Jeremiah 49:15-22

“For, behold, I have made you small among the nations,
and despised among men.
As for your terror,
the pride of your heart has deceived you,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
who hold the height of the hill,
though you should make your nest as high as the eagle,
I will bring you down from there,” says Yahweh.
“Edom will become an astonishment.
Everyone who passes by it will be astonished,
and will hiss at all its plagues.
As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and its neighbor cities,” says Yahweh,
“no man will dwell there,
neither will any son of man live therein.

“Behold, he will come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation;
for I will suddenly make them run away from it,
and whoever is chosen,
I will appoint him over it.
For who is like me?
Who will appoint me a time?
Who is the shepherd who will stand before me?”
Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Edom,
and his purposes that 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, the noise which is heard in the Red Sea.
Behold, he will come up and fly as the eagle,
and spread out his wings against Bozrah.
The heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day will be as the heart of a woman in her pangs.

When I do a web search for Edom, the words: “was” and “ancient” are present. It’s obvious that what God said about them here, happened. It’s also evident that this civilization was great. They carved themselves right into the rock in a city called “Petra.” If you get a chance to check it out, you will probably be amazed. God said here that He knew that they “dwell in the clefts of the rock” and “hold the height of the hill.” I have to admit that their situation was impressive. I’m pretty sure that just coming up to the city of Petra to do battle would have been intimidating. It could be that we are now a part of Jeremiah’s prophesy as we observe the remains of Petra. It says here that “everyone who passes by it will be astonished.” Just how did such a strong people die off?

It may be possible for us to build strong defenses against men, but it is impossible for us to defend ourselves against God. It’s clear what happened to Edom. God says right here that the “pride of your heart has deceived you.” We may work harder than everyone and think that our defenses are beyond penetration, but none of that matters to the God who made rock out of nothing. God says: “For who is like me? Who will appoint me a time? Who is the shepherd who will stand before me?” Not only did God take Edom down, He made sure that “no man will dwell there.”

Esau was a man of war. We saw that way back when he met his brother Jacob on the road with a band of fighting men. The nation became strong with many kings over the years, but when God decided that enough was enough, He finished them off. This is yet another warning to mankind. The pride of man’s heart can deceive him. No matter how great our endeavors, God is always greater and if we dare to fight against Him, God will win and we may never stand again.