Friday July 31, 2015

Read Jeremiah 49:1-6

  

Yesterday we said that there are many names and places in the Bible that, though we are familiar with the names, we know very little about them. Take the Ammonites for example. How much do you know about the Ammonites?

The Ammonites began their existence when Lot had a son to his daughter. This son, Ammon, was born in a cave near Zoar (Gn. 19:30, 38) and was the younger cousin to Moab, who we discussed yesterday. They were thus regarded as relatives of the Israelites. The Israelites for their part were commanded to treat them kindly because of this relational link. (Deut 2:19).

At the time of the Exodus, Israel did not conquer Ammon (Deut 2:19, 37; Jdg 11:15). However, the Ammonites were condemned for joining the Moabites in hiring Balaam and were forbidden to enter the congregation of Israel to the 10th generation (Dt. 23:3–6).

Their major town was Rabbath Ammon where the iron bed or sarcophagus of Og, the King of Bashan, rested (Deut. 3:11). In the days of the Judges, the Ammonites assisted Eglon of Moab to subdue the Israelites and to gain their territory (Jdg. 3:13).

At the time of Jephthah they encroached on Israelite lands east of the Jordan (Jdg 11) and were driven out. Their religion influenced some of the Israelites (Jdg 10:6), and this caused the Ammonite oppression in Gilead which led to Jephthah’s campaign (Jdg. 10).

Later Nahash, King of the Ammonites, besieged Jabesh-Gilead just before Saul became king. Saul rallied Israel and drove out Nahash (1 Sam 11:1–11; 12:12; 14:47). A few years later Nahash became a friend of David (2 Sam 10:1–2), but his son Hanun rejected a kindly visit of David’s ambassadors and insulted them. He hired Syrian mercenaries and went to war but David’s generals, Joab and Abishai, defeated them (2 Sam 10, 1 Chron. 19).

A year later the Israelites captured Rabbah, the Ammonite capital (2 Sam 12:26–31, 1 Chron 20:1–3) and forced the people to work. Some Ammonites befriended David; Eg. Shobi son of Nahash, who cared for him when he fled from Absalom (2 Sam 17:27, 29) and Zelek, who was one of his 30 mighty men (2 Sam 23:37; 1 Chron 11:39).

Solomon included Ammonite women in his harem, and worshipped Molech, their god (1 Ki. 11:1, 5, 7, 33). An Ammonitess, Naamah, was the mother of Rehoboam, King of the divided kingdom (1 Ki. 14:21, 31; 2 Ch. 12:13).

(See J. A. Thompson, “Ammon, Ammonites,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 29–30).

Jeremiah 49 contains a small clue as the reason for the judgement of the Ammonites. The god Molech, mentioned in 49:1, was worshipped by sacrificing or burning children in his fire. In Jeremiah 32:25 we read that Judah willingly, even joyfully, partook of this ceremony.

Jeremiah 32:35

“They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.”

The Ammonites had led God’s people astray and had caused them to worship false gods and to commit detestable acts of violence against the innocent. For this, she too would be judged. But again we see in vs 6 the grace and compassion of the Lord Almighty.

Jeremiah 49:6

“Yet afterward, I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the LORD.”

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that God’s salvation would visit the people of the many nations of Asia .

· Pray that God would raise up messengers to take the messengers of salvation to them.

 Discussion Questions

1.  Brain storm everything you know about Ammon and the Ammonites.

2. Why do you think we know so little about the people’s and lands around the Promised Land?