Jeremiah
47 – 52
Verse 48:7 follows a theme for the next few chapters:
You depended on your own works and
your own wealth,
and now you will be
humbled and taken captive.
Your so-called god, Chemosh, will go with
you into exile
along with his priests and
officials.
The next few chapters are the destruction of various nations
who drifted and worshiped other Gods. God is a jealous God in so much as He
want acknowledgement for all that transpires on the earth. These lesser gods
like Chemosh may be just statues or fallen angels with limited powers. Either
way God does not like misdirected worship and praise.
We see it today with “The Secret” or the law of attraction.
You give something up to the universe and the universe then aligns itself to
make it happen. Suddenly God is completely out of the equation and we have
people tapping into this power without acknowledging the source. Much in the
same way the people of Moab worshiped Chemosh, many today are worshiping this
cosmic universal energy that gives them stuff.
Verse 48:26 got my attention:
Make Moab drink deeply from
this cup until he is drunk, for he has exalted himself above the
Eternal. Make him drink until he wallows in his own vomit; then
he will be ridiculed by all who see him.
When you think about this it’s a very sad place to be. I
know I have been there a few times and am not proud of them. People tend to get
upset at you or take advantage of you in the process. It’s very sad and ugly.
Verse 48:35 talks about ending the idol worship:
I will put an end to idol
worship in Moab, to those who make offerings on shrines in high places
and burn incense to so-called gods.
When God says He is putting an “end to idol worship” that is
a very final statement. Ironically, He ends it one place and it pops up
another. Over and over again our rebellion against an authority keeps us
searching for powers without responsibility. Hence why people end up worshiping
gods, idols or the universe.
Interestingly chapter 51 ends with “the messages of
Jeremiah end here” yet it continues with another chapter. The final chapter is
more a history chapter than anything else, it just tells what happened.