NOTES for Jer 47:1-48:47
It is no accident that the prophecy about the Philistines is said to have sounded long before the Babylonian invasion of them, but on the eve of the Egyptian attack. They were expecting a blow from one side, but disaster came from another. Those used to thinking they know what is what find it hard to allow that there is something they cannot foresee. As a result, pride blinds them, and the main threat goes unnoticed: in this case the mortal enemy turned out not to be familiar Egypt, but unknown Babylon.
The Philistines were not simply one of the pagan peoples. By conquering and subduing their neighbors, they tried to create, within a limited space, something like a broad pagan empire. Now the conquerors themselves must reap what they sowed and taste the fruits they brought to others.
To the Moabites the prophet points out that their state must perish for the very same reasons as Israel's: for zealous following of pagan cults. It may seem strange that pagans who had never entered into a covenant with the One God are placed on the same level as those who violated it. But they too are dear to Him. The prophecy about the return of Moab's captivity in the last days says that the Lord would like to save this people as well. But His love for people is inseparable from exacting demand, and now judgment is being carried out over the Moabites.