The Prophet Jeremiah
Monday, August 19 Jeremiah 49:1-39
“This message wasgiven concerning . . .”
Thefact that the prophecies against the nations are collected together and placedat the end of the book of Jeremiah suggests that they are preserved aswitnesses to God’s sovereign justice and are to be read and pondered by thosewho come after the prophet. Theyindicate what kind of attitudes and activities are displeasing to the Lord.
They should also be read in light of the missionary concern of the NewTestament that the gospel be preached among all nations. Even though the predominant note of theprophecies toward the nations is negative – that is, they have been weighed inthe balance of divine justice and found wanting – it is crucial to note thatthe redeemed in Revelation come from every tribe and tongue (Revelation5:9-10). Gods sovereignty over thenations does not leave them without hope and fit only for retaliatory justice;in the good news of the New Testament (anticipated by the restoration passagesin the prophecies against the nations) the nations find healing for theirsicknesses and spiritual renewal to overcome the horrors of their inhumanity.
Even the vilest offender (or, nation),Lord, may be restored by your grace. Amen.
Tuesday, August 20 Jeremiah 50:1-28
“Babylon will fall”
Thefall of Babylon is to be proclaimed among the nations. Perhaps this is because Babylon hadsubjugated a number of them, and there will be rejoicing in more than onecorner of the former empire. Anotherreason perhaps is the public declaration of the Lord’s sovereignty byannouncing the fact in public and in advance. Thus, Babylon’s joy in pillaging Judah will be turned to greatshame. Babylon herself will be besiegedand defeated, for it will be done to her as she has done to others.
Remnants from Israel and Judah will seek the Lord and a way back totheir homeland. They are currently likelost sheep, but they will return to their true Shepherd, “the hope of theirfathers.” The prophet urges them to fleeout of Babylon. This is notcontradictory to the advice given in chapter 29, that the exiles should buildhouses in Babylon and pray for the welfare of the city. That same chapter indicates a coming timewhen God will restore his people. Thedefeat of Babylon will indicate that return to Palestine is about to begin.
Evil will not stand, Lord, for your justicewill wipe it away. Amen.
Wednesday, August 21 Jeremiah 50:29-46
“’The One whoredeems is strong”
Godis strong, not just as Judge of sin and evil, but as the Redeemer of hispeople. He is to be praised as the Onewho vindicates his people against all who have done them wrong. Imperialistic Babylon is compared to Assyria,the earlier conqueror of Israel and much of the Near East. As with Assyria, so with Babylon – God willjudge the oppressor. The overthrow ofBabylon is also compared to that of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Verse 44 alludes to either a people or an individual who will do God’sbidding and take Babylon, referring to the Medes and the Persians or to PersianKing Cyrus himself. God has summonedseveral groups against Babylon, together comprising the “foe from the north”who will attack the city. In 539BC theprophecy came true when Cyrus the Great and his forces occupied the city andput the Babylonian Empire out of business. Ultimately the city itself would be abandoned, giving additionalconfirmation of the prophetic depiction of its demise.
The truth of yourWord, Lord, is confirmed in history. Amen.
Thursday, August 22 Jeremiah 51:1-32
“Let us announce all the Lord has done”
Chapter 51continues the contrast between the coming deliverance of the Judean exiles andthe judgment to befall Babylon, with much of the imagery repeated from orsimilar to that in chapter 50. One ofthe poetic symbols Jeremiah uses is that of the “cup,” a vessel that indicatesthe future when its contents will be consumed. In verse 7 Babylon is depicted as a cup from which Judah and the nationsdrank, but now it is ready to be smashed.
Verses 15-19celebrate the creative power and wisdom of God, and the character of the trueGod is set in the context of the foolishness and idolatry of the nations. In contrast to human idol-makers, God is “theMaker of all things.” The chapterportrays several of Babylon’s neighbors as threats. The Medes are mentioned twice (verses 11 and28). They were a people to the north andeast of Babylon who were incorporated into the Persian state created by Cyrusthe Great. Ararat, Minni, and theAshkenaz were also peoples from the north and northeast of Babylon who may havejoined Cyrus against Babylon.
We praise you,Lord, for the justice you apply to all peoples. Amen.
Friday, August 23 Jeremiah 51:33-64
“The Lord willsilence Babylon’s loud voice”
In verses 34-40personified Jerusalem speaks of the torment she has received from Babylon, andthe Lord replies that judgment will come on Babylon. The gods of Babylon are also judged in thefall of the city with specific attention given to Bel. The tower of Babylon is alluded to,proclaiming that God will send destroyers against Babylon, even as the cityreaches to the sky – a reminder of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9.
The chapterconcludes with an account of Seraiah, brother of Baruch, who traveled toBabylon in Zedekiah’s fourth year (593BC). Apparently he was sent to Babylon on diplomatic business. While in Babylon he performed a symbolic actto depict the judgment that would ultimately befall Babylon. Just as the written scroll sank when Seraiahthrew it into the river, so will Babylon sink and rise no more. The last line of the chapter states that “thewords of Jeremiah end here.” But notehow Jeremiah’s words in collected form have lasted much longer than the greatpolitical and military nation of his day.
Nations rise and fall, Lord, but your wordis forever. Amen.
Saturday, August 24 Jeremiah 52:1-34
“He was kind toJehoiachin”
Jeremiah52 covers a span of approximately 30 years. It begins with the account of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588BCand concludes with the notice that Evil-Merodach had released the Judean exiledking Jehoiachin from prison and allowed him to eat at the royal table. Evil-Merodach, whose short reign lasted from562BC to 560BC, was the son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar.
Unlesswe can draw continuing significance from narration about the past, past actsremain simply events that lie behind the present. Since a retelling of the past is typicallydone to uncover ways in which to understand the present, we should ask why theaccount of Jerusalem’s fall is told here since we read of it back in chapter39. One reason is reflected in thewidely quoted maxim, “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeatit.” In the retelling of the story, weare reminded to live and learn from the mistakes of others. Such a reading can be instructive bothpersonally and on the corporate level of nation and church.
Mayyour word, Lord, be a light unto our path. Amen.