Connect Jeremiah 46:23 with other scriptures about God's judgment on prideful nations. Overview of Jeremiah 46:23 “ ‘They have cut down her forest,’ declares the LORD, ‘though it was impenetrable, for they are more numerous than locusts; they cannot be numbered.’ ” • God pictures Egypt as a dense, self-confident “forest.” • Babylon’s troops swarm like locusts, stripping that forest bare. • The scene dramatizes God’s settled pattern: He topples nations that exalt themselves. The Pattern Repeated: Key Parallels • Isaiah 2:12 – “For the LORD of Hosts has a day against all the proud and lofty, against all that is exalted—it will be humbled.” • Proverbs 16:18 – “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” • Obadiah 1:3-4 – “The pride of your heart has deceived you… ‘Though you soar like the eagle… from there I will bring you down,’ declares the LORD.” • Habakkuk 2:4-8 – The Chaldeans’ arrogant conquest boomerangs back on them. • Nahum 3:18-19 – Assyria’s boasting ends in irreparable ruin. • Daniel 4:30-37 – Nebuchadnezzar’s proud words are cut off mid-sentence; seven years later he confesses, “He is able to humble those who walk in pride.” • James 4:6 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” “Cut Down… More Numerous Than Locusts” – Echoes and Illustrations • Isaiah 10:33-34 – Assyria, the towering “cedars of Lebanon,” is axed at the very height of its power. • Joel 1:4; 2:25 – Successive locust swarms leave nothing untouched; a picture of total judgment. • Jeremiah 51:14 – God swears to fill Babylon “with men like locusts,” turning the earlier conqueror into the conquered. Case Studies in National Pride Egypt (Jeremiah 46) – Trusted chariots and the Nile’s bounty (46:8). – Humbled, her “forest” leveled. Babylon (Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 50–51) – Called “the jewel of kingdoms,” yet becomes “overthrown like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Assyria & Nineveh (Nahum 1–3; Zephaniah 2:13-15) – Boasted, “I am, and there is none besides me.” – Ends as a “desolation, dry like the wilderness.” Edom (Obadiah 1) – Secure in high cliffs, yet God drags her down. Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2-8) – “You say, ‘I am a god,’ … but you are a man.” – Cast into the depths. Timeless Principles Drawn Together • God’s sovereignty extends over every empire; no military, economy, or geography shields a nation from His verdict. • Pride is more than private sin; it is national policy whenever people credit themselves for blessings God has granted. • Divine judgment often arrives through ordinary means—invading armies, economic collapse, internal decay—yet Scripture insists God is the ultimate actor. • Humility invites mercy: “If that nation… turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster” (Jeremiah 18:8). • The final reckoning is global: “All the nations that forget God will return to Sheol” (Psalm 9:17). Living the Lesson Today • Evaluate cultural boasts—technology, wealth, military strength—through God’s lens. • Pray for leaders to recognize the Source of national blessings. • Model corporate humility in churches, workplaces, and civic life, echoing Nebuchadnezzar’s hard-won confession: “All His works are true and His ways are just.” |
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