This was not the time to rejoice. It was time to wail. Judgment was going to come upon Egypt and they will be in utter anguish. Its wealth would be taken by the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar. The sword would devour many. And even its allies would fall with them.

Why?

Again their pride and their sin were their downfall. Enough was enough. God was going to put an end to the evil that filled the land. The gods of the land that they thought were invincible would fall before the hand of the living God (v. 13).

The power of Pharaoh would be broken. He would try to engage in a sword fight with two broken arms. He had no power left. God was going to scatter the Egyptians among the nations. The Babylonian King’s arms would be strengthen, but the arms of Pharaoh would fall.

When this happened, the people would know. They would know that they weren’t invincible as they once thought. Their gods didn’t protect them. And the only true God was Yahweh.

It was a hard lesson. They had to learn the hard way.

We can put our faith in many things. In our money. In our false sense of security in the world. In a government. In a nation that we live in with pride. But the nation that trust in false idols will always fall. Always. It’s only a matter of when and how and how far.

But the nation that repents and turns to Him? There just might still be time for mercy.