Judgment Against Edom (Jeremiah 49:7-22).
Edom lay to the south east of Judah stretching from the borders of Judah down to the Gulf of Aqabah, a distance of 100 miles. Its importance generally lay in the fact that it gave access to the lucrative Red Sea trade through its port at Ezion Geber. The King's Highway, the trade route from the north, passed through its territory, on the way to Ezion Geber, and those who travelled it were often prey to brigands descending from the Edomite mountains round about. Eponymously descended from Esau (although being a mixture of peoples) Edom was seen as a brother tribe to Israel, but rather than this making them more friendly towards Israel, it appears to have had the opposite effect. Their attitude towards Israel appears to have been one of constant hostility, and they appear to have taken great delight in Judah/Israel's misfortunes, and to have taken advantage of them for their own ends. See 2 Chronicles 20:1; 2 Chronicles 28:17.
So, as in Isaiah and Obadiah, of all the nations the judgment on Edom is seen to be judgment at its most extreme (compare Isaiah 34; Isaiah 63:1-6; Obadiah). This seemingly occurred because, even though they were a brother tribe to Israel, they had constantly revealed their treacherousness by taking advantage of Judah's weak position at times when they were in difficulties. This was especially so at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. It was a destruction in which they took great delight, exulting over Judah's downfall (see Psalms 137:7; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 25:12-14; Ezekiel 35:15; Ezekiel 36:5), and this in spite of the fact that they had initially been allies (Jeremiah 27:3). As a consequence they occupied parts of southern Judah. Thus their treachery was extreme. As a consequence Edom was to be wiped off the face of the map, becoming a desolation for ever (although interestingly their occupation of southern Judah, to which later Edomite refugees would flee, would prove to be a boon to them when they had nowhere else to go).
Edom's meanness of spirit towards Israel had come out from the beginning. In the days of Moses they had refused to allow Israel safe passage through their territory, at a time when the Israelites had endured forty tortuous years in the wilderness (Numbers 20:14-29). And this attitude had continued throughout the centuries, no doubt exacerbated by the fact that when Israel was strong, in for example the days of Saul, David and Solomon, Israel in its turn had not hesitated to subdue Edom. But there was no doubt of Edom's constant and mean-spirited animosity towards Judah/Israel throughout the centuries, and their constant attempts at various times to take advantage of Judah's weakness, and this despite their relationship to Israel.
From the humane point of view the extremity of the judgment must, however, be seen as somewhat ameliorated by the fact that when they were finally driven out of their land by the Arabs, and later by the Nabataeans, and had settled in Southern Judah (what became known as Idumaea) the Edomites were absorbed into Israel and became Jews, although admittedly by compulsion under John Hyrcanus. Their need to seek refuge would thus prove to be a blessing in disguise, so that by the time of Jesus Edom had been absorbed into Israel.
In all this we see the sovereignty of God and the freewill of man going hand in hand. We must not put the blame for the cruelty of the invaders on God. It was the consequence of man's inhumanity to man. What is, however, being brought out is that through it God was bringing about His purposes.
‘Of Edom.'
The passage begins with the usual terse reference as to who is in mind in the prophecy, in this case Edom.
“Thus says YHWH of hosts,
Is wisdom no more in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom vanished?”
Teman was proverbial for its wise men, and it is always closely associated with Edom. (Teman was a grandson of Esau). In Habakkuk 3:3 it appears to be used to describe Edom, the part representing the whole. One of Job's ‘comforters' was Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11; Job 4:1), and the wise men of Edom are further referred to by Obadiah (Jeremiah 1:8). They were linked with ‘the children of the east' who were renowned for their wisdom (1 Kings 4:30). Now, however, YHWH declares that they have lost their wisdom, something which is demonstrated by their behaviour. They have proved themselves foolish. In the Hebrew the questions anticipate a positive answer.
“Flee you, turn back, dwell in the depths (caves),
O inhabitants of Dedan,
For I will bring the calamity of Esau on him,
The time that I shall visit him.”
Those who are associated with Edom are therefore advised to flee and leave them to their fate. Dedan was an Arabian city, not part of Edom, although closely linked with Teman and Edom in Ezekiel 25:13. They are advised to separate themselves from Edom and hide in remote places in view of what is coming on Edom. For it is Edom's time to be visited by YHWH and to suffer calamity.
‘The calamity of Edom -- the time that I shall visit him.' Chilling phrases which brings out what God has purposed for Edom. It will be a time when they will be visited by God in judgment. It is a reminder that God's judgment is inexorable.
We have here a reminder to all that we should beware of connecting ourselves up with those whose way of life is unsatisfactory. If we do so we must not be surprised if we get caught up when they suffer the consequences of their behaviour.
“If grape-gatherers came to you,
Would they not leave some gleaning grapes?
If thieves by night,
Would they not destroy only until they had enough?
But I have made Esau stripped bare,
I have uncovered his secret places,
And he will not be able to hide himself,
His seed is destroyed,
And his brothers, and his neighbours,
And he is not.
Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive,
And let your widows trust in me.”
YHWH now makes clear the completeness of the judgment that is coming on Edom. Whereas grape-gatherers will always leave a few grapes for the gleaners, in accordance with the Mosaic law (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:21), and even thieves will always leave something behind once they are satisfied with what they have found, YHWH will leave Edom with nothing. It will be stripped bare. Even their most secret hiding places will be uncovered so that they cannot hide from the destroyers. Edom's seed will be destroyed, apart, that is, from His showing of mercy to the fatherless and to widows. This exception is interesting in that it draws attention to the fact that the people are not suffering haphazardly. It is because of their sins and their attitudes. The innocent will be spared with a view to them trusting in YHWH. Throughout God's judgment there is also a purpose of mercy.
It is interesting that Obadiah 1:5-6 makes use of similar illustrations in order emphasise the utter judgment which is coming on Edom. It may be that Jeremiah borrowed from him, or that they were both aware of a common prophecy against Edom. But in the end the words and the ideas were YHWH's.
“For thus says YHWH,
Behold, they to whom it pertains not to drink of the cup will assuredly drink,
And are you he who will altogether go unpunished?
You will not go unpunished,
But you will surely drink.
YHWH points out to Edom that even ‘innocent' nations will have to drink of the cup of suffering, even though they did not deserve it, how much more then will Edom be made to drink of it, they who do deserve it. One thing therefore is sure, that they too will drink of it. They will not go unpunished for their sins.
The point is not that the other nations are not to be seen as sinful. It is rather that they have not shown enmity towards God's people, this in contrast with Edom. Compare Amos 1:11. The picture of experiencing suffering and judgment in terms of drinking of a cup is a regular one in the Old Testament. See Jeremiah 25:15-29 for its use in Jeremiah. See also Psalms 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Isaiah 51:22; Habakkuk 2:16; Psalms 11:6. It is in direct contrast to drinking of the cup of YHWH in a good sense (Psalms 16:5; Psalms 116:13).
“For I have sworn by myself,
The word of YHWH,
That Bozrah will become an astonishment,
A reproach, a waste, and a curse,
And all its cities,
Will be perpetual wastes.”
Bozrah was once the chief city of Edom (to be distinguished from the Bozrah in Moab - Jeremiah 48:24). Its overthrow had already been prophesied by Amos 1:12. If we associate it with modern Buseirah it was situated 25 miles (40 kilometres) south east of the Dead Sea. Excavations there have revealed three principle levels of occupation in 8th century BC and later.
For YHWH to swear by Himself was a most solemn oath (compare Hebrews 6:13). It was the very declared intention of YHWH. And He swore that the proud city of Bozrah in its lofty security, a city at which men marvelled, would become a thing of astonishment as men beheld its ruin. It would be a perpetual sign of reproach in that it would demonstrate that they had behaved in such a way as to bring this in themselves. It would become a waste, a city under a curse. And all its surrounding towns and villages would become perpetual wastes. There was to be no future hope here for Edom.
“I have heard tidings from YHWH,
And an ambassador is sent among the nations,
Saying, ‘Gather yourselves together, and come against her,
And rise up to the battle.' ”
Jeremiah emphasises that what is prophesied is already taking shape. He himself has received tidings from YHWH, whilst an ambassador has already been sent by Him amongst the nations calling on them to gather themselves to battle against Edom (compare Jeremiah 46:3-4). The ambassador may indicate an angelic messenger acting invisibly, or it may have in mind those whom Nebuchadrezzar sent out to call tributaries to respond to the call to arms.
Humanly speaking this was not, of course, just YHWH's doing. It was the result of man's greed as he sought to establish empires and obtain much booty. Going forth to war was seen as an essential part of life (compare 2 Samuel 11:1 which speaks of ‘the time when kings go forth to battle'). And none partook in this more than the great kings. But YHWH was utilising man's behaviour in order to bring about His own purposes.
For, behold, I have made you small among the nations,
And despised among men.
As for your terribleness,
The pride of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
What hold the height of the hill,
Though you make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there,
The word of YHWH,
And Edom will become an astonishment,
Every one who passes by it,
They will be astonished,
And will hiss at all its plagues.”
It is always a nations tendency to see itself as great, and to take pride in its defensive capability. And Edom was no exception. It saw itself as invulnerable and its armies as invincible. But they had never really been tested against such an army as Babylon's. If we do not know the capacity of the enemy it is easy to deceive ourselves. It was to learn that it was but ‘small among the nations', and that it would become a thing despised among men. Pride would come before a fall.
One of Edom's strongpoints was its mountainous nature. Its cities were built in high places, making attack difficult. They ‘dwelt in the clefts of the rock' and on ‘the height of the hill'. But they are warned that even though they make their nest as high as the eagle's, they will be brought down from there. Eagles make their nests in inaccessible places (see Job 39:27-29). But however inaccessible, they can always be reached by a determined enemy. So it would be for Edom. And the result would be that instead of being envied and exalted they would become an object of astonishment and amazement because of what was to happen to them. Men would draw their breaths and gasp when they saw the disasters that were coming on them.
‘As for your terribleness.' The word is an unusual one and may indicate the terrible aspect that they sought to present, proud of their own ferocity. But a cognate word found in 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16 may indicate that like ‘abomination' it was used to depict idolatry. They were proud of their fierce god. Thus we have linked the ideas of pride and idolatry, both hateful to God. It may be that just as YHWH could be called ‘the Fear of Isaac', so Edom's god, possibly Qaus which appears in many Edomite names, could be called ‘the Terrible One of Edom'.
‘In the clefts of the rocks.' Some would translate as ‘in the fortresses of Sela', being a reference to the mountain top fortresses in Edom. Sela is elsewhere used of the city of Petra, built into the rocks, although the remains that we know of at Petra are of Roman origin. Here it appears to be referring to Edom as a whole.
For us the lesson is clear. If we trust in ourselves in our spiritual warfare, and see ourselves as upon the mountain tops and therefore secure, we must beware lest we need to humbled. We must ever remember the injunctions of Ephesians 6:10-18.
“As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah,
And their neighbour cities,
The word of YHWH,
No man will dwell there,
Nor will any son of man sojourn in it.”
Indeed the devastation was to be likened to that of Sodom and Gomorrah. The cataclysmic disaster that had occurred to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18-19) had been so devastating that it had echoed down the centuries (Jeremiah 23:14; Isaiah 1:10; Isaiah 3:9; Isaiah 13:19; Amos 4:11; Zephaniah 2:9). It had become a byword for complete and utter disaster. Sodom and Gomorrah, with their neighbouring towns, had been wiped off the map, leaving an uninhabited land. In the same way Edom was to become so desolated that no man dwelt there, and no one lived in it. This found partial fulfilment in the arrival of the Arabs (5th century BC), and later the Nabataeans (3rd century BC, who drove out the Edomites. But it became even moreso in later centuries.
“Behold, he will come up like a lion from the pride of Jordan,
Against the strong habitation,
For I will in the wink of an eye make them run away from it,
And whoever is chosen,
Him will I appoint over it,
For who is like me?
And who will appoint me a time?
And who is the shepherd who will stand before me?”
The ‘pride of Jordan' was the description used of the area of thick jungle thickets on the banks of the Jordan in which many wild beasts found refuge. It was notorious for the lions that came from there seeking prey when they were hungry through shortage of prey in the thickets, when they could be a danger to men as they desperately sought for food, even entering towns and villages in their search. Compare Jeremiah 12:5; Jeremiah 25:38; Hosea 13:7-8. As soon as lone men saw them they ran away. They knew just how dangerous they could be under those circumstances. No adversary is named by Jeremiah, but the picture is a vivid one as the adversary is pictured as emerging from the thickets, hungry in his quest for prey. He is the chosen of YHWH, YHWH's shepherd, emerging in YHWH's time, a time which no one else can appoint and He alone will decide.
‘And whoever is chosen, him will I appoint over it.' This may indicate YHWH's chosen candidate, someone in the full bloom of young manhood (implicit in the word used) who has been chosen by YHWH. Or it may be a challenge to Edom to choose for themselves a champion so that YHWH may set him over them, indicating at the same time that any such appointment would be useless.
‘Strong habitation.' This may refer to their invasion of towns and villages. Alternately we may render it as ‘evergreen pasturage' or ‘secure encampment', indicating the areas where the shepherds fed their flocks. The word here rendered ‘habitation' is used in Jeremiah 6:3 to indicate the places where shepherds encamped.
‘And who is the shepherd who will stand before me?” This could refer to the predator arising as ‘the shepherd who stands before YHWH', that is, as His true and reliable close servant, the question indicating that his identity is as yet to be seen as unknown. In this case he is YHWH's shepherd. Or it may be questioning as to what shepherd could prevent YHWH from carrying out His purpose, the idea being that no shepherd of Edom could hope to outface or resist Him, any more than they could hope to outface a hungry lion who had seized one of their sheep. Of course there were exceptional shepherds who did outface lions (compare 1 Samuel 17:34-36). But the point here was that there was no one who could outface YHWH. We do not know enough about the history of the times to be sure as to who was in mind, but it may well have been Babylon (see Jeremiah 49:22).
“Therefore hear you the counsel of YHWH,
Which he has taken against Edom,
And his purposes,
Which he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman,
Surely they will drag them away,
The little ones of the flock,
Surely he will make their habitation,
Desolate over them,
The earth trembles at the noise of their fall,
There is a cry, of which the noise is heard in the Reed Sea.”
It is now emphasised that what is to happen to Edom is YHWH's purpose. It is in accordance with His counsel. The invaders will be like hungry lions seizing the defenceless lambs, and dragging them away to be eaten. Their homes will be desolated. And such will be the awfulness of the situation that the whole earth will tremble at the noise of their fall, and their cries will be heard even at the Red Sea (literally ‘the sea of reeds', which was on their southernmost border). This latter may indicate that many will attempt to flee by boat, or alternatively may simply be indicating that their cries of distress will be such that they will go beyond their borders. The kind of extreme language used here was common in the inscriptions of conquerors. It is not intended to be taken literally, but as underlining the greatness of the catastrophe. For Teman compare Jeremiah 49:7.
“Behold, he will come up and fly as the eagle,
And spread out his wings against Bozrah,
And the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day,
Will be as the heart of a woman in her birth pains.
The prophecies close with an indication of the might of their conqueror. He will come up like a mighty eagle searching for prey, spreading out his great wings against their capital city, which was built on the heights (compare Jeremiah 48:40). Such will be his might that the hearts of Edom's finest warriors will quail, as a woman quails when approaching childbirth.
The picture of the mighty eagle is a common one for describing great conquerors. See, for example, Ezekiel 17:1-10.