Babylon
Having finished with the nations that Babylon will conquer,
Jeremiah now turns upon Babylon itself.
There will come a time when Babylon herself shall be conquered.
You might be wondering why Babylon is to be punished when God is
using them to punish all the other nations.
I’ve given part of the answer already in other posts in this blog. Babylon was known for its cruelty in
conquering other nations. Although God appointed
them as the tool of His judgment, they went about it in a way that was not
pleasing to God. This goes to teach us
that just because God has called us to do something does not mean that we have
free reign over how it gets done. God’s
will can be accomplished in a manner that brings displeasure to God.
The other reason is because of their worship. Although God is using Babylon, they still
continue to worship Bel and Marduk (Merodach).
God is the source of their rise to greatness, but they do not give Him
their worship. This is idolatry at its
finest. It doesn’t matter whether you
are a part of God’s chosen people or not.
Idolatry is idolatry in any form.
Focus on the Hebrew People
I find it really interesting that as soon as Babylon’s judgment is
announced, the subject turns to the release of the Hebrew people. In the prior chapters, Jeremiah dwelled on
how the destruction was going to happen.
But with Babylon, there are more pressing matters. When Babylon is overthrown, what really
matters is that the restoration of the Hebrew people is at hand. The second exodus is about to begin. The toppling of Babylon is the sign for the
exiles that God gives through Jeremiah.
In the day of Babylon’s fall, the Hebrew people will be like sheep
returning to the fold. They will be like
young herd animals playing out in the fields.
They will have a new sense of joy for life. They will be released to be free once more.
Of course, there are questions that should haunt everyone in the
back of their mind. Will they return to
the Lord? For how long? Will they learn the lesson that captivity was
designed to teach them? Will they live
humbly before their God?
For the record, I think it is good for me to ask those questions
about myself, too.
Do Unto Her
In verses 14-15 there are some haunting words. “Shoot at her (Babylon). Spare no arrows. Take vengeance on her; do to her as she has
done.” The Lord will repay. The Lord will do to Babylon as Babylon has
done to others. As Babylon has exerted
its strength in subduing the nations, so shall God allow others to exert their
strength as they subdue Babylon.
There is a really huge warning here. Jesus tells us to “Do unto others as we would
have them do unto us.” We really need to
take seriously the point that we treat other people the way we would desire to
be treated. When we wield power with an
uncaring bent, we can expect to be treated back the same way. When we assert ourselves and put our foot
down in a manner that demonstrates no compassion whatsoever, we can expect to
receive it back.
However, if we go about leading with grace we can hope that grace
will return to us. If we go about
leading with love it can be returned to us.
If we lead by thinking of the other person and not our own accolades,
people will mimic that behavior. For
good or for bad, how we live will usually return unto us.
Religious Atrocity
There’s one other dynamic that I would love to pull out of this
lengthy chapter of destruction. {There is much that could be said … I must
limit myself to just one more piece.}
In verse 28 we understand that God is taking something very
personally.
It was one thing for the Babylonians to conquer Judah. That was done at God’s request.
It was another thing for them do go about it cruelly. For that they shall be punished.
Destroying the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem was utterly
treacherous. Tearing down the temple in
Jerusalem was the one act that proved that even though the Babylonians were the
rod and staff in God’s hand, they were not God’s people. They had no respect for the very God who had
empowered them. When they tore down the
worship place – the dwelling place – of God among the Hebrew people, they set
God’s vengeance upon themselves.
This makes me think today.
In what ways have I torn down the temple of the Lord? In what ways have I taken grasp of the
authority that God has brought into my life and used that authority in ways
that denies God the glory due to His name?
In what ways have I lived so that instead of pointing towards God I have
pointed towards a god of my own making?
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