Jeremiah 48
Dear RTB’ers,
Chapters 46 to 49 are the Lord’s prophecies against Israel’s neighbors, then in chapters 50 and 51, against Babylon. I don’t have a lot to say about these prophecies; a lot of cities and gods are mentioned – good fodder for Old Testament scholars, but not so much for us. I abdicated fully yesterday, but then again, Easter Sunday only comes once a year!!
One small item worth noting… Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. (v. 36) Here we have the ESV translation, where the “my” adjectives are not capitalized as they are in the NASB. So is this Jeremiah speaking or is it the Lord? If the Lord, then He is mourning for Moab, even though He has allowed for their destruction. Confusing. But then again, He allows us to fail when we are off in a wrong direction, and I feel certain that He “mourns” as we reap the fruits of our waywardness. So it may be the Lord or it may be Jeremiah mourning. I would suggest – Jeremiah.
Hang on! Only four more chapters, four more days of Jeremiah…
Blessings.
I’d like to suggest that the question Fred raises about Jeremiah 48:36 is not a small item at all. Is it the LORD speaking? Or is it Jeremiah? And even if it is Jeremiah, is he speaking “in line with” the LORD, or “contrary” to Him? Fred’s very last suggestion is that it is Jeremiah speaking, with the implication that he is mourning over something over which the LORD does not mourn (since the LORD is clearly the One bringing all the calamity).
For the sake of argument, I’ll take the opposing view, that it is, indeed, still the LORD speaking and that the LORD grieves and mourns even as He executes judgment. For a different scenario where we might see this idea more clearly, consider the Cross of Christ. It is quite clear from Scripture that the Cross is God’s plan, not some accident. God is the One Who put His Son on the Cross. Yet it is also quite clear that God does not enjoy the moment. He grieves and mourns.
So, what do you think?