The Bible Recap - Day 235 (Jeremiah 49-50) - Year 7
Episode Date: August 23, 2025FROM TODAY’S RECAP: - Matthew 5:45 - Become a RECAPtain! Note: We provide links to specific resources; this is not an endorsement of the entire website, author, organization, etc. Their views may ...not represent our own. SHOW NOTES: - Follow The Bible Recap: Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | YouTube - Follow Tara-Leigh Cobble: Instagram - Read/listen on the Bible App or Dwell App - Learn more at our Start Page - Become a RECAPtain - Shop the TBR Store - Credits PARTNER MINISTRIES: D-Group International Israelux The God Shot TLC Writing & Speaking DISCLAIMER: The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble, and affiliates are not a church, pastor, spiritual authority, or counseling service. Listeners and viewers consume this content on a voluntary basis and assume all responsibility for the resulting consequences and impact.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.
Today we read about God's judgment on several more enemy nations and cities.
We probably won't remember all of them, and some you may not even recognize. That's okay.
Chapter 49 is like a destruction charcutory board. It's got a lot going on. We start out with Amman, as in the Ammonite.
If you're familiar with the modern-day city of Amman Jordan, then you have an idea of where
these people are located.
They're Israel's neighbors to the east.
God says he will drive them out of their land, but like we saw with Moab yesterday, he
also promises that they will experience restoration afterward.
And I'll be honest, I have no idea why.
I read 11 commentaries about this, and none of them gave a reason for it.
Mostly they either said, oh, hey, he did that for Moab too.
Or they basically said, wow, God is.
is merciful to his enemies. So maybe this is just to display his mercy? Who knows? Then we move on to
judgment against Edom. These people are the descendants of Esau. You may recall that Esau is the older
twin brother of Jacob Israel, who was the father of the 12 tribes. Esau and Jacob Israel have been
enemies since they were in the womb together. God promises judgment and destruction for the Edomites
too, but he adds an interesting caveat in verse 11. He says he will be the one to take care of
their orphans and widows.
In verse 12, there's a prophecy that could have two layers.
It says,
If those who did not deserve to drink the cup must drink it,
will you go unpunished?
At the time, this meant that there were people
who suffered through the effects of God's judgment
who had been faithful to him.
The remnant of Israel still had to be driven out of their land
as a result of the sins of those who were destroyed.
Sin has consequences that reach far beyond just the person who is disobedient.
No one sins in a vacuum.
So God is basically saying to them, look, if the remnant of my people have had to endure exile and
destruction because of sin and rebellion, then you're definitely not getting off the hook because
you're not even my people. The second potential layer of prophecy is that this could be pointing to
Christ. He had to drink the cup he didn't deserve to drink. Three times he asked the father if
there was any other way, and three times the father said no. Jesus drank the cup of the father's
wrath toward the sins of his people. He paid for those sins. But these people who don't know God
are having to pay for their own sins. He says his cup is filled to the brim for them.
Next up is Damascus, a city in modern-day Syria, which is north of Israel. He promises to burn it
with fire. I also think it's interesting that the phrases God associates with his enemies and
their circumstances are the opposite of what he associates with his kids. God's people will not be
afraid because he's with him. But for his enemies, he says things like, they melt in fear.
They are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet. Panic seized her. Anguish and sorrows have taken
hold of her. While God's people experience his presence to bless, his enemies don't experience his
absence. They experience his presence to judge. Then we have Qadar and Hazor, both of which are cities in
Northern Arabia. I had to look these up. They've managed to avoid a lot of the drama other nations
experienced. In fact, things are so low-key for them that they don't even have city gates. So they're
probably super vulnerable, but probably don't even realize it. And King Nebby will come in and take
advantage of that, for his gain and for their destruction. Kedar and Hazor are like our friends from a
small town who brag that they never have to lock their doors and like you big city folks, but then they
get robbed. Our last judgment in Chapter 49 is on Elam. And once again, they're an enemy nation
he promises to restore. And once again, I have no idea why. From my vantage point, it seems to be
arbitrary. But from God's vantage point, perhaps he's just choosing who he wants to be merciful to.
Jesus said something kind of like this in Matthew 545. He said, the rain falls on the just and on the
unjust. In modern language, that sounds like he's saying bad things happen to everyone. But in
ancient language, rain was a blessing. So Jesus was actually saying that God sends out some of his
blessings on all mankind, like common grace, and nations like Amman and Elam get caught up in the
current of his kindness. Then we move to the judgment of Babylon in chapter 50. After God uses Babylon
to punish Israel and Judah, then he judges Babylon and lays it to waste. He says it will be the
last of the nations, which kind of sounds like it will be the final survivor.
but what that actually means is that it will be the least prominent in position.
It will be the bottom tier.
When God destroys Babylon, it will also end the captivity of his people who were there.
How very efficient!
Then the remnant from among Israel and Judah will return to Zion with hearts that love God
and that remember and rejoice in the everlasting covenant he made with them.
What was your God shot from today's reading?
Mine was in 50-20.
It says,
and in that time declares the Lord,
Iniquity shall be sought in Israel and there shall be none,
and sin in Judah, and none shall be found.
For I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.
This says a lot more about God than it does about people.
God isn't saying his people will be sinless.
He's saying that their sins will be pardoned.
The very act of pardoning suggests that there has been sin.
God's people do sin.
But when God looks at his kids,
He doesn't point to our sin, he points to our righteousness,
which is, as we know, the righteousness of Christ.
Christ's death on the cross made atonement for our sins,
and because he paid the penalty, we receive the pardon.
He's where the righteousness is, and he's where the joy is.
Some of you tell us that TBR has been a game changer
for helping you read, understand, and love the Bible.
And thanks to our recaptons, TBR is reaching more people than ever
before. Because of your support, lives and eternities are being transformed all over the world
as people engage with God's Word. If you're not a re-captain yet, we'd love for you to be
part of the group that makes TBR possible. Being a re-captain also comes with some great perks,
like memberships to our exclusive Recaptains' Facebook discussion group where we talk about what we're
reading. And that's just the beginning. To find out more, go to the Biblerecap.com
forward slash recaptains or click the link in the show notes.