled by the Babylonians.

Woe to you, Mo’ab! The people of Chemosh are destroyed. The defeat of Mo’ab is in actuality the defeat of their god who, in reality, is no god at all. Your sons are taken into exile and your daughters into captivity (48:46 this verse is a quote from Numbers 21:9). Consequently, the Moabites were exiled to Babylon just like the Jews were. After being taken captive, their lands were settled by the Nabateans, one of the Arab tribes. Later in the Byzantine Period it was settled by more Arab tribes; however, Balaam’s complete prophecy concerning Mo’av (which is reiterated here in Chapter 48) will find its full fulfillment in the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming.

Nevertheless, ADONAI will restore (shuwb) the fortunes of Mo’ab in the days to come (48:47a). When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Ruach ha-Kodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the ninth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. In this case Jeremiah issues a prophecy for the far eschatological future. There is more promised for Mo’ab than ultimate destruction (see the commentary on Isaiah Dw – The Hope of Moab’s Salvation, and also my commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom). Here ends the judgment on Mo’ab.

The Destruction of Mo’ab
48: 1-25

The destruction of Mo’ab DIG: How are Judah and Mo’ab related (Genesis 19:30-38)? Where is Mo’ab located? How many towns does Jeremiah mention? Why do you think he knows so much about Mo’ab? Who is the most prominent god of the Moabites (First Kings 11:7 and 33)? What form of political domination would Mo’ab suffer for the first time? When the Babylonians invaded Mo’ab after the fifth year of the fall of Judah, Babylon occupied all her land (Ezekiel 25:10)? Although YHVH had not given Mo’ab the Torah, what did He expect from her (48:13; First Kings 12:26-30)?

REFLECT: Are there any longstanding feuds in your family? What issues do relatives fight about? What punishments do they exact? What damage do they cause? Why is it so easy for family members to be so hard on each other? Why does God condemn Mo’ab’s pride and arrogance so severely? What is evil about them? Where do they show up in your life?

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

Concerning Mo’ab: This is what ADONAI-Tvau’ot, the God of Isra’el says: Woe (trouble, death, judgment) to Nebo, for it will be ruined. This long chapter is an in-depth explanation of this simple utterance. Nebo mentioned here by Jeremiah was not the mountain of the same name on which Moshe viewed the Promised Land and died (Deuteronomy 32:48-50), although it was very near. It was originally given to the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 32:37-38), however in Jeremiah’s day the Moabites had gained control.

On one hand, the cities, the great centers of economic power and military pride, are named: Nebo, Kiriathaim, Heshbon, Madmen, Horonaim, and Luhith. But, on the other hand the language is that of an intelligence report for a coming invasion. They will be disgraced, captured, destroyed, slaughtered, and shattered. Therefore, these seemingly indestructible cities will be emptied of their power and pride

Kiriathaim will be disgraced and captured; the stronghold will be disgraced and shattered (48:1). This city was also originally inhabited by the tribe of Reuben (Numbers 32:37; Joshua 13:19) and later captured by Mo’ab.

The glory of Mo’ab will be praised no more; In Heshbon people will plan her downfall. In a play on words, Jeremiah indicated that in Heshbon (behesbon) men will plan (hasebu) Moab’s downfall. “Come, let us put an end to that nation.” Heshbon was the capital of Sihon, king of the Amorites, during the exodus (Numbers 21:25-30). It was given to the tribe of Reuben that rebuilt it (Numbers 332:37; Joshua 13:17), though it was on the border of the tribe of Gad (Joshua 13:26). The Moabite Stone (now in the British Museum, London) implies that individuals from the tribe of Gad later occupied Heshbon, but it was eventually taken by Mo’ab. You, the people of Madmen (pronounced Maudmen, place unknown), will also be silenced; the sword will pursue you (48:2).

Cries of anguish arise from Horonaim (Second Samuel 13:34), cries of great havoc and destruction. Then Jeremiah turns his attention to the Moabite children. Mo’ab will be broken; her little ones will cry out. The fugitives would flee all the way up the hill to Luhith seeking higher ground, weeping bitterly as they go because they know the ones left behind will die; and having reached the summit, those traveling down the road to Horonaim would shout anguished cries over the destruction that they heard behind them (48:3-5). A similar thing happened in Isaiah 15:5.

Rhetorically and ironically, Jeremiah issues a call for the Moabites to take flight. Flee! Run for your lives to escape the coming judgment; become like a bush in the desert – deserted and forlorn. Then the reasons for the judgment are given: Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too would be judged and taken captive. Her national god, Chemosh (First Kings 11:7) would also be judged and go into exile together with his priests and officials. The destroyer will come against every town, and not a town will escape (to see link click Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). The valley will be ruined and the plateau (the Transjordan highland where most of the Mo’ab cities were located) destroyed, because ADONAI has spoken (48:6-8).

Put salt on Mo’ab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them. Ha’Shem warns the Babylonians who would do His bidding. A curse on anyone who is lax in doing the LORD’s work! A curse on anyone who keeps their sword from bloodshed (48:9-10)! The Jewish historian Josephus records that Nebuchadnezzar came to fight against Ammon and Mo’ab in the fifth year after the destruction of Zion.²¹⁹

Mo’ab’s history was one of relative peace. She had been complacent and at rest from youth. She was very boastful. While being invaded for short periods of time, she had never been sent into exile. Like wine left on its dregs, not poured from one jar to another – she had not gone into exile. So she tastes as she did and her aroma is unchanged (48:11). Mo’ab was very proud and famous for her vineyards (Isaiah 16:8-11). In making wine, first the grapes were stomped, then the juice was placed into bottles or skins and allowed to ferment. During this time the sediment, or dregs, would settle to the bottom. After 40 days the fermented wine was carefully poured into another container to separate it from the dregs. If the dregs were allowed to remain, the wine became too sweet and thick and was spoiled. This object lesson from nature was ultimately applied to people who had become too complacent (Zephaniah 1:12). Moab had never tasted the harsh reality of exile, so, like wine not poured from one jar to another, her aroma was unchanged.²²⁰

In light of this, the days are coming, declares the LORD. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the eighth of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. In this case the context is the near historical future of the Babylonian invasion and destruction of Mo’ab. The days are coming when God will send men who pour wine from pitchers, and they will pour her out; they will empty her pitchers of wine and smash her jars. It will be poured out not because it’s bad wine, but the pouring out of judgment itself.

Then Mo’ab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as Isra’el was ashamed when they trusted in Bethel (46:12-13). The Moabites would suffer bitter disillusionment for having put trust in their god that had proved helpless to protect them. Here Yirmeyahu draws a comparison to the children of Isra’el. The Israelites worshiped the golden calf at Bethel (First Kings 12:26-30), but eventually it became obvious that the golden calf was unable to save the northern Kingdom from destruction from Assyria. At the time of this writing Isra’el had been in exile about 100 years. She eventually became ashamed of what happened at Bethel because it was the center of northern idolatry. Likewise, the Moabites would eventually be ashamed of their god Chemosh sometime after the Babylonians had taken them into exile.

The Moabites were so sure of their military ability that they thought nothing would be able to defeat them. They felt confident that their warriors were valiant in battle (46:14) But they would not be able to prevent her destruction: Mo’ab will be destroyed and her towns invaded; her finest young men will go down in the slaughter, declares the King, whose name is ADONAI of heaven’s angelic armies (46:15). YHVH as King was a direct challenge to the rule of Chemosh, who was being dethroned and displaced.

The fall of Mo’ab is at hand; her calamity will come quickly (46:16). What Yirmeyahu did was to take a statement from Deuteronomy and apply it to Mo’ab. It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them (Deuteronomy 32:35).

Jeremiah called for those nations surrounding Mo’ab to come and console her at the time of her calamity. Together they would mourn the fact that her mighty scepter (signifying her rule) had been broken (48:17).

Come down from your glory and sit on the parched ground, you inhabitants of Daughter Dibon (Numbers 21:30; 32:3, 34, 45-46; Joshua 13:9, 17), for the One who destroys Mo’ab will come up against you and ruin your fortified cities (46:18). Stand by the road and watch, you who live in Aroer (Joshua 12:2, 13, 13:9, 16). Ask the man fleeing and the woman escaping, ask them, ‘What has happened?’ (48:18-19).”

They would be told that Mo’ab is disgraced, for she is shattered. Wail and cry out! News of her fall would cause mourning even as far south as Aroer by the Arnon River (Numbers 21:13).

Jeremiah then listed the cities of the Transjordan plateau that would be destroyed. Judgment has come to the plateau – to Holon, Jahzah and Mephaath, to Dibon, Nebo and Beth Diblathaim, to Kiriathaim, Beth Meon, to Kerioth and Bozrah (not the same place as Edom). Though the location of some is not certain, he seemed to follow a general movement from north to south. His point in naming these eleven cities was to show that all the towns in Mo’ab, both near and far, would be demolished.

Yirmeyahu used two symbols to show that Mo’ab’s power would be broken. First, he said that Mo’ab’s horn would be cut off. An animal horn was a symbol of strength (First Samuel 2:1, 10; Psalm 75:4-5, 89:17, 24; Micah 4:13; Zechariah 1:19-21). And secondly, the prophet from Anathoth says that Mo’ab’s arm, also a symbol of strength, would be broken (48:20-25).

A Message Concerning Mo’ab
48: 1-47

Sometime between 604 and 601 BC
during the eleven-year reign of Jehoiakim

The country of Mo’ab was east of the Dead Sea in what is present-day Jordan. It was separated from Edom on the south by the Zered River and from Ammon on the north by the Arnon River. Jeremiah listed many of the Moabite cities that God would send the Babylonians to destroy. Much of the imagery used by Isaiah (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Dx – My Heart Laments for Moab Like a Harp) mirrors that of Jeremiah. Other prophets also mention the destruction of Mo’ab (Isaiah 15:1 to 16:14; Ezeki’el 25:8-11; Amos 2:1-3; Zephaniah 2:8-11). But here Jeremiah tells us more about Mo’ab than all of the information we have from the ancient world combined (which means we know very little about Mo’ab).