Read Jeremiah 50
A Message About Babylon
50 This is the word the Lord spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians:
2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;
Bel will be put to shame,
Marduk filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live in it;
both people and animals will flee away.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together
will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have been lost sheep;
their shepherds have led them astray
and caused them to roam on the mountains.
They wandered over mountain and hill
and forgot their own resting place.
7 Whoever found them devoured them;
their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty,
for they sinned against the Lord, their verdant pasture,
the Lord, the hope of their ancestors.’
8 “Flee out of Babylon;
leave the land of the Babylonians,
and be like the goats that lead the flock.
9 For I will stir up and bring against Babylon
an alliance of great nations from the land of the north.
They will take up their positions against her,
and from the north she will be captured.
Their arrows will be like skilled warriors
who do not return empty-handed.
10 So Babylonia will be plundered;
all who plunder her will have their fill,”
declares the Lord.
11 “Because you rejoice and are glad,
you who pillage my inheritance,
because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain
and neigh like stallions,
12 your mother will be greatly ashamed;
she who gave you birth will be disgraced.
She will be the least of the nations—
a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.
13 Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
but will be completely desolate.
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;
they will scoff because of all her wounds.
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon,
all you who draw the bow.
Shoot at her! Spare no arrows,
for she has sinned against the Lord.
15 Shout against her on every side!
She surrenders, her towers fall,
her walls are torn down.
Since this is the vengeance of the Lord,
take vengeance on her;
do to her as she has done to others.
16 Cut off from Babylon the sower,
and the reaper with his sickle at harvest.
Because of the sword of the oppressor
let everyone return to their own people,
let everyone flee to their own land.
17 “Israel is a scattered flock
that lions have chased away.
The first to devour them
was the king of Assyria;
the last to crush their bones
was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
18 Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says:
“I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture,
and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan;
their appetite will be satisfied
on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“search will be made for Israel’s guilt,
but there will be none,
and for the sins of Judah,
but none will be found,
for I will forgive the remnant I spare.
21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
and those who live in Pekod.
Pursue, kill and completely destroy them,”
declares the Lord.
“Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise of battle is in the land,
the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
is the hammer of the whole earth!
How desolate is Babylon
among the nations!
24 I set a trap for you, Babylon,
and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured
because you opposed the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Come against her from afar.
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.
Completely destroy her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter!
Woe to them! For their day has come,
the time for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,
vengeance for his temple.
29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.
Repay her for her deeds;
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets;
all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against you, you arrogant one,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day has come,
the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall
and no one will help her up;
I will kindle a fire in her towns
that will consume all who are around her.”
33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“The people of Israel are oppressed,
and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
refusing to let them go.
34 Yet their Redeemer is strong;
the Lord Almighty is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause
so that he may bring rest to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword against the Babylonians!”
declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
and against her officials and wise men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!
They will be filled with terror.
37 A sword against her horses and chariots
and all the foreigners in her ranks!
They will become weaklings.
A sword against her treasures!
They will be plundered.
38 A drought on her waters!
They will dry up.
For it is a land of idols,
idols that will go mad with terror.
39 “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there,
and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation.
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
no people will dwell in it.
41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;
a great nation and many kings
are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.
42 They are armed with bows and spears;
they are cruel and without mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
and his hands hang limp.
Anguish has gripped him,
pain like that of a woman in labor.
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets
to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?
And what shepherd can stand against me?”
45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians:
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;
its cry will resound among the nations.
Go Deeper
Today’s passage has a serious mood. The complete and utter destruction that Jeremiah prophesied about is immense and unthinkable! God, through Jeremiah, spends a lot of detail specifying the way in which this will take place, even going as far as to compare Babylon’s destruction to Sodom and Gomorrah. Prior to this, Sodom and Gomorrah have been used as the standard for what is considered as complete and utter destruction!
The devastation would be so great that the city “will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate”, despite being a major thriving city! The fact that this was prophesied so many years ahead of the actual event and the absurdity of the level of destruction, just gives further evidence of God’s handiwork. It would be unimaginable to have that sort of declaration given today over one of our major cities and see it come to fruition. To this day, the area that we suspected used to belong to Babylon is still unoccupied. Each year that passes and Babylon remains unoccupied proclaims God’s sovereignty.
On another note, this passage should come as a warning that even though God is using us, it does not mean we are following His will. God used Babylon to enact His will, but ultimately He punished them since they were only a tool and not a follower. The seriousness of sin still requires punishment! God holds to His promises and will not let sin go unpunished! Although the punishment may not be immediate or the way we would expect, it will surely come.
However, it should bring us great comfort to know the extreme measures that God will go to in order to retrieve His people, and He is a promise keeper. To give even more credence to His worthiness, this chapter showed proof of His ability to see thousands of years into the future! This is the God that deserves our hearts! For this reason, be careful what or who takes your heart captive. As with Judah and the Israelites, what started off as their hearts becoming captive led to them physically becoming captive.
Questions
- What consistently gets more attention than our time with God?
- When you spend time with God what are you normally distracted by or thinking about?
- Think about the answers above. Are these things holding your heart more than God?
Watch This
Check out this video from The Bible Project called “Three Ways to Choose to Live in Babylon.”
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3 thoughts on “Jeremiah 50”
I’m challenged as I read how God’s judgement fell on the Babylonian Empire completely crushing and decimating its power and dominance. V29 reveals God’s vengeance was activated by their defiance, arrogance and pride. Take notice these traits are common enemies to every human heart. The antidote for these destructive forces is to “seek the Lord, ask the way, turn your face toward Him.” V4 promises “They will come and bind themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.” Although Babylon was a tool of discipline for Israel, their evil ways were not overlooked by God and would be punished. For the preserved remnant of Israel experiencing oppression, Jeremiah proclaims, “Yet their Redeemer is strong; the Lord Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause, so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon” (v34). How life-giving these words must have been to the exiles who had been estranged from both their homeland and their God. Instead of captivity God promises freedom, displaying both his greatness and his goodness.
Hope. God is and will follow through with what He has said He would do. It is unfortunate and devestating destruction of His judgement. But God is God, He gave them oppurtunities to turn back, to change their ways. But hope and redeemtion is available. He hears our cries. Just know that we are His. We were made for this time, to do His will and He will give you and me ability through His strength to accomplish what He has destined. Hope. He is our redeemer and HE LIVES!!! His will, will be accomplished. “Their Redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is His name.” Jer 50:34
God thank You that my redeemer LIVES!! Thank You for how amazing it is to look back and see how You are directing my path. Thank You for continueing to guide me, to help me with boldness, to give me words, to hear Your voice, to see others as You see them. Thank You for Your protection, that I can take refuge in You and You spread that protection over me like wings. Thank You for covering me with Your favor as a shield (Psalm 5:11-12). I rejoice and exalt You. You are so steadfast in Your love to/for me. Thank You for Your love goggles to see others as You see them, ears to hear Your voice, a heart to obey and do what I hear, and kindness and compassion to show others who You are in and through my life in the details, in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!
34 Yet their Redeemer is strong;
the Lord Almighty is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause
so that he may bring rest to their land,
but unrest to those who live in Babylon.“
I have loved the word “Redeemer” for quite some time. To “deem” something means to form a view about it. So, “redeem” implies that view is “re-deemed”. Wonderful to think that my Redeemer changes how I am regarded before God!