“Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan against the habitation of the strong: but I will suddenly make him run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 49:19 Mean?
God describes His judgment on Edom with the image of a lion rising from the dense thickets of the Jordan — a predator emerging from undergrowth, unstoppable and sovereign. Then God pivots from the lion to Himself: "Who is like me? And who will appoint me the time? And who is that shepherd that will stand before me?"
The three rhetorical questions are devastating: no one is like God. No one summons God to a schedule. No shepherd can defend their flock against this predator. The questions aren't seeking answers. They're establishing dominance. God as the unchallenged lion.
"Who will appoint me the time" (ya'ad mo'ed) means who will set the calendar — who will tell God when to show up for court. The challenge is to anyone who thinks they can schedule God, control His timing, or force Him to operate on their terms.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How do you respond to the image of God as an unchallenged lion — is it comforting or threatening?
- 2.Where have you been trying to 'appoint God the time' — to control His schedule rather than submitting to it?
- 3.Does the rhetorical 'who is like me?' produce worship or fear in you right now?
- 4.How does knowing that no enemy shepherd can stand against God change how you view the opposition in your life?
Devotional
Who is like me? Who sets my schedule? What shepherd will stand against me?
God asks three questions and the answer to each is the same: no one.
The image is a lion exploding from the Jordan thickets — a predator so powerful and so fast that nothing in its path survives. And God applies the image to Himself. When I come for Edom, I come like a lion from the undergrowth. No warning. No negotiation. No shepherd brave enough to face me.
"Who will appoint me the time?" — who will tell God when to show up? Who will subpoena the Almighty? Who will set the court date for the Judge of the universe? The question exposes the absurdity of anyone trying to control God's timing. He arrives when He chooses. He acts when He decides. You don't schedule God. God schedules you.
This is comforting or terrifying depending on which side of the lion you're on. If God is your defender, the lion is for you — no enemy shepherd can stand against Him. If God is your opponent, no defense holds. No timing works in your favor. The lion emerges when it emerges, and your calendar is irrelevant.
Who is like Him? No one. Who sets His schedule? No one. Who stands before Him? No one.
Arrange your life accordingly.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan,.... The Targum rightly interprets it of a king and his…
Edom stretched along the south of Judah from the border of Moab on the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean and the Arabian…
The Edomites come next to receive their doom from God, by the mouth of Jeremiah: they also were old enemies to the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture