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"The Valley of Slaughter"

Text: Jeremiah 19:6

THE VALLEY OF THE SON OF HINNOM

This infamous location was known by two names. The LORD would now add a third name to the place.

“‘Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD,
‘that this place shall no more be called Tophet or
the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter.
And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place,
and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies
and by the hands of those who seek their lives;
their corpses I will give as meat
for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth.'”
Jeremiah 19:6-7

1. “‘Therefore behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD”

a) This was a word of warning.

b) It was also a prophecy.

c) It came from the Lord and it would be fulfilled, albeit grimly.

2. “That this place shall no more be called Tophet or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter”

a) “Valley of the Son of Hinnom”

i) This was the original name.

ii) It was associated with the Son of Hinnom.

iii) He may have been the dominant person in this region.

b) “Tophet”

i) This was a symbolic name.

ii) It was a synonym.

iii) Associated with this name is the idea of “Hell” or “Gehenna”.

c) “Valley of Slaughter”

i) This place will have an even more sinister name.

ii) It will be a place of great slaughtering of human lives. The victims would be killed and cast here by the enemies of Judah.

3. “And I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place”

a) The counsel given by those who rejected the Lord and His word was that Judah and Jerusalem would not be invaded.

b) The belief was that because of the Temple and other shrines, the land would be protected.

c) This counsel would be proven to be false! The land would be conquered!

4. “And I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hands of those who seek their lives; their corpses I will give as meat for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth”

a) The inhabitants of the land would fall by the sword of the enemies.

b) They would be hunted down by those who seek their lives.

c) The slain would become food for scavengers.

i) Scavenging birds like ravens and vultures.

ii) Scavenging animals like wild dogs and jackals.

d) The horror of this description is that those who were killed would not be given a decent burial.

i) The dead would be too numerous to be given much attention.

ii) This is indignity at its worst!