Jeremiah 49:23-27 Damascus’ Future
God judges the seat of power of the Aram; Damascus. They have a LONG history of interactions with Israel. Now God is punishing them for their most horrendous acts.
I had to do a little research to find out who Ben-hadad was and his place in relationship to Israel. I discovered that this ‘king’ is not a specific person but a title given to the ruler of Aram at the time. The title means “son of Hadad.” Hadad is the chief god of Aram and the king is ‘his son’ at any given time. I am not sure of the true name of the king during Jeremiah’s prophecy but Hazel was the name of one of Aram’s kings that was extremely evil. God remembered Hazel’s deeds and would punish Aram for his sins.
Aram was a frequent enemy of Israel, before and after the divided kingdom. Aram was also an ally at times. Their off-and-on-again relationship with both Israel and Judah have left me spinning!
Aram is actually the nation that God first used to punish the northern kingdom of Israel. God began to ‘chip away’ at the northern kingdom of Israel through the use of Aram. They were not the ones who ultimately fell the northern kingdom but they did a LOT of damage and took away substantial pieces of it.
King Hazel was an evil king. He killed his master the king by putting a cloth soaked with water over his face until he died. Hazel had been sent to Elisha by the king to ask if he would recover from his current illness. God gave Hazel, the servant at the time, a “yes and no” answer. The king wouldn’t die of his illness but would die and Hazel would be king. And during Hazel’s reign Israel would suffer greatly. God finally ended King Hazel’s and his son’s reigns through King Jehoash/Joash of Israel, who sought Elisha’s input just before his death. King Jehoash wouldn’t completely destroy Aram because he wasn’t zealous in following Elisha’s directions. He would defeat him three times only.
The Assyrians would be the ones to carry out part of the prophecy Jeremiah is giving today. Assyria stopped short of conquering Judah because King Hezekiah asked God for help against them. King Hezekiah and Isaiah both prayed to God concerning Assyria and God answered them mightily! Assyria’s king, Sennacherib had blasphemed God’s name and power in the extreme. God did NOT let him prevail.
Aram would fall to Sennacherib during his march across the territory. But then Assyria who occupied Aram at the time would fall to Nebuchadnezzar. I’m thinking that this may be the time Jeremiah is prophesying about. Damascus fell several times in history but its fall to Assyria was the end of the nation of Aram. The city of Damascus is still a place in today’s world. Maybe we are still waiting on Jeremiah’s prophecy. God will NOT let this prophecy go unfulfilled, even if I don’t know exactly how, when, or if it has already been completed.
Father God, thank You for caring for ALL of Your children. I don’t know even half of the details of Your prophecies but I trust You to bring them ALL to fruition. I’m waiting expectantly for the one that brings Your children home. Me included!!! Until then, I will keep searching Your word to know You more and more each day. THANK YOU for guiding my search. I was on SEVERAL wrong courses without Your checks in my spirit.
