“But how can it rest when the LORD has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?’”
~ Jeremiah 47:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you think that God always does what He says that He is going to do? God gave guys words to scribe about what He would do for guys and gals who were obedient to Him and what He would do to guys and gals who were not obedient to Him. God – in the New Testament days, had early church leaders – guys like Paul, John and Peter, write letters to emerging Christ-follower communities or to Christ-follower leaders. God had other guys – guys like Matthew, Mark and Luke, write accounts about Jesus’ humble birth, His ministry filled life and His agonizing death. God – in the Old Testament days, had guys – such as the major and minor prophets, write missives to warn guys and gals what was going to happen to them. Jeremiah was one of the major prophets who God used to warn His specially chosen people – the Israelite people group, that if they did not obey Him that . . . God also told Jeremiah what to tell the enemies of His specially chosen people what His divine plans were for them. About 2000 years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God’s specially chosen people were living in a land that God had promised to Abraham that he and his extended family would always be able to call their homeland. Abraham was living at this time in a country that had been named Canaan. When Canaan began suffering around 1875 B.C. the effects of a decimating famine, Abraham’s grandson – Jacob, ended up having to relocate his family in Egypt. After the Israelite people group lived for about 400 years in Egypt, God chose Moses to lead His specially chosen guys, gals and kids back to Canaan. Before settling into life in Canaan, the Israelite people group guys – per God’s instructions, were to kill the guys, gals and kids who were living in the land that God had promised that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Joshua was the Israelite people group’s leader when God had His specially chosen guys, gals and kids move into the land which God had promised His specially chosen people that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . Joshua did not train or teach or mentor another guy to replace him when he died. After Joshua died, a number of different guys and a gal called judges became leaders of God’s specially chosen people. Judges for about 300 years were the Israelite people group’s leaders. Canaan became known as Israel. Because all the countries surrounding Israel had kings, the Israelite people group guys and gals decided that they wanted to have a king, too. Samuel – who was the first prophet, was born at about this same time. God had Samuel anoint Saul to be the Israelite people group’s first king. Samuel then anointed David to be Israel’s king after Saul. Solomon – who was one of David’s sons, became king after David. After Solomon died, two guys – Jeroboam I and Rehoboam, decided they wanted to be the next king. Most of the Israelite tribal clans decided to follow Jeroboam I. The Israelite tribal clans who wanted to have Jeroboam I be their king kept the name Israel. The couple remaining Israelite tribal clans decided that they wanted Rehoboam to be their king. These Israelite tribal clans’ area became known as Judah.
If you are wondering why it is so important to learn about what is written in the Old Testament, it is really good to know the history of God’s specially chosen people just like it is good to know all about your family. You can learn from the failures of real life guys and gals who are written about in the Bible. You can learn what God did to guys and gals who did not obediently obey Him – such as what He did to His own specially chosen people – the Israelite people group. You also learn that God kept His promise to have His specially chosen people return to the land that He had promised Abraham. Israelite guys, gals and kids are living in this land today. You will learn what God did to people groups who caused His specially chosen people to disobey Him. 722 years before Jesus was born, God had Israel or the land area where most of the Israelite tribal clans lived be overrun by the Assyrian army. Then God 136 years later had Judah or the land area where the remaining tribal clans lived be ravaged by the Babylonian army. Major and minor prophets lived during the period of time when Israel and Judah were ruled by kings. The major and minor prophets also lived during the period of time when Israel’s and Judah’s tribal clans’ guys, gals and kids were carried away to be slaves in the countries of their enemies. Jeremiah lived between the time right after the Israelite tribal clan guys, gals and kids were taken captive and when the Judah tribal clans’ guys, gals and kids were taken captive. When Jeremiah was a young guy, God asked Jeremiah to serve Him. As Jeremiah wrote his book, Jeremiah wrote down a lot of personal things. Jeremiah saw the situation in Judah get worse and worse. Jeremiah saw God’s specially chosen guys and gals turn their backs on God and he saw them look to God’s enemies for help. The Philistine people group was an enemy of God’s specially chosen people. God warned the Philistines through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 47 that He was going to send a country from the north to destroy them. This country would be Babylon – the same country which would take the Judah tribal clans’ guys, gals and kids captive.
Do you know what group lives today where the Philistines used to live? It is Hamas. Do you know the name of the country which was once Babylonia? It is Iraq. Hamas as a people group and Iraq as a country detest Israel. What does Hamas and Iraq want to see happen to Israel? Hamas and Iraq are not going to be happy until every Israelite guy, gal and kid is annihilated. God promises in verse 7 “But how can it rest when the LORD has commanded it, when he has ordered it to attack Ashkelon and the coast?’” God used an enemy of Israel – Babylon, to devastate another enemy of Israel – the Philistines, to fulfill a promise that He made. What God says that He will do, He does.
Jeremiah 47 (64)