Preparing For Battle

JEREMIAH 46 v 1-28

How prepared am I for the battle each every day?
There are two different parts to this chapter; the first God talking to the Babylonians telling them how they can win and how to win - by preparing themselves. The second is God talking to the Egyptians telling them how they will lose and why. I would like to compare this to my and every Christian's daily situation of God saying we will win and here’s how to win and the preparation you need to do. Then God telling us how the devil has already lost and why. But the only way this can apply is if we prepare ourselves.

"To be forewarned; is to be forearmed."

Let's take a look at the context of this passage for Jeremiah and the people of Judah because they stuck in the middle of this battle that was going to happen. Up until now nearly all the prophecies Jeremiah has given were against Judah - they did include other nations i.e. Babylon will destroy Jerusalem. From this chapter onwards to chapter 52 Jeremiah's prophecies are against other nations i.e. Egypt will be destroyed. Jerusalem received its punishment and so will the rest of the nations. God also tells Jeremiah early in his story that Babylon will get one of the biggest judgements of all - where are the Babylonians now in 2011? The Jews and Egyptians are still here.

In this chapter I think we gain 6 main insights into God's plan for this world:
1)  Although God chose Israel for a special purpose, He loves all people and wants them to come to him.
2)  God is holy and will not tolerate sin.
3)  God's judgements are not placed on prejudice and desire but on fairness and justice.
4)  God doesn't delight in judgement, but in salvation.
5)  God is impartial and treats everyone by the same standard.
6)  God uses the opportunities to use people who don't even follow him to do his will i.e. Babylon attacking Jerusalem. Your boss at work who disciplined you which helped you to get focused again on work and on life.

Preparation for the battles is key if we are to follow and fulfil the purposes and plans God has for my life. Ephesians 6 v 10-20, talks about the armour of God and preparing ourselves for life. But what happens when we don't put on the armour - the devil can overcome us and destroy our passion for him. But if we do wear the armour we can be unstoppable for God. God forewarns us of the devils schemes and plans, so we can forearm ourselves against him. God tells the Babylonians to prepare and the Egyptians not to beware but there is no hope for your nation in this situation. How regularly to I prepare?

Egypt’s and Babylon’s mind set and feelings...
Babylonians - "Let's go!", Ready for the fight and ready to become a super power in that part of the world.
Egyptians - "Oh dear!", "Who do we turn to?" and "Are we not strong enough?"

How prepared am I to fight the battles for God? The more prepared I am the better I can build the Kingdom of God.