The Babylonian Empire's spread throughout the Middle East and beyond was used by God to bring down a score of nations whose pride had earned them His judgment (Jer. 46-49). The same was true of Judah, the Southern Kingdom of the Jews. God called the Babylonian ruler His "servant" in bringing judgment upon these hard-hearted and rebellious people. As God's "servant" of judgment, Babylon and its rulers would have naturally assumed they would be immune from God's hand of judgment. However, such a conclusion would be rooted in self-deception. Jeremiah gives a lengthy prophecy of the overwhelming destruction that is sure to fall upon them, a destruction so complete that it will amaze the entire known world.
This principle of God's equal-handed judgment upon all people, even those who have been used by Him, is a fact not as appreciated as it should be. The Jewish nation has been a classic example of this. God had given them a place of servanthood on His behalf like no other nation in the world. They were given God's Word, God's prophets, and eventually, above all else, God's Son, the Messiah. Yet, as seen in Jeremiah's prophecies, they brought upon themselves judgment that they simply did not think was possible.
The many warnings of God's impending judgment and of their destruction and deportation to Babylon were not taken seriously. They simply thought it never would happen (50:6-7). But it did. However, God's judgment is not the end of the story for Israel, nor need it be for any nation or person. Sincere repentance brings amazing grace, and with it, God's restoring power to reverse the tide of judgment that He has unleashed (50:4-5). The former sins and failure will be so completely forgiven and forgotten. They literally will not be able to be found (50:20). We all would be well served to keep both of these truths about God within our hearts and our minds. It is far too common for those whom God is using to somehow assume we are so important to God that He will not judge us as He would others. But He will. The histories of Israel, Christian nations, and individual believers make this unmistakably clear.
But the flip side of this must also be remembered. No matter how severely God's deserved judgment falls upon us, He will bring abundant mercy to all who sincerely and deeply repent. We see God graciously proclaim this promise of restoration and the removal of all memory of Israel's past sins (50:20).
Through the centuries, God has restored what the locusts of judgment have destroyed. As long as there is breath within us, there is time for God's restoration to take hold. As individuals, a nation, or the Church, our guilt must never blind us to God's grace.
Judgment on Damascus 23 Against Damascus.
"Hamath and Arpad are shamed,
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
There istrouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
For they have heard bad news.
They are fainthearted;
There istrouble on the sea;
It cannot be quiet.
24 Damascus has grown feeble;
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor.
She turns to flee,
And fear has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken her like a woman in labor.
25 Why is the city of praise not deserted, the city of My joy?
26 Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets,
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the LORD of hosts.
And all the men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the LORD of hosts.
27 "I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad."
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
And it shall consume the palaces of Ben-Hadad."
Judgment on Kedar and Hazor
28 Against Kedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon shall strike.
Thus says the LORD:
Thus says the LORD:
"Arise, go up to Kedar,
And devastate the men of the East!
And devastate the men of the East!
29 Their tents and their flocks they shall take away.
They shall take for themselves their curtains,
All their vessels and their camels;
And they shall cry out to them,
'Fear is on every side!'
They shall take for themselves their curtains,
All their vessels and their camels;
And they shall cry out to them,
'Fear is on every side!'
30 "Flee, get far away! Dwell in the depths,
O inhabitants of Hazor!" says the LORD.
"For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a plan against you.
O inhabitants of Hazor!" says the LORD.
"For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has taken counsel against you,
And has conceived a plan against you.
31 "Arise, go up to the wealthy nation that dwells securely," says the LORD,
"Which has neither gates nor bars,
Dwelling alone.
"Which has neither gates nor bars,
Dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall be for booty,
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will scatter to all winds those in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides," says the LORD.
And the multitude of their cattle for plunder.
I will scatter to all winds those in the farthest corners,
And I will bring their calamity from all its sides," says the LORD.
33 "Hazor shall be a dwelling for jackals, a desolation forever;
No one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it."
Judgment on Elam No one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it."
34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, 35 "Thus says the LORD of hosts:
'Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,
The foremost of their might.
The foremost of their might.
36 Against Elam I will bring the four winds
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.
From the four quarters of heaven,
And scatter them toward all those winds;
There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go.
37 For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies
And before those who seek their life.
I will bring disaster upon them,
My fierce anger,' says the LORD;
'And I will send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
And before those who seek their life.
I will bring disaster upon them,
My fierce anger,' says the LORD;
'And I will send the sword after them
Until I have consumed them.
38 I will set My throne in Elam,
And will destroy from there the king and the princes,' says the LORD.
And will destroy from there the king and the princes,' says the LORD.
39 'But it shall come to pass in the latter days:
I will bring back the captives of Elam,' says the LORD."
Jeremiah 50 Judgment on Babylon and Babylonia I will bring back the captives of Elam,' says the LORD."
1 The word that the LORD spoke against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 "Declare among the nations,
Proclaim, and set up a standard;
Proclaim—do not conceal it—
Say, 'Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed.
Merodach is broken in pieces;
Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.'
Proclaim, and set up a standard;
Proclaim—do not conceal it—
Say, 'Babylon is taken, Bel is shamed.
Merodach is broken in pieces;
Her idols are humiliated,
Her images are broken in pieces.'
3 For out of the north a nation comes up against her,
Which shall make her land desolate,
And no one shall dwell therein.
They shall move, they shall depart,
Both man and beast.
Which shall make her land desolate,
And no one shall dwell therein.
They shall move, they shall depart,
Both man and beast.
4 "In those days and in that time," says the LORD,
"The children of Israel shall come,
They and the children of Judah together;
With continual weeping they shall come,
And seek the LORD their God.
"The children of Israel shall come,
They and the children of Judah together;
With continual weeping they shall come,
And seek the LORD their God.
5 They shall ask the way to Zion,
With their faces toward it, saying,
'Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD
In a perpetual covenant
That will not be forgotten.'
With their faces toward it, saying,
'Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD
In a perpetual covenant
That will not be forgotten.'
6 "My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray;
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
Their shepherds have led them astray;
They have turned them away on the mountains.
They have gone from mountain to hill;
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 All who found them have devoured them;
And their adversaries said, 'We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice,
The LORD, the hope of their fathers.'
And their adversaries said, 'We have not offended,
Because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice,
The LORD, the hope of their fathers.'
8 "Move from the midst of Babylon,
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the rams before the flocks.
Go out of the land of the Chaldeans;
And be like the rams before the flocks.
9 For behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior;
None shall return in vain.
An assembly of great nations from the north country,
And they shall array themselves against her;
From there she shall be captured.
Their arrows shall be like those of an expert warrior;
None shall return in vain.
10 And Chaldea shall become plunder;
All who plunder her shall be satisfied," says the LORD.
All who plunder her shall be satisfied," says the LORD.
11 "Because you were glad, because you rejoiced,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain,
And you bellow like bulls,
You destroyers of My heritage,
Because you have grown fat like a heifer threshing grain,
And you bellow like bulls,
12 Your mother shall be deeply ashamed;
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness,
A dry land and a desert.
She who bore you shall be ashamed.
Behold, the least of the nations shall be a wilderness,
A dry land and a desert.
13 Because of the wrath of the LORD
She shall not be inhabited,
But she shall be wholly desolate.
Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified
And hiss at all her plagues.
She shall not be inhabited,
But she shall be wholly desolate.
Everyone who goes by Babylon shall be horrified
And hiss at all her plagues.
14 "Put yourselves in array against Babylon all around,
All you who bend the bow;
Shoot at her, spare no arrows,
For she has sinned against the LORD.
All you who bend the bow;
Shoot at her, spare no arrows,
For she has sinned against the LORD.
15 Shout against her all around;
She has given her hand,
Her foundations have fallen,
Her walls are thrown down;
For it is the vengeance of the LORD.
Take vengeance on her.
As she has done, so do to her.
She has given her hand,
Her foundations have fallen,
Her walls are thrown down;
For it is the vengeance of the LORD.
Take vengeance on her.
As she has done, so do to her.
16 Cut off the sower from Babylon,
And him who handles the sickle at harvest time.
For fear of the oppressing sword
Everyone shall turn to his own people,
And everyone shall flee to his own land.
And him who handles the sickle at harvest time.
For fear of the oppressing sword
Everyone shall turn to his own people,
And everyone shall flee to his own land.
17 "Israel is like scattered sheep;
The lions have driven him away.
First the king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones."
The lions have driven him away.
First the king of Assyria devoured him;
Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones."
18 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel:
"Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land,
As I have punished the king of Assyria.
As I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 But I will bring back Israel to his home,
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and in that time," says the LORD,
"The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve.
"The iniquity of Israel shall be sought, but there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, but they shall not be found;
For I will pardon those whom I preserve.
21 "Go up against the land of Merathaim, against it,
And against the inhabitants of Pekod.
Waste and utterly destroy them," says the LORD,
"And do according to all that I have commanded you.
And against the inhabitants of Pekod.
Waste and utterly destroy them," says the LORD,
"And do according to all that I have commanded you.
22 A sound of battle is in the land,
And of great destruction.
And of great destruction.
23 How the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken!
How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!
How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!
24 I have laid a snare for you;
You have indeed been trapped, O Babylon,
And you were not aware;
You have been found and also caught,
Because you have contended against the LORD.
You have indeed been trapped, O Babylon,
And you were not aware;
You have been found and also caught,
Because you have contended against the LORD.
25 The LORD has opened His armory,
And has brought out the weapons of His indignation;
For this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
And has brought out the weapons of His indignation;
For this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from the farthest border;
Open her storehouses;
Cast her up as heaps of ruins,
And destroy her utterly;
Let nothing of her be left.
Open her storehouses;
Cast her up as heaps of ruins,
And destroy her utterly;
Let nothing of her be left.
27 Slay all her bulls,
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them!
For their day has come, the time of their punishment.
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them!
For their day has come, the time of their punishment.
28 The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon
Declares in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God,
The vengeance of His temple.
Declares in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God,
The vengeance of His temple.
29 "Call together the archers against Babylon.
All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around;
Let none of them escape.
Repay her according to her work;
According to all she has done, do to her;
For she has been proud against the LORD,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
All you who bend the bow, encamp against it all around;
Let none of them escape.
Repay her according to her work;
According to all she has done, do to her;
For she has been proud against the LORD,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 Therefore her young men shall fall in the streets,
And all her men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the LORD.
And all her men of war shall be cut off in that day," says the LORD.
31 "Behold, I am against you,
O most haughty one!" says the Lord GOD of hosts;
"For your day has come,
The time that I will punish you.
O most haughty one!" says the Lord GOD of hosts;
"For your day has come,
The time that I will punish you.
32 The most proud shall stumble and fall,
And no one will raise him up;
I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him."
And no one will raise him up;
I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him."
33 Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"The children of Israel were oppressed,
Along with the children of Judah;
All who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
Along with the children of Judah;
All who took them captive have held them fast;
They have refused to let them go.
34 Their Redeemer is strong;
The LORD of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
The LORD of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
That He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 "A sword is against the Chaldeans," says the LORD,
"Against the inhabitants of Babylon,
And against her princes and her wise men.
"Against the inhabitants of Babylon,
And against her princes and her wise men.
36 A sword is against the soothsayers, and they will be fools.
A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed.
A sword is against her mighty men, and they will be dismayed.
37 A sword is against their horses,
Against their chariots,
And against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst;
And they will become like women.
A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed.
Against their chariots,
And against all the mixed peoples who are in her midst;
And they will become like women.
A sword is against her treasures, and they will be robbed.
38 A droughtis against her waters, and they will be dried up.
For it is the land of carved images,
And they are insane with their idols.
For it is the land of carved images,
And they are insane with their idols.
39 "Therefore the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals,
And the ostriches shall dwell in it.
It shall be inhabited no more forever,
Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
And the ostriches shall dwell in it.
It shall be inhabited no more forever,
Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
And their neighbors," says the LORD,
"So no one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it.
And their neighbors," says the LORD,
"So no one shall reside there,
Nor son of man dwell in it.
41 "Behold, a people shall come from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
And a great nation and many kings
Shall be raised up from the ends of the earth.
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance;
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
They are cruel and shall not show mercy.
Their voice shall roar like the sea;
They shall ride on horses,
Set in array, like a man for the battle,
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth.
And his hands grow feeble;
Anguish has taken hold of him,
Pangs as of a woman in childbirth.
44 "Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?"
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?"
45 Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Babylon,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them.
And His purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them.
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon
The earth trembles,
And the cry is heard among the nations.
The earth trembles,
And the cry is heard among the nations.
v. 27 palaces of Ben-Hadad – Ben-Hadad was the founding ruler of Aram and came to be known as an Aramean deity. He ruled prior to the seventh and eight centuries.
v. 28 Kedar – The Kedar was one of the northern Arabian tribal groups. The Kedar are thought to have been a particularly powerful group during the time of Nebuchadnezzar.
Hazor – This is a reference to the country of Heserim rather then to the actual city of Hazor. The men of Hazor would have been targets of Nebuchadnezzar's campaign to incorporate the northern Arabian area.
v. 33 jackals – Desolate and uninhabited places were often referred to as a lair of jackals (Ps. 44:19; Is. 34:13). Jackals would only inhabit desert wastes.
v. 34 against Elam – Elam was located east of the Tigris River. The Elamites were perpetual enemies of the Assyrians and Babylonians. They eventually became part of the Persian army that conquered Babylonian under the rule of Cyrus in 539 BC.
Jeremiah 50 v. 1 against Babylon – The words of this prophecy were literally fulfilled in 539 BC when Cyrus the Persian King captured Babylon.
v. 2 Bel…Merodach – Bel and Merodach were Babylonian idols. Bel was the supreme god of the Akkadian pantheon until the beginning of the second millennium BC. After Babylon emerged as the chief city of Mesopotamia, Merodach became the supreme god over the land.
v. 6 They have gone from mountain to hill – The mountain and hill refers to sites where pagan gods were worshiped.
v. 9 An assembly of great nations from the north country – Just as Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians who came from the north, the Babylonians would likewise be captured by nations from the north. The countries from the north refer to the Medes and the Persians.
v. 21 the land of Merathaim – Merathaim is a pun used to reference to Babylon. Merathaim is based on the Akkadian term marratum and is used to describe the point were the Tigris-Euphrates merges with the salt waters of the Persian Gulf. This water would have been bitter to the taste. In this verse, Jeremiah uses a play on words to describe the land of Babylon as being bitter.
v. 39 It shall be inhabited no more – These words were not fulfilled until the first century BC when Seleucus built the city of Celucia on the Tigris and forcefully removed the inhabitants from Babylon. The city has never been inhabited again.
v. 43 The king of Babylon – This is a reference to Nabonidus. Nabonidus' poor leadership and inability to stop Cyrus led to the city's capture.
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, As I have punished the king of Assyria. But I will bring back Israel to his home, And he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan; His soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead. –Jeremiah 50:18-19
It can be easy, God, in our limited understanding to believe that we would have made different choices than Israel over the many hundreds of years. Instead of sitting in judgment about their choices, God, show us where we are making the same mistakes. Show us where we can learn from the lessons of Your people in the past.
 Missionary Prayer Support Jesus lives to intercede for us. That simple statement has changed my prayer life. I have found new joy in this ministry of intercession for our missionary outreaches because Jesus lives to do this for me. It's the least I can do for others. This realization is a gift from my Lord. He reminds me every day of things and people to pray about. | Prayer Points
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