Day 815: Pride before a fall - Jeremiah 46 vs 1 - 12

1 The following messages were given to Jeremiah the prophet from the Lord concerning foreign nations. 2 This message, concerning Egypt, was given in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, on the occasion of the battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, and his army were defeated beside the Euphrates River by King Nebuchadnezzar[ of Babylon.

3-6 “Prepare your shields, and advance into battle! Harness the horses, and mount the stallions. Take your positions. Put on your helmets. Sharpen your spears, and prepare your armor. But what do I see? The Egyptian army flees in terror. The bravest of its fighting men run without a backward glance. They are terrorized at every turn,” says the Lord. “The swiftest runners cannot flee; the mightiest warriors cannot escape. By the Euphrates River to the north, they stumble and fall.

7-8 “Who is this, rising like the Nile at floodtime, overflowing all the land? It is the Egyptian army, overflowing all the land, boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood, destroying cities and their people. 9-10 Charge, you horses and chariots; attack, you mighty warriors of Egypt! Come, all you allies from Ethiopia, Libya, and Lydia who are skilled with the shield and bow! For this is the day of the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, a day of vengeance on his enemies. The sword will devour until it is satisfied, yes, until it is drunk with your blood! The Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will receive a sacrifice today in the north country beside the Euphrates River.

11-12 “Go up to Gilead to get medicine, O virgin daughter of Egypt! But your many treatments will bring you no healing. The nations have heard of your shame. The earth is filled with your cries of despair. Your mightiest warriors will run into each other and fall down together.” Jeremiah 46:1-12 New Living Translation

Verse 1 explains that the last section of Jeremiah, which is quite long, is about God's messages to the surrounding nations at the time leading up to the fall of Jerusalem. I've chosen to use a paraphrased version of the Bible as it helps to grasp the meaning of these difficult chapters. Jeremiah begins by telling what God had to say about the stunning victory Nebuchadnezzar won over the powerful Egyptian army at their stronghold in Carchemish in 605BC. Verses 3-6 tell of the utter surprise of many when the mighty Egyptian army was put to flight. Could vs 7-8 be the reason why God brought about their defeat?

There's an old saying that pride goes before a fall. I suspect that is what has led to the downfall of many nations over the centuries, and can still happen today. When nations are full of themselves and boast of their own glory, the day will come when God humliates them completely. Verses 9-10 speak of the battle of Carchemish as being “the day of the Lord, a day of vengeance on His enemies.” What was the outcome for the Egyptians? (vs 11-12)

They were left in total despair without any healing for what they had suffered. And what happened to them was heard by all the other nations. The Bible teaches that a similar fate awaits the whole world in the future. The book of Revelation uses ancient Babylon as a picture of all pride and rebellion against God, and in the vision Jesus gave to the apostle John he says: “Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, 'Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again.'” (Revelation 19:21)

Wars and battles are terrible things which are brought about by the sinful ambitions of men. But they are also times of God's judgments in the world and ought to remind us of the ultimate day of judgment that will come on all mankind. Yet there is healing for those who seek the Lord and turn in repentance and faith to Jesus Christ. The antidote to pride is to humble ourselves before God and to seek His forgiveness.