Read Jeremiah 51
51 This is what the Lord says:
against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai.
2 I will send foreigners to Babylon
to winnow her and to devastate her land;
they will oppose her on every side
in the day of her disaster.
3 Let not the archer string his bow,
nor let him put on his armor.
Do not spare her young men;
completely destroy her army.
4 They will fall down slain in Babylon,
fatally wounded in her streets.
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Lord Almighty,
though their land is full of guilt
before the Holy One of Israel.
Run for your lives!
Do not be destroyed because of her sins.
It is time for the Lord’s vengeance;
he will repay her what she deserves.
7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand;
she made the whole earth drunk.
The nations drank her wine;
therefore they have now gone mad.
8 Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken.
Wail over her!
Get balm for her pain;
perhaps she can be healed.
but she cannot be healed;
let us leave her and each go to our own land,
for her judgment reaches to the skies,
it rises as high as the heavens.’
come, let us tell in Zion
what the Lord our God has done.’
take up the shields!
The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes,
because his purpose is to destroy Babylon.
The Lord will take vengeance,
vengeance for his temple.
12 Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard,
station the watchmen,
prepare an ambush!
The Lord will carry out his purpose,
his decree against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by many waters
and are rich in treasures,
your end has come,
the time for you to be destroyed.
14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by himself:
I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts,
and they will shout in triumph over you.
he founded the world by his wisdom
and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
16 When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar;
he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth.
He sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
every goldsmith is shamed by his idols.
The images he makes are a fraud;
they have no breath in them.
18 They are worthless, the objects of mockery;
when their judgment comes, they will perish.
19 He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the Maker of all things,
including the people of his inheritance—
the Lord Almighty is his name.
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter nations,
with you I destroy kingdoms,
21 with you I shatter horse and rider,
with you I shatter chariot and driver,
22 with you I shatter man and woman,
with you I shatter old man and youth,
with you I shatter young man and young woman,
23 with you I shatter shepherd and flock,
with you I shatter farmer and oxen,
with you I shatter governors and officials.24 “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the Lord.
you who destroy the whole earth,”
declares the Lord.
“I will stretch out my hand against you,
roll you off the cliffs,
and make you a burned-out mountain.
26 No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone,
nor any stone for a foundation,
for you will be desolate forever,”
declares the Lord.
Blow the trumpet among the nations!
Prepare the nations for battle against her;
summon against her these kingdoms:
Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz.
Appoint a commander against her;
send up horses like a swarm of locusts.
28 Prepare the nations for battle against her—
the kings of the Medes,
their governors and all their officials,
and all the countries they rule.
29 The land trembles and writhes,
for the Lord’s purposes against Babylon stand—
to lay waste the land of Babylon
so that no one will live there.
30 Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting;
they remain in their strongholds.
Their strength is exhausted;
they have become weaklings.
Her dwellings are set on fire;
the bars of her gates are broken.
31 One courier follows another
and messenger follows messenger
to announce to the king of Babylon
that his entire city is captured,
32 the river crossings seized,
the marshes set on fire,
and the soldiers terrified.”
at the time it is trampled;
the time to harvest her will soon come.”
he has thrown us into confusion,
he has made us an empty jar.
Like a serpent he has swallowed us
and filled his stomach with our delicacies,
and then has spewed us out.
35 May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,”
say the inhabitants of Zion.
“May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,”
says Jerusalem.36 Therefore this is what the Lord says:
and avenge you;
I will dry up her sea
and make her springs dry.
37 Babylon will be a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals,
an object of horror and scorn,
a place where no one lives.
38 Her people all roar like young lions,
they growl like lion cubs.
39 But while they are aroused,
I will set out a feast for them
and make them drunk,
so that they shout with laughter—
then sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the Lord.
40 “I will bring them down
like lambs to the slaughter,
like rams and goats.
the boast of the whole earth seized!
How desolate Babylon will be
among the nations!
42 The sea will rise over Babylon;
its roaring waves will cover her.
43 Her towns will be desolate,
a dry and desert land,
a land where no one lives,
through which no one travels.
44 I will punish Bel in Babylon
and make him spew out what he has swallowed.
The nations will no longer stream to him.
And the wall of Babylon will fall.
Run for your lives!
Run from the fierce anger of the Lord.
46 Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,
rumors of violence in the land
and of ruler against ruler.
47 For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon;
her whole land will be disgraced
and her slain will all lie fallen within her.
48 Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy over Babylon,
for out of the north
destroyers will attack her,”
declares the Lord.
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave and do not linger!
Remember the Lord in a distant land,
and call to mind Jerusalem.”
for we have been insulted
and shame covers our faces,
because foreigners have entered
the holy places of the Lord’s house.”
“when I will punish her idols,
and throughout her land
the wounded will groan.
53 Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens
and fortifies her lofty stronghold,
I will send destroyers against her,”
declares the Lord.
the sound of great destruction
from the land of the Babylonians.
55 The Lord will destroy Babylon;
he will silence her noisy din.
Waves of enemies will rage like great waters;
the roar of their voices will resound.
56 A destroyer will come against Babylon;
her warriors will be captured,
and their bows will be broken.
For the Lord is a God of retribution;
he will repay in full.
57 I will make her officials and wise men drunk,
her governors, officers and warriors as well;
they will sleep forever and not awake,”
declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
and her high gates set on fire;
the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing,
the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.”59 This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiahking of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64 Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’”The words of Jeremiah end here.
Go Deeper
The chapter concludes with “The words of Jeremiah end here” (v. 64). The question, then, is where does this story end? The prophecy here continues from Jeremiah 50 with what will become of Babylon and their inhabitants. Babylon has been a golden cup, a rich and glorious empire, a golden city (Isaiah 14:4), a head of gold (Daniel 2:38), filled with all good things, as a cup with wine. Specifically, she had been a golden cup in the Lord’s hand. (Matthew Henry). The Lord had allowed Babylon to force the nations around it to drink from this golden cup. Now Jeremiah’s word from God continues in describing two main ideas, the utter destruction of Babylon and the vindication of the remnant of Israel (v. 10).
The description is replete with not only the details of who will come as the “destroyer” but how utter the destruction will be. There will be nothing left of any worth, including the inability to use any stone in the land as a cornerstone. In this final piece of poetic prophecy, even the elements of the earth, water, wind, and fire, will be summoned to add to the destruction caused by the armies of the north. Babylon falls from being a golden cup in God’s hand that brought correction to Israel for breaking its covenant with the Lord to a mockery, where no man or bull or crop or water will be left behind.
Israel has finally reached the end of its time in captivity and is commanded to return home. They are literally told to “Run for your lives and return home (v. 45).” They are described as sheep who had lost their way (and their shepherd) and are to return to the hills and fields– where they can eat their fill and finally be satisfied.
There is a new covenant coming for this remnant. It will begin with a new shepherd. God’s plan is to restore hope amongst His people by giving them more than a return to the land. He is going to provide them with a living cornerstone, one that is not formed from a stone of the earth and is above the decay and corruption of the world. He is proving, once again, that He is the one true God and the promise keeper who delivered correction and now delivers hope.
As Jeremiah’s words end, they still remain. His prophecies and actions continue to teach us that we are to serve the only living God and that He is not only the God of creation but also the God of the future. This God of eternity has once again kept good on his promises, delivered forgiveness of sins. More importantly, in this book, He has paved a way for a new covenant, not written on stones, but written on the hearts of man in all nations.
Questions
- What is God bringing you through right now to bring you back to His will?
- What is your hope for your future walk with Christ?
- The world offers us cornerstones of all shapes and sizes. How do you keep your faith focused on your living cornerstone?
Pray This
Father God,
Thank you for the prophet Jeremiah and the testimony of his life. Help me to be steadfast to my faith, and to grow it, through the tests and trials I am currently facing. Help me see the light of your love through the lens of hope. Allow me to be satisfied that your grace is sufficient and I will find true happiness through your plans and not my own. I pray this in the strong name of Jesus. Amen.
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3 thoughts on “Jeremiah 51”
With the exiles we can proclaim, “The Lord has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the Lord our God has done.” (V10). Today, may God stir our affections in humble gratitude as we recall how he has “called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Though completely underserved, he has redeemed us and set us apart as his own special possession. To God be the glory! Now go tell someone!
I’ll start: Recently in the death of my sister and traveling the lonely path of an all consuming grief, I’ve felt the nearness of my Savior, the prayers and consolation of those both far and near wrap me in hope and comfort. How has he vindicated you?
46 “Do not lose heart or be afraid
when rumors are heard in the land;
one rumor comes this year, another the next,“
It is so tempting for me to listen to rumors and by doing so not listen to God.
Our idols, whatever they may be, are false. There is no breath in them, they are worthless, delusional and they will perish. Jeremiah has been telling these facts for a while. Hard headed people (fingers pointing to me) have to come to the bottom or near bottom of the pit before we have an ah-ha moment. God wants YOU! He is pursuing after us. He desire that all come to the knowledge of Him and then grow with a deep abiding LOVE to worship Him, do His will today in this world. The things of this world are momentarily fleeting. Eternity is everlasting. God’s word is a starting place with all wisdom to pursue a DEEP WONDERFUL relationship with our creator.
Psalm 42:1-2 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
We must pursue God.
Philippians 3:10 (Amp) 10 And this, so that I may know Him [experientially, becoming more thoroughly acquainted with Him, understanding the remarkable wonders of His Person more completely] and [in that same way experience] the power of His resurrection [which overflows and is active in believers], and [that I may share] the fellowship of His sufferings, by being continually conformed [inwardly into His likeness even] to His death [dying as He did];
God I know without a doubt that YOU are want my soul, my being has been longing for. I have known that You are the answer to all my questions. Giving up these worldly “idols” to simplify myself to You and You alone has been a struggle, BUT GOD, You have continued to pursue me. I am beyond words grateful. I reenerate the prayer of A.W. Tozer, O God, I have tasted thy goodness and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfuly conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God I want to want thee: I long to be filled with longing. I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me thy glory, I pray thee, that so I may know thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love,my fair one, and come away.”Then give me grace to rise and follow thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!
Pg 15 of The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer,