46 That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the nations.
2 To Egypt, concerning the army of Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt, which was by the Euphrates River at Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
3 “Line up the shield and [a]buckler,
And draw near for the battle!
4 “Harness the horses,
And [b]mount the steeds,
And take your stand with helmets on!
Polish the spears,
Put on the scale-armor!
5 “Why have I seen it?
They are terrified,
They are drawing back,
And their mighty men are defeated
And have taken refuge in flight,
Without facing back;
[c]Terror is on every side!”
Declares the Lord.
6 Let not the swift man flee,
Nor the mighty man escape;
In the north beside the river Euphrates
They have stumbled and fallen.
7 Who is this that rises like the Nile,
Like the rivers whose waters surge about?
8 Egypt rises like the Nile,
Even like the rivers whose waters surge about;
And He has said, “I will rise and cover that land;
I will surely destroy the city and its inhabitants.”
9 Go up, you horses, and [d]drive madly, you chariots,
That the mighty men may [e]march forward:
Ethiopia and [f]Put, that handle the shield,
And the [g]Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.
10 For that day belongs to the Lord [h]God of hosts,
A day of vengeance, so as to avenge Himself on His foes;
And the sword will devour and be satiated
And [i]drink its fill of their blood;
For there will be a slaughter for the Lord [j]God of hosts,
In the land of the north by the river Euphrates.
11 Go up to Gilead and obtain balm,
O virgin daughter of Egypt!
In vain have you multiplied [k]remedies;
There is no healing for you.
12 The nations have heard of your shame,
And the earth is full of your cry of distress;
For one warrior has stumbled over [l]another,
And both of them have fallen down together.
This was written about the same time as the previous chapter, so the intro verses may have been added years later. We see here a word from God about Egypt’s defeat. They had come in and deposed the son of Joash, mere months after becoming king. His brother Eliakim was installed as king and Pharaoh Neco changed his name to Jehoiakim (2 Chronicles 36).
Four years later, Egypt controlled territory far to the north of Israel, and there the armies of Babylon met them, at Carchemish–though it isn’t clear when this battle happened, since Babylon didn’t capture Jerusalem for another seven years. Whatever the case, here we see the aftermath of the defeat of Egypt, whether quick, or long and drawn out.
They thought they were pretty great, much like the famed Nile river, and we see echoes of their self-sufficiency in v. 11. Except nothing could salve these wounds, no skill of theirs could undo the decree of God, which was delivered by Babylon. None of Egypt’s multitudinous remedies could bring healing or wipe away their shame and distress.
Though several pagan nations would be used by God to execute His judgment in those days, none of them put their trust in God. That is ultimately their undoing, and it is ours if we fail to put our trust in God also. For nothing can undo our wounds, our shame, our distress, nothing of our own making at least. In a shocking twist, it is Jesus’ own blood that heals us, covers our shame, and rescues us from the pit (of despair).
There is no remedy in this world that can salve our hurts, though we may try many to numb the pain. I’m reminded of the song that says, “There is only One who is strong enough to save… His name is Jesus.” We need to stop trying to look to the world and our own devices, which only serve to temporarily numb our hurt. Rather, we can find real healing, eternal and sure, at the hands of our Maker and Healer, when we put our trust in Him.