commanded them not to live in houses, not to have Inspiration is not some kind of "heavenly dictation," as
Jeremiah 34—36 repeated over and over again? If a family tradition was preserved with such dedication, why was the very law of God treated with such disrespect? Obeying Jonadab's words had only a limited and temporal significance, but disobeying God's Word had eternal consequences!
siege and Nebuchadnezzar went off to confront the Egyptian army (Jer. 34:21–22; 37:5–11), the masters all forced their slaves back into servitude. The solemn covenant made in the temple meant nothing.
Before we condemn these dishonest masters too much, let's admit that God's people often make promises to the Lord when they're in tough times, only to repudiate them when things get better. In my pastoral ministry, I've heard more than one suffering saint on a hospital bed promise to be the best Christian in the church if only God would give healing, and when He granted the request, he or she immediately forgot Him.
How often God's people are put to shame by the devotion and discipline of people who don't even know the Lord but who are intensely loyal to their family, their religion, or their personal pursuits. Even people who want nothing to do with the Word of God can be loyal to traditions and man-made codes. If Christians were putting into their spiritual walk the kind of discipline that athletes put into their chosen sport, the church would be pulsating with revival life.
Jeremiah took advantage of this event to preach a sermon about Judah's treachery against the Lord (34:12–22). God had set the Israelites free from Egyptian bondage and had made a covenant with them to be their God, but they broke the covenant and returned to idolatry. Now they broke the law by enslaving their own people unjustly. By what they did in the temple and the way they treated their fellow Jews, they profaned the name of the Lord. They hadn't really proclaimed freedom to their slaves, but God would proclaim "freedom" to the nation— freedom "to fall by the sword, plague, and famine" (v. 17 niv). The prophet predicted a terrible death for all the treacherous people who had participated in the covenant, and his predictions came true (vv. 19–20).
God's Word Protected (36:1–32) The fourth year of Jehoiakim was 605 BC, the year of the fateful Battle of Carchemish when Pharaoh Necho defeated King Josiah and made Judah a vassal to Egypt (Jer. 46:2; 2 Chron. 35:20–27). Jehoiakim had gotten his throne only because Egypt had deposed his brother Jehoahaz. Jeremiah had been ministering for twentythree years, and now God commanded him to write his messages in a scroll so they would be permanent and could be read by others. Note that his messages dealt with Israel, Judah, and all the nations, and when he wrote the second scroll, he added other material (Jer. 36:32). The first forty-five chapters of the book of Jeremiah focus primarily on Israel and Judah, while chapters 45 to 51 deal with the other nations in the Near East.
The integrity of the Rechabites (35:1–19). This event occurred eighteen years earlier, during the reign of Jehoiakim (609–597 BC). Jeremiah probably put the account at this point in the book for the sake of contrast: The people of Judah dishonored the Lord by disobeying His law, while the Rechabites honored their father by obeying his command.
God gives His Word (vv. 1–4, 17–18). This is what theologians call inspiration—that miraculous working of the Holy Spirit through a human writer so that what was written was the divine Word that God wanted recorded (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20–21).2 Inspiration is not some kind of "heavenly dictation," as though God completely bypassed the writer, for the authors of the various books of the Bible have their own distinctive styles and vocabularies. Without making him a robot, God guided Jeremiah in his choice of words; Jeremiah spoke these words to his secretary, Baruch; and Baruch wrote them down in the scroll.
The Rechabites were a clan of nomadic people loyal to their ancestor Jonadab (2 Kings 10:15–23), who commanded them not to live in houses, not to have farms or vineyards, and not to drink wine. They were related to Moses' father-in-law (Judg. 1:16; 4:11) and for over 250 years had composed a small "separatist" clan in the nation. Because of the Babylonian invasion, they had forsaken their tents and moved into Jerusalem.
2. To King Jehoiakim—35—36
God didn't ask Jeremiah to serve the Rechabites wine in order to tempt them, because God doesn't tempt us (James 1:13–15). This was another action sermon to give Jeremiah an opportunity to tell the leaders of Judah how unfaithful they had been to God's covenant. It wasn't wrong for the Jewish people to drink wine so long as they didn't get drunk, but it was wrong for the Rechabites to drink wine because they had made a commitment not to drink it. God didn't commend these men for their personal standards but for their faithfulness to their father's command.
God declares His Word (vv. 5–26). Once again, God used human instruments to proclaim His Word to the people. "How shall they hear without a preacher?" (Rom. 10:14). Since Jeremiah wasn't allowed to go to the temple, he sent Baruch in his place. Baruch waited for a day when there would be a good crowd in the temple; when a fast was proclaimed several months later, probably because of the Babylonian menace, he took advantage of it.
It's interesting to see how different people responded to the Word of God. There were three public readings of the book, and the first one was to the people in the temple (Jer. 36:10). There's no record that the crowd responded in any special way. One man, Micaiah, however, became concerned because of what he had heard (v. 11). He was the grandson of Shaphan,
The message to the nation was clear. If the command of a mere man, Jonadab, was respected and obeyed by his family for over two centuries, why didn't the people of Israel and Judah obey the command of Almighty God—a command that the prophets had
Jeremiah 36—38
Scripture reveals such indecision and vacillation as does King Zedekiah. These two chapters record four occasions when Zedekiah made contact with Jeremiah but rejected the word that the prophet gave him. Listen to his feeble words.
the man who read the newly found book of the law to King Josiah (2 Kings 22), so it's no wonder he had an interest in God's Word.
Micaiah told the princes about the book, and they asked to hear it, so Baruch read it to them (Jer. 36:12–19). Along with Micaiah, the officials trembled when they heard the Word (v. 16), for they knew that the nation was in great danger. They hid the scroll, told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide, and then went to report to the king that he needed to hear what Jeremiah had written.
"Pray for us!" (37:1–10). Afraid to come personally lest he lose the support of his officials, the king sent Jehucal (Jucal) and Zephaniah to solicit the prayers of Jeremiah for the king and the nation. Jehucal was not Jeremiah's friend, and he eventually urged the king to have the prophet killed (Jer. 38:1, 4). God had told Jeremiah not to pray for the people, but when the Babylonian army departed to deal with the Egyptians, it seemed like prayer wasn't needed (37:5–10). No doubt the false prophets announced that this event was a miracle, like the slaying of the Assyrian army in Hezekiah's day (Isa. 36—37). Once again, they were living on false hopes even though Jeremiah told them that Nebuchadnezzar would return and finish the work God had given him to do.
37—38
The third reading of the scroll was before the king (vv. 21–26) and was done by Jehudi, who may have been one of the scribes. The king treated God's Word like fuel for the fire! In spite of the remonstrances of three of his officials, the king continued cutting and burning the scroll until it was completely destroyed. The royal attendants who also heard the reading of the scroll showed no fear and thereby encouraged Jehoiakim in his evil deed.
Over the centuries, God's enemies have tried to destroy the Word of God but have always failed. They forget what Jesus said about the Word: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever" (Isa. 40:8 niv; quoted in 1 Peter 1:24–25). Translators and preachers of the Word have been persecuted and martyred, but the truth of God still stands.
"Is there any word from the Lord?" (37:11–21). Until now, Jeremiah was a free man (v. 4), but his enemies found reason to imprison him. During the lull in the siege, Jeremiah tried to go home to Anathoth to take care of some family business, but the guard at the gate arrested him for defecting to the enemy. Of course, Jeremiah had preached surrender to Babylon (21:9) and would preach it again (38:2, 19; 39:9), but he certainly wasn't a traitor. He loved his nation and gave his life to try to save it, but his first loyalty was to the Lord.
God preserves His Word (vv. 27–32). Any king who thinks he can silence God with a knife and a fire has a very high opinion of himself and a very low opinion of God. The Lord simply told Jeremiah to write another scroll, to which He added more material, including a special judgment on King Jehohkim (Jer. 36:27–32). The same God who gives the Word has the power to protect and preserve the Word. The king had tried to destroy the Word, but the Word destroyed him!
Jeremiah was beaten and put into prison. When Zedekiah heard about it, he recognized it as an opportunity to talk safely to Jeremiah, for the officers would think the king was looking into Jeremiah's case. After bringing him to the palace, the king asked, "Is there any word from the Lord?" The prophet gave him an immediate answer, "Yes … you will be handed over to the king of Babylon" (37:17 niv). Why say more? Jeremiah had already declared God's message many times, only to see the message rejected.
King Jehoiakim and his officials would be punished for the disrespect they showed to the divine Word of God. The king would have no dynasty, nor would he have the burial of a king. His son Jehoiachin succeeded him and ruled for only three months, and then Jehoiakim's brother Zedekiah was made king. If the king and his flattering, servile officers had only feared the Word and obeyed it, they would have saved their nation suffering and ruin, but they preferred to go their own way and ignore God's voice.
Jeremiah took the opportunity to expose the deceptive, optimistic messages of the false prophets. If they had been speaking the truth, the king should have asked them for a message from the Lord! Meanwhile, Jeremiah asked to be delivered from prison, a request that Zedekiah granted. The prophet was placed in the court of the prison and granted a daily ration of bread as long as the supply lasted. While we appreciate Zedekiah's concern to save Jeremiah, we wonder why the king didn't have a concern to save his people. He was afraid to change his policies because he was afraid of his advisers and officers.
God's Word Rejected (37:1—38:28) "There's no problem so big or complicated that it can't be run away from." So read a piece of graffito found on a London wall in 1979, probably adapted from the "Peanuts" comic strip drawn by Charles Schulz. Whatever the source, the statement certainly represents King Zedekiah's approach to the terrible problems in Judah when the enemy was at the gates.
"He is in your hands" (38:1–13). Angry because Jeremiah's words were hurting the war effort, four of Zedekiah's officials banded together to urge the king to kill the prophet. We know nothing about Shephatiah. If Gedaliah was the son of the Pashur who had put Jeremiah in the stocks (20:1–6), he was certainly no
Next to Pontius Pilate (John 18—19), no ruler in
Jeremiah 38—39 a request (37:17–21). He was under no obligation to report everything to the officers, and he didn't have to lie in order to keep the conversation confidential.
friend to Jeremiah or to the truth. Jucal we met before (37:3); he may have been related to the guard who arrested Jeremiah (v. 13).3 This Pashur must not be confused with the Pashur mentioned in Jeremiah 20. They accused Jeremiah of not seeking the welfare of the people, and yet the welfare of the people was the thing to which he had dedicated his life!
Sometimes God judges a sinful nation by sending them weak leaders who are hesitant and vacillating and whose leadership (or lack of it) plunges the nation only deeper into trouble. "I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them" (Isa. 3:4 nkjv). The late John F. Kennedy put it this way: "We, the people, are the boss, and we get the kind of political leadership, be it good or bad, that we demand and deserve."4 But Judah wasn't a democracy; the people didn't vote on their king. It was God who gave them what they deserved.
Too weak to oppose his own princes, the king gave in to their request. Instead of simply having Jeremiah slain, which would have been shedding innocent blood, the men had him imprisoned in an old cistern, where he sank in the mire at the bottom. The officers hoped that the prophet would eventually be forgotten there and would die. God, however, raised up a deliverer in the person of Ebed-Melech—a man from Ethiopia, who became an Old Testament "Good Samaritan."
God's Word Fulfilled (39; 52) These two chapters, along with 2 Kings 25 and 2 Chronicles 36, describe the tragic fall of Jerusalem, its plunder, and its destruction, as well as the captivity and deportation of thousands of Jewish people. None of these things would have happened if only one of the kings had sincerely repented, trusted the Lord, and surrendered to the Babylonians.
The vacillating, spineless king usually agreed with the last person who spoke to him, and Ebed-Melech took advantage of that fault. Thus, the king gave Ebed-Melech permission to rescue Jeremiah. It wouldn't have taken thirty men to lift the prophet out of the cistern, but the king probably wanted to protect both his officer and the prophet from any attacks by Jeremiah's enemies. (Some commentators suggest that the text should read "three men." Thirty men would certainly call attention to themselves and what they were doing.)
B.Jerusalem falls—39
God's judgment on Zedekiah (39:1–7; 52:1–11). The siege had begun on January 15, 588 (Jer. 52:4); and two and a half years later, on July 18, 586, the Babylonian army penetrated the city walls. The princes of Babylon set up their thrones in the Middle Gate and began to take over the reins of government. The "times of the Gentiles" had begun on God's prophetic calendar (Luke 21:24). When that period ends, the Messiah will return to rescue His people and fulfill the promises made by the prophets.
Later, Jeremiah sent a special message of encouragement to Ebed-Melech (39:15–18)—that he would be delivered when the city was taken and that God would spare his life.
IV. After the fall of the city (40—45, 52)
"Hide nothing from me" (vv. 14–28). As far as the record is concerned, this was the fourth and last contact King Zedekiah had with Jeremiah before the city fell to the Babylonians. His request presented Jeremiah with a dilemma: If Jeremiah told him the truth, the king might kill him, and he wouldn't obey the word of God anyway! God gave the king one last chance to repent, but he only made excuses. If he surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, he might be accused and abused by the Jews who had gone over to the enemy, and what would happen to his family left in the city? Perhaps the men who wanted to kill Jeremiah would kill them.
Zedekiah, his family, and his staff tried to escape (see Jer. 34:3; Ezek. 12:1–12), but the Babylonians caught up with them and delivered them to Nebuchadnezzar at his headquarters at Riblah, some two hundred miles north of Jerusalem. There he passed judgment on all of them, and the Babylonians were not known for their tenderness. He slaughtered Zedekiah's sons and then put out Zedekiah's eyes. Thus, the king's last visual memories would haunt him. Ezekiel had prophesied that Zedekiah would not see the land of Babylon (Ezek. 12:13), and his prophecy proved true. The king was bound and taken captive to Babylon, where he died.
Jeremiah assured the king that if he obeyed the word of the Lord, God would protect him and the city. But if he disobeyed, even the women in the palace would taunt him before the Babylonians (38:21–23). We can appreciate the king's concern for his wives and children, but the best way to protect them was to obey the will of God.
God's judgment on the city (39:8–10; 52:12–34). "For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face" (Jer. 32:31 nkjv). Throughout his ministry, Jeremiah had warned the people that Jerusalem would be captured and destroyed (6:6; 19:8–9, 11–12, 15; 21:10; 26:6, 11; 27:17). At the same time, the Babylonians pillaged the city and took the precious things out of the temple and carried them to Babylon. The soldiers rounded up the best of the people and took them to Babylon. There had been a previous deportation in 597 BC (52:28), and
Still afraid of his own officers, the king told Jeremiah to keep their conversation confidential. There's no suggestion that Jeremiah lied to the officers who questioned him. To begin with, we may not have a transcript of the complete conversation between Jeremiah and Zedekiah, and Jeremiah may have asked not to be returned to the house of Jonathan. Certainly in their second conversation, Jeremiah had made such
Jeremiah 39—40 city: They wouldn't listen to the Word; they turned to Egypt for help; and they worshipped idols.
there would be a third deportation in 582 (52:30). The poorer, unskilled people were left to till the land. After all, somebody had to feed the soldiers who were left behind.
The sinful behavior of the people must have broken Jeremiah's heart, but he stayed with them and tried to get them to obey the Word of the Lord. God had punished the nation, but even this severe punishment didn't change their hearts. They were still bent on doing evil.
God's care for His servant (39:11–14). Since the Lord had promised that Jeremiah would survive all the opposition and persecution against him (1:17–19; 15:20–21), He moved upon Nebuchadnezzar to release the prophet and treat him kindly.5 He was committed to Gedaliah, who later was named governor of the land (40:7). (This Gedaliah was not the one who wanted to kill Jeremiah, 38:1.)
The drama was a tragic one with a cast of characters that is seen in every age. The script of history may change a bit from time to time, but the characters are still the same.
I close with a solemn word from G. Campbell Morgan: "We in our security need to be reminded that for us also there may come the eleventh year, and the fourth month, and the tenth day of the month, when God will hurl us from our place of privilege, as He surely will, unless we are true to Him."6
Jeremiah: The Faithful Shepherd (40:1–6) Jeremiah was given his freedom after the Babylonians captured Jerusalem (39:11–14), but somehow he got mixed in with the captives who were being readied at Ramah for their long march to Babylon. He was released and given the choice of going to Babylon and being cared for by the king or remaining in the land to care for the people. Being a man with a shepherd's heart, Jeremiah chose to dwell among the people (v. 14; 40:5–6). The Babylonian captain of the guard preached a sermon that sounded a great deal like what Jeremiah had been saying for forty years! It must have been embarrassing for the Jews to hear a pagan Babylonian tell them they were sinners, but he was right in what he said. As God's people, we have to bow in shame when the world publicly announces the sins of the saints (Gen. 12:10–20; 20:1ff.; 2 Sam. 12:14).
Notes
1 Senator Shepherd said this during remarks made in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 18, 1914, as recorded in the Congressional Record, vol. 52, 338. 2 What was recorded is revelation; the way it was recorded is inspiration. Never confuse divine inspiration with the "human inspiration" of great writers like Shakespeare and Milton. 3 For example, eight men named Shelemiah are found in the Old Testament, so it was a popular name. Because of this, we can never be sure of family relationships. 4 John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage (New York: Harper & Row, 1955), 245. 5 The contradiction between Jeremiah 39:11–14 and 40:1–6 is only on the surface. When the Babylonians entered the city, they released Jeremiah and took him under their protective custody. He was free to move about and minister to the people. Apparently through some blunder, he was taken captive with the prisoners going to Ramah, but when the mistake was discovered, he was released and allowed to do as he pleased. 6 G. Campbell Morgan, Studies in the Prophecy of Jeremiah (Westwood, NJ: Revell, 1961), 251.
Jeremiah chose to join Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar had appointed governor of the land. Had the people followed the prophet and the governor, the Jewish remnant could have led safe and fairly comfortable lives even in the midst of ruin, but they chose not to obey. Even a severe chastening like the one Babylon brought to Judah didn't change their hearts, for the human heart can be changed only by the grace of God.
Was Jeremiah violating his own message when he remained with the people in the land (24:4–10)? Why stay with the "bad figs" when the future lay with the "good figs" who had been taken off to Babylon? Certainly Jeremiah knew how to discern the will of God, and the Lord knew how much the prophet loved the land and its people. Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in 597 and would start his ministry five years later (Ezek. 1:1–2), and Daniel had been taken there in 605. There were prophets to minister to the exiles, and Jeremiah was right to remain with the people in the land.
CHAPTER ELEVEN Jeremiah 40—45 TRAGEDY FOLLOWS TRAGEDY
Life only demands from you the strength
you possess. Only one feat is possible—
not to have run away.
Dag Hammarskjold1 I
Jeremiah made difficult choices at the beginning and the end of his ministry. It would have been much easier to serve as a priest, but he obeyed God's call to be a prophet, and it would have been much more comfortable in Babylon, but he opted to remain in the land of his fathers. Jeremiah was a true shepherd and not a hireling (see John 10:12–13).
t's been said by more than one scholar that the one thing we learn from history is that we don't learn from history. This was certainly true of the destitute Jewish remnant in Judah after the fall of Jerusalem. Instead of seeking the Lord and making a new beginning, the remnant repeated the very sins that had led to the collapse of the nation and the destruction of the
Jeremiah 40—42
Ishmael: A Deceitful Traitor (40:7—41:18) When the good news got out that Gedaliah was in charge of affairs in Judah, the people who had fled and hidden because of the siege began to come back to the land (Jer. 40:7, 11–12). Gedaliah was a good man from a good family, although events proved that he was very naive about practical politics.
East, when people eat together, they're pledging their friendship and loyalty to one another. Ishmael, however, used the meal as a trap to catch Gedaliah and his men so he could kill them. We don't know how many men were with the governor, but ten of Ishmael's men were able to dispatch them quickly.
To his terrible breach of hospitality he added hypocrisy, weeping before the eighty Jewish pilgrims who had come to worship, and then killing seventy of them. His greed was revealed when he spared the other ten in order to find out where their supply of food was hidden. He was a cunning and ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get his own way.
The faithful governor (40:7–12). Gedaliah told the people exactly what Jeremiah had been telling them for many years: Serve the Babylonians and you will live safely in the land. The people couldn't reap any harvest of grain because the fields hadn't been sown during the siege, but they could gather the produce that had not been destroyed in the war. The remnant in Judah had to follow the same instructions that Jeremiah gave to the exiles in Babylon: Live normal lives, turn to the Lord with all your hearts, and wait for the Lord to deliver you (29:4–14). God had promised a future for the nation because the nation had important work to do.
Ishmael climaxed his crimes by kidnapping the helpless Jewish remnant and starting for the land of the Ammonites. At this point, however, Johanan came to the rescue and delivered the remnant from Ishmael's power, but Ishmael escaped. It was a series of tragedies that probably could have been averted had Gedaliah listened to his friends and acted with more caution.
The concerned captain (40:13–16). Johanan started out as a courageous leader, but later he led the people astray. We don't know how he and his associates heard about Ishmael's plot to assassinate Gedaliah, but their information was certainly accurate. Had Gedaliah listened to them, the governor's life would have been spared.
Johanan showed courage in rescuing the Jews, but when he was finally in charge, he revealed his own lack of faith by wanting to take the remnant to Egypt! He didn't remember the counsel of Gedaliah (Jer. 40:9) or the messages of Jeremiah, both of whom warned the Jews to stay in the land and not go to Egypt. How easy it is for a good man to go astray simply by turning away from the Word of God!
Why did Ishmael want to kill Gedaliah? The fact that the king of the Ammonites had hired him (40:14) suggests that he was making money, but much more was involved. The Ammonites had been a part of the "summit conference" in Jerusalem, where the nations allied with Judah had planned to break the Babylonian yoke (27:1–3). As a friend of Zedekiah and the king of Ammon, Ishmael didn't want to see the Jewish people submit to Nebuchadnezzar even after the war had ended. He was a patriot who used his patriotism to promote his own selfish purposes.
Johanan: A Hypocritical Leader (42:1—43:13) Johanan was once brave enough to want to kill Ishmael, but now he didn't have the courage to stand for what he knew was right. He was afraid to trust the Lord and stay in the land of Judah, perhaps because he feared what the Babylonians might do when they found out that Gedaliah was dead and Ishmael had filled a pit with dead bodies.
The insincere request (42:1–6). Their request to Jeremiah sounded sincere and spiritual, but there was deception in the hearts of the leaders, including Johanan (see 42:19–22). They had their minds already made up to go to Egypt, and they were hoping Jeremiah would agree with them. Sometimes God's people take this false approach in discerning the will of God. Instead of honestly seeking God's will, they go from counselor to counselor, asking for advice and hoping they'll find somebody who will agree with their hidden agenda.
Perhaps the key factor had to do with pride and selfish ambition. Ishmael was a descendant of David through Elishama (41:1; 2 Sam. 5:16), and he no doubt felt that he should have been named ruler of the nation because of his royal blood. Who was Gedaliah that he should take the place of a king? The way the Babylonians had treated Ishmael's relative, King Zedekiah, was no encouragement to submit to their authority.
Johanan wanted to kill Ishmael, but Gedaliah refused the offer. In this, the governor was right, but he was wrong in not assembling a group of loyal men who could guard him day and night. Not only would that have told Ishmael that the governor knew what was going on, but also it would have protected Gedaliah's life from those who wanted to destroy him. The governor should have listened to Johanan and not been so naive about Ishmael. "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure" (Prov. 11:14 niv).
The divine answer (42:7–22). The Lord kept the people waiting for ten days, possibly to give them time to search their hearts and confess their sins. During those ten days, they could see that the Lord was caring for them and that they had nothing to fear. That should have convinced them that the plan to flee to Egypt was a foolish one.
There were three parts to the answer Jeremiah gave them. First, he gave them a promise (vv. 7–12). He told them if they stayed in the land, God would build them
The deceitful murderer (41:1–18). In the Near
Jeremiah 43—44 all he had done for his people, Jeremiah was now accused of being like the false prophets whose lies had led the nation into ruin. Johanan even accused Baruch of influencing Jeremiah, although it's difficult to understand what kind of special power Baruch could possibly have had over this courageous prophet. But they had to blame somebody.
and plant them (see 1:10). The prophet encouraged them not to be afraid of the Babylonians because the Lord was with the remnant and would care for them. It was God who was in charge, not the king of Babylon. Indeed, the day would come when this small remnant would be able to reclaim their lost lands and start to enjoy normal lives again.
"So they came into the land of Egypt" (43:7). Once again God's people walked by sight and not by faith.
The second part of Jeremiah's message was a warning (42:13–18). Ever since Abraham's lapse of faith in going to Egypt (Gen. 12:10–20), the Jews had a tendency to follow his example. Several times during the wilderness years, whenever they had a trial or testing, the Israelites talked of going back to Egypt. In fact, this was their cry at Kadesh-Barnea when they refused to enter the Promised Land (Num. 13—14). During the final years of the kingdom of Judah, there was a strong pro-Egyptian party in the government, because Egypt seemed to be the closest and strongest ally.
The timely warning (43:8–13). This is Jeremiah's final "action sermon." While the Jews were watching, he gathered some large stones and set them in the clay (or mortar) before Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes. Then he announced that Nebuchadnezzar's throne would one day sit on those stones while the king of Babylon passed judgment on the people. As he did to the temple in Jerusalem, so Nebuchadnezzar would do to the gods and temples in Egypt. His victory would be so easy that it would be like a shepherd wrapping his garment around himself! And yet these are the very gods that the Jews would worship in Egypt, gods destined to be destroyed!
The prophet warned them against going to Egypt, where they thought they would enjoy peace, plenty, and security. The terrors they were trying to avoid in Judah would only follow them to Egypt, and the very judgments that God had sent against Judah during the siege would come upon them in the land of Pharaoh. God knew that Nebuchadnezzar would enter Egypt and punish the land, which he did in 568–567 BC (see Jer. 46:13–19).
The Jewish Remnant: Doomed Idolaters (44:1–30) This is Jeremiah's last recorded message to his people, given in Egypt probably in the year 580. If he was called by God in 626, the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign (1:2), then he had been ministering forty-six years. You can't help admiring Jeremiah for his faithfulness in spite of all the discouragements that had come to his life.
Jeremiah ended his address with an exposure of their hearts (vv. 19–22). He announced publicly that they had tried to deceive him when they promised to obey the Lord's commands (42:5–6). They really didn't want either his prayers or God's plans, they wanted the Lord to approve what they had already decided to do. But this was a fatal decision on their part, for if they carried out their plans, they would die in Egypt.
A scathing indictment (vv. 1–14). No sooner did the Jewish remnant arrive in Egypt than they began to worship the local gods and goddesses, of which there were many. Jeremiah reminded them of what they had seen in the Lord's judgment on Judah (44:2–3). It was because of their idolatry that He had destroyed their land, the city of Jerusalem, and the temple. Then he reminded them of what they had heard—the messages of the prophets God had sent to rebuke them time after time (vv. 4–6).
This event is a warning to us not to be insincere as we seek the will of God. In my itinerant ministry, I've frequently met people who wanted my counsel, and when I asked them if they had talked with their own pastor, the answer was often "Well, no, but he really doesn't know me or understand me."
But they hadn't learned their lesson, and now they were jeopardizing their future and inviting the wrath of God by repeating in Egypt the sins they'd committed in Judah. Had they forgotten the past? Were they unconcerned about their future? Didn't they realize that God could judge them in Egypt as easily as He had judged them in their own land? No wonder God called the Jews in the land "bad figs that nobody could eat." The future would rest with the exiles in Babylon who would one day return to their land and carry on the work God had given them to do.
"But I'm a total stranger to you!" I'd reply. "Yes, but you seem to understand things better." Flattery!
My conviction is that these people have gone from one speaker to another, looking for somebody who will agree with what they already want to do. When they find him, they'll let their pastor know that a "man of God" gave them wise counsel. It's the Johanan syndrome all over again.
The arrogant rebellion (43:1–7). Convinced that God was wrong and they were right, Johanan and his friends so much as told Jeremiah he was a liar and a false prophet, and that God had neither sent him nor spoken to him. What a heartache it must have been for Jeremiah to hear such false accusations from his own people for whom he had suffered so much. In spite of
A senseless argument (vv. 15–19). The men and women listening to Jeremiah tried to defend their sins by appealing to experience. They used the pragmatic argument: "If it works, it must be right." When they lived in Judah and secretly worshipped the Queen of Heaven (Astarte or Ishtar, goddess of
Jeremiah 44—45 to identify with Jeremiah and do the will of God. We thank God for all that Jeremiah did, but we should also thank God for the assistance Baruch gave Jeremiah so the prophet could do his work. Moses had his seventy elders; David had his mighty men; Jesus had His disciples; Paul had his helpers, such as Timothy, Titus, and Silas; and Jeremiah had his faithful secretary.
fertility), everything went well with them. They had plenty of food and enjoyed comfortable circumstances. But when King Josiah made the people give up their idols, things began to get worse for them. Conclusion: They were better off when they disobeyed God and worshipped idols!
It seems that the women led the way in practicing idolatry, and their husbands cooperated with them. The women made vows to worship Astarte, and their husbands approved of what they did (vv. 24–26). According to Jewish law, if the husband approved his wife's vow, it was valid (Num. 30). Consequently, the wives blamed their husbands, and the husbands told Jeremiah that they didn't care what he said! They were going to worship Astarte just as they had done in Judah and in that way be sure things would go right for them.
Not everybody is called to be a prophet or apostle, but all of us can do the will of God by helping others do their work. Baruch was what we'd today call a "layman." Yet he helped a prophet write the Word of God. In my own ministry, I've appreciated the labors of faithful secretaries and assistants who have helped me in myriads of ways. I may have been on the platform, but without their assistance behind the scenes, I could never have gotten my work done. Baruch was willing to stay in the background and serve God by serving Jeremiah.
A terrible pronouncement (vv. 20–30). How tragic that twice in a few short years the Lord had to pronounce judgment on His people for the same sins! Jeremiah told them, "Go ahead then, do what you promised! Keep your vows! But hear the Word of the Lord" (Jer. 44:25–26 niv). The Jews in Egypt would perish, and only a remnant of the remnant would ever return to their own land.
A third lesson emerges: Even the most devoted servants occasionally get discouraged. Baruch came to a point in his life where he was so depressed that he wanted to quit. "Woe is me now! For the Lord has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest" (45:3 nkjv). Perhaps the persecution of Jeremiah recorded in chapter 26 was the cause of this anguish. Maybe Baruch was considering leaving Jeremiah and asking his brother for an easier job in the palace.
Jeremiah gave them a sign: Pharaoh Hopbra, whom they were trusting to care for them, would be handed over to his enemies just as King Zedekiah was handed over to Nebuchadnezzar. Keep in mind that it was Pharaoh Hopbra who agreed to help Zedekiah against the Babylonians, and his help proved worthless. Historians tell us that a part of the Egyptian army revolted against Hopbra, and the general who stopped the rebellion was proclaimed king. He reigned along with Hopbra, but three years later Hopbra was executed. Nebuchadnezzar then appeared on the scene, and Jeremiah's other prophecy was fulfilled.
The Lord, however, had a word of encouragement for His servant. First, He cautioned him not to build his hopes on the future of Judah, because everything would be destroyed in the Babylonian siege. A "soft job" in the government would lead only to death or exile in Babylon. Then God gave him a word of assurance: his life would be spared, so he didn't have to fear the enemy. God was proving to Baruch the reality of a promise that would be written centuries later: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33 nkjv).
It's likely that Jeremiah was dead when all this happened, but did the Jews in Egypt remember his words and take them to heart? Did they realize that he had faithfully declared God's Word and that what he had said was true? Did they repent and seek to obey?
When we're serving the Lord and His people, we never want to seek great things for ourselves. The only important thing is that God's work is accomplished and God's great name is glorified. John the Baptist put it succinctly: "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
Baruch: A Faithful Servant (45:1–5) Chronologically, this chapter belongs with Jeremiah 36, but it was placed here to perform several functions. To begin with, this chapter introduces the prophecies in chapters 46—51, prophecies Baruch had written at Jeremiah's dictation in 605 BC. Note in Jeremiah 25 the emphasis on Jeremiah's prophecies about the nations, and that this chapter was written at the same time as chapter 45, the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Most of the nations dealt with in chapters 46—51 are named in Jeremiah 25:15–26. Second, Jeremiah 45 gives us insight into the man Baruch. As we noted earlier, he had a brother on the king's official staff who probably could have secured a good job for him in the palace. Instead, Baruch chose
A crisis doesn't "make a person"; a crisis reveals what a person is made of. The crisis that followed the destruction of Jerusalem was like a goldsmith's furnace that revealed the dross as well as the pure gold. It's too bad there wasn't more gold.
How will you and I respond when "the fiery trial" comes (1 Peter 4:12–19)? I hope that, like Job, we'll come forth pure gold (Job 23:10).
Note
1 Dag Hammarskjold, Markings (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965), 8.
Jeremiah 46—47
Historians tell us that this occurred in 568–567 BC and fulfilled not only this prophecy but also the "action sermon" Jeremiah had described earlier (43:8–13). Once again, the Egyptian army stood fast as the Babylonians swept down on them. Before long, however, the men not only fell over but also fell upon one another in their haste to escape (46:13–15). Their mercenaries cried, "Arise, and let us go again to our own people, and to the land of our nativity" (v. 16), and they deserted their posts.
CHAPTER TWELVE Jeremiah 46—49 GOD SPEAKS TO THE NATIONS
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs
I see of this truth—that God governs in
the affairs of men.
Benjamin Franklin1 J
The Babylonian soldiers called Pharaoh Necho a "big noise." We today would probably call him a "loudmouth" or "big mouth," because he was nothing but talk and hot air.3 While Necho may have been only hot air, Nebuchadnezzar filled the horizon like a huge mountain when he appeared on the scene (v. 18).
eremiah had spoken to his people for over forty years, but they wouldn't listen; now he spoke to the nations related in some way to the Jewish people. As God's spokesman, Jeremiah was "handing the cup" to these nations (25:15ff.) and declaring what God had planned for them. He was called to be "a prophet unto the nations" (1:5), and he was fulfilling his ministry.
Look at the graphic images Jeremiah used. Egypt was like a heifer (v. 20). The mercenaries in Pharaoh's army were like fatted calves that stampeded (v. 21), and the Egyptian soldiers fled like hissing serpents (v. 22) and fell before the Babylonians like trees before woodcutters (v. 23). The invading army was like a swarm of locusts that couldn't be avoided (v. 23). Alas, Egypt was like a young woman being violated and unable to escape (v. 24).
V. Jeremiah's messages to the nations (46—51) A.To Egypt—46 B.To Philistia—47
While these names, places, and events are ancient history to most of us, the lessons behind these events reveal to us the hand of God in the rise and fall of rulers and nations. One of the repeated phrases in these chapters is God's "I will," for "history is His story," as A. T. Pierson used to say. You will also note that God judged the gods of these nations, just as He had judged the gods of Egypt before Israel's Exodus (Ex. 12:12).
The defeat of Egypt was the defeat of Egypt's gods (v. 25). This didn't mean that the gods of Babylon were stronger than the gods of Egypt, for all of their gods were nothing. It meant that Jehovah had proved Himself stronger than the many gods of Egypt and Babylon by being in control of the entire battle. Nebuchadnezzar won and Pharaoh Necho lost because God decreed it. But God also decreed that Egypt would be restored (v. 26), a promise He also gave to Moab (48:47), Ammon (49:6), and Elam (v. 39).
Judgment on Egypt (46:1–28) Pharaoh Necho had defeated Judah and killed King Josiah at Megiddo in 609 (2 Chron. 35:20–27), but then Nebuchadnezzar defeated Necho at the famous Battle of Carchemish in 605, the fourth year of Jehoiakim. That defeat broke the power of Egypt and made Babylon supreme in the Near East. Jeremiah described the battle from Egypt's viewpoint (Jer. 46:3–12); then he described Babylon's invasion of Egypt (vv. 13–26), concluding with an application to the people of Israel (vv. 27–28).
Israel's assured future (vv. 27–28). They shouldn't have been there, but a band of Jews was in Egypt, and this invasion would affect them terribly. The remnant in Judah and the exiles in Babylon would hear of this victory and wonder whether anything on earth could stop Nebuchadnezzar. God had promised that the exiles would be released from Babylon in seventy years, but Babylon looked stronger than ever.
Egypt's shameful defeat (vv. 3–12). Jeremiah wrote a graphic description of the famous Battle of Carchemish. He described the officers confidently preparing their troops (vv. 3–4) and then watching the soldiers flee in terror before the Babylonian army (vv. 5–6). Jeremiah doesn't even describe the battle! The phrase "fear was round about" is the familiar "terror on every side" that we've met before (6:25; 20:3) and will meet again (49:29).
God's Word will stand no matter what the newspapers report! "I will save you," God promised. "I will wipe out the nations, but I won't wipe you out."4 Twice the Lord said, "Don't be afraid." No matter how dark the day, God always gives His people the bright light of His promises (2 Peter 1:19–21).
When the Egyptian army approached the battlefield, they looked like the Nile in flood season (46:8a). The military leaders were sure of victory (v. 8b), and their mercenaries were eager to fight (v. 9), but the Lord had determined that Egypt would lose the battle. "That day belongs to the Lord, the Lord Almighty" (v. 10 niv).2 It was a "holy war" in that God offered Egypt as a sacrifice (v. 10). Egypt's wounds were incurable and her shame was inevitable (vv. 11–12).
Judgment on Philistia (47:1–7) The Philistine people probably came from Crete (Caphtor, v. 4). They built a wealthy nation by developing a merchant marine that sailed the Mediterranean and acquired goods from many lands. But their destiny was destruction. Tyre and Sidon had been confederate with Judah in an attempt to stop Nebuchadnezzar (27:3).
Babylon's triumphant invasion (vv. 13–26).
This time Jeremiah used the image of the rising
Jeremiah 47—49 of the pit, and you'll be caught in a trap. Escape from the trap, and you'll be engulfed by a fire. Escape from the fire, and you'll be captured and taken away to Babylon. Sinners need to face the fact that there is no place to hide when God begins to judge (Rev. 20:11–15). For lost sinners today, their only hope is faith in Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world. They need to flee for refuge to Christ (Heb. 6:18)—the only refuge for their souls.
river to describe the Babylonian army as it flooded over the land (47:2). So terrible was the invasion that parents would flee for their lives and leave their children behind (v. 3; see 49:11). The people would act like mourners at a funeral (47:5) and ask the Lord when He would put up the terrible sword of His judgment (v. 6). But this sword would continue to devour the land until God's work of judgment was finished.
Judgment on Moab (Jer. 48:1–47) The Moabites were descendants of Lot (Gen. 19:20–38) and, along with the Ammonites, the enemies of the Jews. During the Babylonian crisis, however, both Moab and Ammon allied themselves with Judah in an ill-fated attempt to defeat Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 27:3). Over twenty different places are named in this chapter, some of which we can't identify with certainty, but the list shows how detailed God can be when He wants to predict future events.5
After writing a long chapter on judgment, Jeremiah ended with a promise: "Yet will I bring again the captivity [restore the fortunes] of Moab in the latter days" (Jer. 48:47). This statement refers to the future Kingdom Age when Jesus Christ will reign.
Judgment on Ammon (49:1–6) Like the Moabites, the Ammonites were the product of Lot's incestuous union with one of his daughters (Gen. 19:20–38) and the enemies of the Jews. Jeremiah's first accusation is that the Ammonites moved into Israel's territory when Assyria took the northern kingdom captive in 722 BC. The Ammonites took Gad and other cities, as though the Jews would never return. The phrase "their king" in Jeremiah 49:1 and 3 can be translated Molech, which is the name of the chief god of the Ammonites (1 Kings 11:5, 7, 33). They boasted that their god was stronger than the God of Israel, but one day Israel will "drive" the Ammonites out of the land (Jer. 49:2 niv).
C.To Moab—48 D.To Ammon, Moab, Edom, Syria, Kedar, and Elam—49
In 582, Nebuchadnezzar's army invaded Moab, destroyed the people and the cities, and left desolation behind. The reason for this judgment was Moab's pride (48:7, 29–30) and complacency (v. 11). The Moabites were certain that their god Chemosh would protect them (vv. 7, 13, 35, 46) and that no army could scale the heights to reach them on their secure plateau (v. 8).
The image in verses 11–13 pictures Moab as a selfsatisfied nation, feeling very secure, like wine aging in a jar and becoming tastier. Because the nation had been comfortable and self-sufficient, they were unprepared for what happened. The Babylonians emptied the wine from jar to jar and then broke the jars! (See v. 38 for another broken jar image.) Instead of sitting on their mountainous throne, the nation had to come down and grovel on the parched earth (vv. 17–18). The horn and the arm are both symbols of strength (v. 25), but Moab's horn was cut off and her arm broken. She had no strength.
The Ammonites boasted that their fruitful valley was secure because mountains protected it on three sides (v. 4), but that couldn't stop the invasion. God had decreed judgment for proud Ammon, and nothing they trusted could prevent the invasion.
Once again, however, we see the goodness and mercy of the Lord in promising to restore the fortunes of the Ammonites when He restores the fortunes of Israel and Judah in the future kingdom. God restores them, not because of their own merits, but because they share in the glories that Israel will experience when King Jesus sits on David's throne. "Salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).
The wine image is picked up again in verses 26–27. The nation was drunk from the cup that God gave her (25:15–16, 27–29), and like someone at a drunken party, she was vomiting and wallowing in her own vomit. It isn't a pretty picture. The image then changes to that of a dove hiding in a cave, wondering what will happen next (48:28). The Babylonians are pictured as an eagle swooping down on its prey (v. 40; see Deut. 28:49; Ezek. 17:3); a dove is no match for an eagle.
Judgment on Edom (49:7–22) The Edomites had descended from Jacob's elder brother Esau, whom God bypassed for the blessing, giving it to Jacob (Gen. 25:19–34; see Gen. 36). The Edomites weren't friendly to the Jews, but their common enemy, Babylon, caused Edom to join the "Jerusalem summit" in the days of Zedekiah (Jer. 27:3).
The remarkable thing is that Jeremiah wept over the fall of Moab (Jer. 48:31) and lamented like a flutist at a funeral (vv. 36–38). Certainly his grief is evidence of the compassion God has for people who are destroyed because of their sins against the Lord. God has "no pleasure in the death of [the wicked]" (Ezek. 18:32; see 18:23; 33:11) and does all He can to call them to repentance before judgment falls.
You will want to read the prophecy of Obadiah and see how the two prophets agree. Since we don't know when the book of Obadiah was written, we aren't sure whether Jeremiah borrowed from Obadiah or vice versa. The prophets occasionally quoted one another, an evidence that the same God was the author of their messages. Furthermore, there are a number of parallels between Isaiah and Jeremiah.
There is no escape (Jer. 48:44–46; see Amos 5:19). Flee from the army, and you'll fall into a pit. Climb out
Edom's judgment would be like a harvest where
Jeremiah 49
Judgment on Elam (49:34–39) The Elamites were a Semitic people who were neighbors of the Babylonians. (Along with this paragraph, they are mentioned in Gen. 14:1; Isa. 11:11; 21:2; 22:6; Jer. 25:25; Ezek. 32:24; Dan. 8:2.) Their country was located beyond the Tigris River across from Babylon, and it eventually became part of the MedoPersian Empire. God gave Jeremiah this prophecy about 597 BC, during the reign of Zedekiah.
nothing would be left for the gleaners (49:9–10; Lev. 19:10; Deut. 24:21). God would do a thorough job the first time. Like the other nations, Edom would have to drink of the cup (Jer. 49:12) because of her pride and rebellion against the Lord (v. 16). With their cities in the rocks, such as Petra, they thought they were impregnable (vv. 16–18), but they would be destroyed like the cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
Nebuchadnezzar would come upon Edom like a lion bounding out of the thick growth around the Jordan River, and he wouldn't spare the flock (Jer. 49:19–21). He would come like an eagle and so frighten the Edomites that they would agonize like women in travail (v. 22; see 48:40–41). The people of Edom were noted for their great wisdom (49:7; Job 2:11), but they wouldn't be able to devise any plan that would save them from the invasion of the Babylonian army.
Since the Elamite soldiers were known for their archery, God promised to break their bows (Jer. 49:35). He compared the Babylonian army to a storm that would not only blow from all directions but also scatter the people in all directions (v. 36). Whenever a nation was defeated, the victors would set up their king's throne in the city gate (1:15; 39:3; 43:8–13), and that's what God promised to do in Elam (49:38). He would let them know that He was King.
The Lord ended this description of judgment with a promise of mercy. Why He chose to restore Egypt, Moab, Ammon, and Elam is not explained, but they will share in the kingdom because of God's grace.
In the midst of wrath, the Lord remembers mercy (Hab. 3:2) and shows compassion for the widows and orphans (Jer. 49:11; see Ex. 22:21–24; 23:9; Lev. 19:33; Deut. 10:18; 27:19). But Edom's pride would bring her low, as pride always does.
As you studied these chapters, perhaps you became weary of reading the same message: Judgment is coming and there's no escape. There's a sameness about what God said about these nine nations, and if we aren't careful, that sameness can produce "tameness" and cause us to lose a heart sensitive to the Lord's message.
Judgment on Syria [Damascus] (49:23–27) The prophet Isaiah condemned Damascus, the capital of Syria (Isa. 17). Amos accused the Syrians of treating the people of Gilead like grain on a threshing floor (Amos 1:3–5). God would judge them for their inhumanity and brutality to His people.
Keep in mind, however, that these prophecies were written about real men, women, and children, and that what Jeremiah wrote actually came true. Whole civilizations were wiped out because of their sins, and eventually Babylon itself was destroyed. This means that multitudes of people died and went into an eternity of darkness.
According to Jeremiah, hearing the news of the approaching Babylonian army, the people of Damascus would become as troubled as the restless sea, as weak and shaky as a sick patient, and as full of pain as a woman in travail (Jer. 49:23–24). They would abandon their ancient cities and try to escape, but their best young men would be killed in the streets and their fortress would be burned to the ground.
God sees what the nations do, and He rewards them justly. What King Hezekiah said about the Lord needs to be emphasized today: "O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth" (Isa. 37:16 niv). Joshua called Him "the Lord of all the earth" (Josh. 3:11), and both Jesus and Paul called Him "Lord of heaven and earth" (Luke 10:21; Acts 17:24). God never gave the law of Moses to any of the nations that Jeremiah addressed, but He still held them accountable for the sins they committed against Him and against humanity. Because of the witness of creation around them and conscience within them, they were without excuse (Rom. 1:17–32, especially v. 20) and guilty before God.
This message is brief, but it carries power. How much does God have to say to convince people that His wrath is about to fall?
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor (49:28–33) These are two desert peoples. Kedar was related to Ishmael (Gen. 25:13). We aren't sure of the origin of Hazor, which is not to be confused with the city of that name in northern Palestine (Josh. 11).
These two nomadic Arab nations lived by raising sheep and camels. When Nebuchadnezzar attacked them in 599–598 BC, however, they lost everything. Once again, we meet the phrase "fear is on every side" (Jer. 49:29; see 20:3). These two Arab nations were guilty of living at ease, isolating themselves from others, and manifesting pride and arrogant self-confidence (49:31). They didn't need God, and they didn't need the help of any other people! When Nebuchadnezzar arrived on the scene, they learned how foolish they had been.
In recent history, the nations haven't acted any better than the ones recorded in Jeremiah 46—49. Innocent blood is shed legally as millions of babies are aborted in their mothers' wombs. International terrorism, genocide, exploitation of people and material resources, war, crime, the abuse of children, and a host
Jeremiah 50 times and then is destroyed by the Lord. There are many parallels between Jeremiah 50—51 and Revelation 17—18, and I suggest you read all four chapters carefully.
of other sins have stained the hands of nations with blood. What will they do when the Judge becomes angry and starts to avenge the innocent?
"It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).
Jeremiah wrote this prophecy during the fourth year of Zedekiah (594–593) and gave the scroll to Baruch's brother Seraiah to read in Babylon and then throw into the Euphrates (Jer. 51:59–64). Since Seraiah was an officer in Zedekiah's cabinet, he had access to things officially diplomatic. This would have been the last of Jeremiah's "action sermons," performed without Jeremiah, symbolizing the complete destruction of the great Babylonian Empire.
Notes 1 Quoted in Miracle at Philadelphia, by Catherine Drinker Bowen (Boston: Lime, Brown and Company, 1966), 126. Italics are in the original. 2 The phrase in the KJV "this is the day of the Lord" (Jer. 46:10) should not be interpreted to mean "the day of the Lord" that will occur in the end times. The battle Jeremiah described took place in 605 and is known as the Battle of Carchemish, named for a town on the Euphrates River. 3 The New English Bible translates it "King Bombast, the man who missed his moment." 4 The phrase "make a full end" is found in Jeremiah 4:27; 5:10, 18; 30:11; and Ezekiel 11:13. The NIV translates it "completely destroy." God knows how much discipline to give His people, and He never makes a mistake. He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. 5 Madmen in Jeremiah 48:2 is the name of a Moabite city. It's not the English word for men who are mad.
Jeremiah 50—51 is something like an extended declaration coupled with a conversation. Usually it's the Lord speaking through His prophet, but occasionally we hear the Jewish people speaking and the Lord answering them. God speaks to and about Babylon; He also speaks to the invading army; and He speaks to the exiles of Judah. Three movements are in this declaration: God declares war on Babylon (50:1–28); God assembles the armies against Babylon (50:29— 51:26); and God announces victory over Babylon (51: 27–58). Jeremiah's prophecy about Babylon has both a near and a far fulfillment. The Medes and Persians captured Babylon in 539 (see Dan. 5), but they didn't destroy the city. Cyrus issued a decree that the Jews could return to their land (Ezra 1:1–4), which many of them did in three stages: in 538 (Ezra 1—6), 458 (Ezra 7—10), and 444 (book of Nehemiah). It was Alexander the Great who finally destroyed Babylon in 330 and left it a heap of ruins. Since Babylon symbolizes the anti-God world system, however, the ultimate fulfillment is recorded in Revelation 17—18. Remember, the prophets often looked at "two horizons," one near and one far, as they spoke and wrote about the future.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Jeremiah 50—51 BABYLON IS FALLEN!
After all, we are not judged so much by
how many sins we have committed but
by how much light we have rejected.
Vance Havner1 A
E.To Babylon—50—51 fter declaring the destiny of the Gentile nations (Jer. 46—49), the prophet now focused on Judah's hateful enemy, the empire of Babylon. Jeremiah devoted 121 verses to the future of nine nations and 44 verses to the defeat and destruction of Jerusalem. When we count the number of verses in Jeremiah 50 and 51, however, he devoted 110 verses to the fall of Babylon. It is an important subject indeed!
God Declares War on Babylon (50:1–28) "Announce and proclaim!" is the commandment. "Raise the signal!" God declared war on Babylon and announced that her great god Bel (also called Marduk) was about to be shamefully defeated.
God declared war on both Babylon and the gods of Babylon. The word translated "idols" means "wooden blocks," and the word translated "images" means "dung pellets." The Lord didn't think much of their gods! The invaders would come from the north just as Nebuchadnezzar came from the north to conquer Judah (1:11–15).
In Scripture, the city of Babylon is contrasted with the city of Jerusalem—the proud city of man versus the Holy City of God. In Hebrew, the name babel means "gate of God," but babel is so close to the word balal ("confusion") that it's associated with the famous tower of Babel and the confusion of human languages (Gen. 11:1–9). The founder of Babylon was Nimrod (10:8–10), "a mighty hunter before the Lord" (v. 9 niv). Some students interpret this to mean "a mighty rebel against the Lord."2 Babel/Babylon is a symbol of rebellion against God, the earthly city of human splendor opposing the heavenly city that glorifies God. All of this culminates in the Babylon of Revelation 17:1— 19:10, "Babylon the Great" that symbolizes the anti-God system that controls the world in the end
God speaks to and about the Jews (v. 4–10). He saw them as lost sheep without a shepherd, a flock greatly abused both by their leaders and their captors. While the immediate application is to the return of the exiles from Babylon, the ultimate reference includes the gathering of the Jews in the latter days. God warned the people to flee from Babylon so as not to be caught in the judgment that would fall (Isa. 48:20; Rev.
Jeremiah 50—51 them! The phrase "plead their cause" speaks of a court case. Jehovah was defense attorney, judge, and jury, and He found Babylon guilty.
18:4). He would bring the Medes and the Persians against Babylon and give them total victory.
God speaks to Babylon (vv. 11–13). Now we find out why God was destroying this great empire. To begin with, the Babylonians were glad that they could devastate and subjugate Judah. Yes, Babylon was God's tool to chasten His sinful people, but the Babylonians went too far and enjoyed it too much. They acted like a joyful calf threshing the grain and getting his fill! Any nation that cursed the Jews will ultimately be cursed by God (Gen. 12:1–3). As they treated Judah, so God will treat them (see Jer. 51:24, 35, 49).
Now the Lord told Babylon what to expect on the day of their judgment. The first picture is that of a sword going through the land and cutting down the people (vv. 35–38). God's sword will even attack the waters and dry them up (v. 38). Why? Because it is "a land of idols" (v. 38 niv), and God wanted to reveal that the idols were nothing. Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, nothing will be left. Babylon will become a haven for animals and birds, and the city will never be restored.
God speaks to the invading armies (vv. 14–16). Just as Babylon had been God's tool to chasten Judah, so the invaders (Cyrus with the Medes and Persians, and later Alexander with his Greek army) would be God's weapon to defeat Babylon. God spoke to the invading armies and commanded them to get their weapons ready and shout for victory, because they would win the battle. This was no ordinary war; this was the "vengeance of the Lord" (v. 15 niv).
The Lord directed the Babylonians' attention to the great army that He had called from the north—a cruel army without mercy, whose march sounded like the roaring of the sea (v. 42). This report paralyzed the king of Babylon. Like a hungry lion, looking for prey (see 49:19–21), Cyrus (and then Alexander) will attack Babylon, and nobody will be able to resist. God's chosen servant will always succeed. The Lord's judgment on Babylon will be like the winnowing of the grain: "Great Babylon" will be blown away like chaff along with its idols!
God speaks about the Jews (vv. 17–20). Once more Jeremiah used the image of the scattered flock. Assyria had ravaged Israel (the northern kingdom), and Babylon had ravaged Judah (the southern kingdom), but now God would punish Babylon as He had Assyria. (Assyria fell to a Babylonian-Median alliance in 609.) God will bring His people back to their own land, where the flock may graze safely and peacefully. The prophet then looked down to the latter days when God will wipe away the nation's sins and establish His new covenant with them. We see the "two horizons" of prophecy again.
God speaks to the Jews (51:5–10). God assured His people that He hadn't forsaken ("widowed") them, and He ordered them a second time (50:8) to get out of Babylon when the opportunity arises. When Cyrus opened the door for them to go home, about fifty thousand Jews returned to Judah to restore Jerusalem and the temple. Babylon had been a "winecup" (see 25:15) in God's hands, making the nations act like drunks (Rev. 18:3), but now the cup would be smashed and Babylon's power broken. "Wail over her!" (Jer. 51:8 niv) finds a fulfillment in Revelation 18:9ff. Anybody who pinned his or her hope on Babylon was doomed to disappointment, but so is anyone today who pins his or her hope on this present world. "The world is passing away" (1 John 2:17 nkjv). To whom does "we" in Jeremiah 51:9 refer—to the Jews or to Babylon's allies who deserted her? Since the "us" in verse 10 refers clearly to the Jews and their vindication, it is likely that the exiles are speaking in verse 9, because Jeremiah had instructed them to be a blessing while living in Babylon (29:4–14). No doubt many of the Jews did seek the Lord, confess their sins, and trust His promise of deliverance. Some of them certainly prepared their sons and daughters to return to the land. They had the truth about Jehovah God and would have shared it with their captors, but the Babylonians preferred to taunt the Jews instead of listen to them discuss their religion (Ps. 137).
God speaks to the invaders (vv. 21–27). The Lord was in command of the invasion, and His orders were to be carried out explicitly. Babylon the rod (Isa. 10:5) was itself shattered. Babylon was caught in God's trap and couldn't escape God's weapons. Their fine young men would be slaughtered like cattle, for the day of judgment for Babylon had come.
The Jewish remnant speaks (v. 28). We hear the exiles who had fled the city and arrived in Judah as they report the fall of Babylon. The ultimate sin of the Babylonians was the burning of the temple, and for that sin the ultimate total destruction of their city was their punishment.
God Gathers the Armies against Babylon (50:29— 51:26) The first command had been "Declare among the nations!" But now the command was "Call together the archers!" God ordered the armies of the Medes and Persians (and later the Greeks) to shoot to kill and allow no one to escape.
God speaks to Babylon (51:11–23). He warned them to get their weapons ready, set up their standards on the walls, and post their watchmen, because the invasion was about to begin. "Your end has come, the time for you to be cut off" (Jer. 51:13 niv). They had been weaving the luxurious tapestry of their power and
God speaks to Babylon (50:31—51:4). He told them that He was against them because of their pride (50:31–32) and because of the way they had made the Jews suffer unnecessarily (v. 33). The exiles couldn't free themselves, but their Strong Redeemer would free
Jeremiah 51 vindicate them (v. 36). The Lord described vividly what would happen to Babylon: The ruins of the city would become the haunt of animals and birds, a perpetual cemetery for the people slain in the invasion, a slaughterhouse where people would die like so many cattle, sheep, and goats.
wealth on the loom, but now God would cut it off and put an end to their plans (v. 13 niv).3
The enemy soldiers would swoop down on the Babylonians like locusts and prove the utter helplessness of the gods of Babylon. Jeremiah revealed the stupidity of making and worshipping idols (vv. 15–19), and he magnified the greatness of the one true and living God (see 10:12–16; Isa. 40:12–26).
Sheshach in verse 41 is a code name for Babylon (25:26) following a system where the last letter of the alphabet is substituted for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. Why Jeremiah used a code name for the enemy in one sentence and then the real name in the next sentence isn't easy to understand.
God speaks to His general (51:20–24).4 Just as Assyria had been God's "rod" (Isa. 10:5–19), so His chosen commander (Cyrus, and later Alexander) would be His "hammer" to break the power of Babylon. The word "break" (shatter) is used nine times in this passage. They would pay Babylon back with the same treatment Nebuchadnezzar had given others. There is a law of compensation in God's working in history, and the Lord will enforce it.
Nevertheless, the enemy army would cover Babylon just as the sea covers the land (51:42), but when "the tide is out," a desert will be left behind. The Babylonian "monster" may have swallowed up God's people, but the Lord would force it to disgorge them (v. 44), and the new king (Cyrus) would permit God's people to return home. "The wall of Babylon shall fall" (v. 44) literally came true under Alexander, but "the wall came down" when Cyrus decreed that the exiles could go back to Judah and rebuild their temple.
God speaks to Babylon (51:25–26). The city of Babylon sat on a plain, but in the sight of the nations, it was a huge destroying mountain that loomed on the horizon of history. By the time God was through with it, however, Babylon would be nothing but an extinct volcano ("a burnt mountain," Jer. 51:25). Nobody would even excavate the ruins to find stones to build with; the city would be deserted and desolate forever.
For the third time, God ordered His people to get out of Babylon (v. 45; see 50:8; 51:6) and not to linger (51:50; see Gen. 19:16). Neither should they be afraid of the rumors they would hear about, which were about to happen. They didn't need to be afraid of the vain Babylonian idols that could do nothing to hinder them. Heaven and earth will sing songs of praise when Babylon falls (Jer. 51:48; Rev. 18:20ff.). The Jews speak and God replies (vv. 51–58). The exiles felt disgraced before the world because of what the Babylonians had done to the temple in Jerusalem. If the Lord wasn't strong enough to protect His house, how could He ever be strong enough to defeat Babylon? If they left Babylon, they would go home only to ruin and shame. During the years of their captivity, those who had obeyed Jeremiah's instructions (Jer. 29:4–14) probably enjoyed fairly comfortable lives. Thus, they would be exchanging security for danger and plenty for want.7
God Announces Victory over Babylon (51:27–58) Throughout this prophecy, God has frequently announced the fall of Babylon, but this closing section seems to focus on God's total victory over the enemy.
God describes the victory (vv. 27–33). God's armies were prepared, the commanders were ready, and the battle began; but the Babylonian army was helpless! They lay on the walls exhausted; their courage had failed them. The city was in flames, and the bars of the gates were broken. Nothing kept the enemy from entering the city and doing to it what the Babylonians had done to Jerusalem.5
The Babylonians had an effective courier system and could quickly send messages to the various parts of their vast empire. In fact, Jeremiah described the runners meeting and exchanging messages for the king: "The river crossings have been seized!" "The marshes are set on fire!" "The soldiers are terrified!" "The city has been captured!" (see vv. 31–32 niv). It was God's harvest, and Babylon was on the threshing floor.6
God, however, made it clear that there was no future in Babylon, for He had determined to destroy the city. "For the Lord [is a] God of recompenses" (51:56). If His people remained in Babylon, they would suffer the fate of the city. If they obeyed the Lord and returned home, they would experience a new beginning under the blessing of the Lord.
God speaks to the Jews (vv. 34–50). First, the Jews reminded the Lord what Nebuchadnezzar had done to them (vv. 34–35). Like a vicious monster, he had picked up Judah as if it were a jar filled with food, swallowed down the food, vomited it up, and then broken the jar! He had chewed them up and spit them out! Now the Jews wanted the Lord to repay the Babylonians for all the suffering they had caused the people of God.
It's a matter of walking by faith and not by sight, trusting God's Word instead of our own human evaluation. The exiles saw the high walls and huge gates of the city and concluded that such fortifications would repel any enemy, but they were wrong. Those walls and gates would become only "fuel for the flames" when the invaders arrived on the scene (v. 58 niv).
"Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city!" (Rev. 14:8). And Babylon is still fallen!
God's reply was encouraging: Like a court advocate, He would take their case, plead their cause, and