In the days when the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah concerning the nations, a heavy burden was laid upon the prophet’s heart for the people of Ammon. Thus says the Lord: “Has Israel no sons? Has he no heir? Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad, and why do his people dwell in Gad’s cities?” For behold, the Ammonites had grown proud and covetous, seizing the inheritance that belonged to the tribe of Gad after the northern kingdom fell. Their capital, Rabbah of the Ammonites, stood as a fortress of arrogance, nestled among rocky hills and fortified with walls that seemed to scrape the heavens. The Ammonites trusted in their valleys, in their treasures of silver and gold, in their storehouses filled with grain and wine. They bowed to Milcom, their detestable god, and reviled the God of Israel, saying in their hearts, “Who shall come against us?”
Therefore, the Lord declared through His servant Jeremiah: “Behold, the days are coming when I will cause the battle cry to be heard against Rabbah of the Ammonites; it shall become a desolate mound, and its villages shall be burned with fire. Then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him.” The voice of the Lord thundered from His holy dwelling, shaking the foundations of the mountains. He summoned the nations from the north—a people fierce and ancient, whose horses’ hooves would churn the soil of Ammon into dust. Their chariots would advance like a storm cloud, and the sound of their approach would be as the roaring of many waters.
The Lord spoke again, saying, “Howl, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste! Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah! Gird yourselves with sackcloth and lament. Run to and fro among the hedges, for Milcom shall go into exile, his priests and his princes together.” The idol of Milcom, adorned with gold and precious stones, would be carried away as plunder by the very invaders the Lord had appointed. The high places where the Ammonites offered sacrifices to their god would be defiled; the smoke of their altars would be replaced by the smoke of their burning cities.
And the Lord questioned the pride of Ammon: “Why do you boast of your valleys, O faithless daughter? You trusted in your treasures, saying, ‘Who will come against me?’” But the Lord of Hosts, who sees the secrets of every heart, would bring terror upon them from every side. Every man would flee in confusion, with none to gather the fugitives. Like a flock scattered by lions, so would the people of Ammon be driven away. Their once-fertile land would become a haunt for jackals and a desolation for generations. No king would arise from among them to restore their glory, no shepherd to gather their remnants.
Yet, in the midst of this judgment, the Lord remembered mercy. For He spoke a later word, saying, “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites.” This promise, though distant, echoed the boundless compassion of the God who chastens those He loves and whose covenant faithfulness endures forever.
Thus the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning Ammon was sealed: a warning of desolation for their pride and violence, yet a whisper of restoration in the ages to come, that all might know the Lord reigns over the kingdoms of men and gives them to whom He will.
