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Jeremiah 49 (ESV)

1 Concerning the Ammonites.

Thus says the Lord:

“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad,
and his people settled in its cities?
² Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will cause the battle cry to be heard
against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate mound,
and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
says the Lord.

³ “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth,
lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For Milcom shall go into exile,
with his priests and his officials.
⁴ Why do you boast of your valleys,
O faithless daughter,
who trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’
⁵ Behold, I will bring terror upon you,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
with none to gather the fugitives.

⁶ “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”

REFLECTION:

Similar to the Moabites, the Ammonites were descended from the incest between Lot and his younger daughter. The Moabites were judged because they occupied the land of the tribe of Gad, the people of God, worshipped the idol Moro, and offered their children as burnt offering. Both Rabbah and Heshbon were originally the prosperous metropolis of the Ammonites. Under the judgment of God, they eventually became a wasteland. Today, we are often attracted by the prosperity of the world, taking worldly wealth as our support. From the historical outcome of the Ammonites, we should have spiritual insights to understand that God is in power throughout human history, and the entire world has been under God’s judgment from ancient times to the present. No matter how dazzling the vanity and treasure of the world may seem, the glitz of seduction is just like dew on the grass, and the sun evaporates it without a trace. We should follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus, lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, set our minds on things that are above, and have an inheritance that is imperishable.

PRAYER:

Pray for God to give you spiritual eyesight, not to be obscured by the vanity of the world, to see through everything in the world is nothing but vanity; only seeking God and living in God’s truth is the true purpose of life. Pray for God to lead you, Increase your inner strength, and make you a person who rely on God and is blessed by God throughout your life.

HYMN:

All I Once Held Dear – youtu.be/oxpPIa-BskY