Jeremiah 51 Judgement Against Babylon (Part 2)
Notes
Transcript
Review of Jeremiah
Review of Jeremiah
Today we will finish Jeremiah’s prophesy against Babylon, and like before I would like to highlight observations made by Michael L. Brown.
1. There is an emphasis in these chapters on Judah’s redemption, since Babylon’s judgement means Judah’s salvation. As noted by Brueggemann, “When the great powers are ‘visited’ by God, good things happen for Israel” (see Psa 96:10-13; 98:4-9; Rev 19:1-3)
2. The tone of these chapters is especially personal and intense as the prophet, so broken over the suffering of his people and so pained by the unavoidable nature of the judgement on Judah by Babylon, is now almost exultant over the destroyer’s receiving his due.
3. Because Babylon is given such prominence in the Scriptures - from the tower of Babel in Gen 11 to these oracles to the book of Daniel - and because it represents the epitome of human pride and world conquest, it becomes a type of all hostile world powers, serving as the ultimate anti-God symbol in Rev 17 - 19. Thus its final demise, prophesied so forcefully here, is representative of the final collapse of all humanly made kingdoms - be they religious or secular - that take the place of God.
Now, let’s read Jeremiah 51
Thus says Adonai: “Look! Stirring up against Babylon and those living in Leb-kamai, a spirit of destruction. I will send strangers to Babylon to scatter her and empty her land. For in the day of trouble they will be against her all around. Let the archer bend his bow at her. Let him rise up at her in his armor. Do not spare her young men. Destroy her whole army. They will fall down slain in the land of Chaldea, thrust through in her streets. For neither Israel nor Judah will be widowed by his God, Adonai-Tzva’ot, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel. Flee from within Babylon! Each one, escape with his soul! Be not silenced in her iniquity! For it is a time of vengeance for Adonai. He will repay her recompense. Babylon has been a golden cup in Adonai’s hand, intoxicating the whole earth. The nations drunk her wine— so the nations are going crazy. Suddenly Babylon is fallen! Shattered! Howl over her! Bring balm for her wound. Perhaps she may be healed? We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed. Abandon her! Let’s go, each one to his own country, for her judgment has reached up to the heavens and has risen beyond the skies. Adonai has brought forth our vindication! Come, let us declare in Zion the work of Adonai Eloheinu! Sharpen the arrows. Fill the quivers! Adonai has roused the spirit of the kings of the Medes. For His plan is against Babylon, to destroy it. For it is Adonai’s vengeance, vengeance for His Temple. Raise a banner at Babylon’s walls! Strengthen the guard. Station watchmen. Prepare ambushes. For Adonai has both planned and accomplished what He spoke about the Babylonians. You dwelling by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come, the measure of your covetousness. Adonai-Tzva’ot has sworn by Himself: “Surely I will fill you with men like a locust swarm, and they will shout cheers over you.” One made the earth by His power, set up the world by His wisdom, and spread out the heavens by His knowledge. At His giving voice— tumult of waters in the skies! He causes clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings forth wind from His storehouses. All mankind is stupid, ignorant. Every goldsmith is disgraced by an idol, for his molten image is a lie— there is no breath in them. They are futile, a work of delusion. In the time of their visitation they will perish. Jacob’s Portion is not like these, for He is the former of all things, including the tribe of His heritage —Adonai-Tzva’ot is His Name. “You are My club, a war weapon— with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms. With you I wreck horse and rider, with you I wreck chariot and rider, with you I break man and woman, with you I break elder and youth, with you I break young man and maid, with you I scatter shepherd and flock, with you I scatter plowman and ox-team, with you I scatter governors and officials. I will repay Babylon and all living in Chaldea for all their evil that they did in Zion, before your eyes.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Beware! I am against you, destroyer of the Mount!” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “Destroyer of all the land— I will stretch out My hand at you, roll you down from the cliffs, and make you a burning hill. They will not even take from you a cornerstone or foundation stone, for you will be desolate forever.” It is a declaration of Adonai. Raise a banner in the land! Blow a shofar among the nations! Consecrate the nations against her. Summon against her the kingdoms— Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her. Bring horses up like rough locusts. Consecrate the nations against her, the kings of the Medes, its governors and all its deputies, and all the land of his dominion. Now the land shakes and writhes, for Adonai’s plans against Babylon arise— to make the land of Babylon a desolation without inhabitant. Babylon’s warriors ceased fighting. They stay in their strongholds. Their might is exhausted. They have become like women. Her dwellings are set ablaze, her gate-bars are broken. One runner runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to tell Babylon’s king that his city has been taken from end to end. The fords have also been seized and the marshes burned with fire, so the warriors are in panic. For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Israel: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at treading time. A little longer, and the time of harvest for her will come.” “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured me, crushed me, set me aside like an empty dish, swallowed me up like a dragon, filled his belly with my delicacies, rinsed me away.” The one dwelling in Zion says: “Let the violence done to me and my flesh be upon Babylon!” Jerusalem says: “My blood be on the Chaldeans!” Therefore thus says Adonai: “Yes, I will uphold your cause and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. Babylon will become heaps, a dwelling for jackals, a horror and a hissing, uninhabited. They roar together like young lions, growl like lions cubs. When they become hot, I will set out a banquet for them and will make them so drunk that they become merry— and then sleep a perpetual sleep and never awake.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “I will drag them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats. How has Sheshach been taken, the praise of the whole earth seized? How has Babylon become a horror among the nations! The sea has risen over Babylon— she is covered with its roaring waves. Her cities became desolation, a dry land, desert, uninhabited land, through which no son of man passes. I will punish Bel in Babylon— What he swallowed I will make him disgorge out of his mouth. Nations will no longer stream to him. Yes, the wall of Babylon has fallen! Come out of her, My people! Each of you, save your soul from the fierce anger of Adonai. Do not be faint-hearted, or be intimidated by the rumor heard in the land— one year one rumor comes, next year, another rumor. Yet violence will be in the land, with ruler against ruler. Therefore behold, days are coming when I will punish Babylon’s idols. Her entire land will be disgraced and all her slain will fall in her midst. Then heaven and the earth and all that is in them will sing for joy over Babylon, for the destroyers from the north will come to her.” It is a declaration of Adonai. Yes, Babylon is to fall for the slain of Israel, even as the slain of all the earth fell to Babylon. Escapees from the sword, go! Do not stand still! Remember Adonai from afar— and make aliyah to Jerusalem in your heart. “We were shamed when we heard reproach. Disgrace has covered our faces, for foreigners entered the holy places of Adonai’s House.” “Therefore behold, days are coming” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “when I will punish her idols, and the wounded will groan throughout all her land. Even if Babylon went up to heaven and even if she fortified the height of her stronghold, from Me destroyers will come to her.” It is a declaration of Adonai. The sound of an outcry from Babylon! Great ruin from the land of Chaldea! For Adonai is devastating Babylon, and will silence her loud voice. Their waves will roar like many waters. The noise of their voices will resound. For a destroyer is coming against her, against Babylon, and her warriors will be captured, their bows broken. For Adonai is a God of restitution, He will fully repay. “I will intoxicate her officials and sages, her governors, deputies, and warriors, and they will sleep a perpetual sleep, and not awake.” It is a declaration of the King, whose Name is Adonai-Tzva’ot. Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “Babylon’s thick wall will be totally razed and her high gates burned with fire. So the peoples are toiling for nothing, and nations weary themselves for fire.” The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with King Zedekiah of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. Now Seraiah was quartermaster. And Jeremiah wrote in a single scroll all the evil that would come upon Babylon, including all these words that were written about Babylon. Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you arrive in Babylon, then see that you read all these words, and say: ‘Adonai, you have spoken concerning this place, to cut it off, that nothing will dwell there, neither man nor beast, but that it will be desolate forever.’ “Now when you have finished reading this scroll, you will tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the Euphrates. Then you will say: ‘Thus will Babylon sink, and not rise again, because of the calamity that I will bring on her. So they will weary themselves.’ ” Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
Atbash: Leb-kamai & Sheshach
Atbash: Leb-kamai & Sheshach
Like any language, Hebrew uses plays on words. In this passage we have two cryptograms that follow the form of Atbash. Now what is Atbash?
Atbash is a type of cryptography (or secret code) where the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet Aleph is substituted for the last letter Tav, the second letter bet, is substituted for the second last letter shin, and so on. So we get AT-BaSH.
So in the case of the word Leb-kamai, when we substitute the letters we get kasdim or “Chaldeans.”
The same is true for the name Sheshach. There is no country by that name, but sometimes it is necessary to speak of people and countries in a coded language. Sheshach when decoded using Atbash spells out “Babel.”
One final note. Just because there are 2 words here in Jeremiah that are encoded, does not mean that the entire Bible is a huge code, that contains the mysterious historical facts of the entire universe. (I am not sure if anyone saw the move Omega Code. That is complete and utter nonsense, putting it mildly.
I would like to remind you all of the Golden Rule of Interpretation as articulated by David L. Cooper:
When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every world at its primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning
Unless, the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths indicated clearly otherwise.
Flee from Babylon
Flee from Babylon
There are several places in this passage where Beni Yisrael are told to “Flee from within Babylon!” Just because they were exiled to the nation of Babylon, does not mean that they had to live in the capital city. And just because they lived in the Babylonian empire, did not mean that the Babylonian empire should be living in them. Someone once pointed out, that it took 40 days for Adonai to get Israel out of Egypt, and it then took 40 years to get Egypt out of Israel.
Adonai did not want the same thing to happen in Babylon. When judgement was coming upon Babylon, Adonai warns His people to flee from the city.
Adonai vs. Bel
Adonai vs. Bel
As we have mentioned in most of the judgments against the nations, we see that Adonai is bringing punishment against the primary gods of the nation, in this case the god Bel also known as Marduk. Through Jeremiah, Adonai declares that He will bring punishment to this false god of Babylon, but also upon all of those who participated in idolatry.
In verses 15-19, Jeremiah quotes himself from Jer. 10:12-16
He made the earth by His power, established the world by His wisdom, and stretched out heaven by His understanding. When His voice thunders, waters in heaven roar. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain and brings forth wind from His storehouses. Everyone is stupid, ignorant. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idol! His molten image is a fraud. There is no breath in them. They are futile, a work of mockery. In the time of their punishment they will perish. Jacob’s portion is not like these. For He is the Maker of all things and Israel, the tribe of His inheritance —Adonai-Tzva’ot is His Name.”
This is a declaration of the supremacy of Adonai above all of Creation. There is no one like Him.
Israel as Adonai’s War Club
Israel as Adonai’s War Club
In the previous chapter Jer. 50:23, Adonai had called Babylon the hammer of the whole earth, and many commentators look at 51:20-24 and apply this to Babylon, however I disagree. I think that verse 19 and verse 24 seem to be applying this passage to Israel. The question is then, in what way is Israel a weapon of battle? or a nation by whom Adonai will destroy kingdoms?
We know that Israel did not destroy Babylon, in fact the only nations that Israel destroyed were the Canaanites? In fact, according to the covenant given to Israel at Sinai, the only time that Israel will be successful in battle is if Adonai is fight for them. We see this in the blessings and the curses of Deut. 32:30
How can one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them and Adonai had handed them over?
And again in the words of Joshua 23:10
One of you can put a thousand to flight, for Adonai your God, He Himself is fighting for you, just as He said to you.
So when is the only time that Israel would be considered a War Club in Adonai’s hand? This passage in Jeremiah points out multiple times, that Israel is not innocent. Adonai specifically declares that He is going to pardon Israel’s sins.
So I come back to the question, “In what what is Israel used as a War Club in Adonai’s hand?” I have a feeling that the context for this passage can be seen in a later prophet Zech. 12:1-9
The burden of the word of Adonai concerning Israel. A declaration of Adonai, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of reeling to all the surrounding peoples when they besiege Jerusalem as well as Judah. Moreover, in that day I will make Jerusalem a massive stone for all the people. All who try to lift it will be cut to pieces. Nevertheless, all the nations of the earth will be gathered together against her. In that day”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness. I will keep My eyes on the house of Judah but will blind every horse of the peoples. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength through Adonai-Tzva’ot their God.” “In that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a burning torch among sheaves. They will devour on the right and on the left all the surrounding peoples, yet Jerusalem will remain in her place, in Jerusalem. Adonai also will save the tents of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and the honor of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will not exceed that of Judah. In that day Adonai will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that the weakest among them that day will be like David and the house of David will be like God—like the angel of Adonai before them. It will happen in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
New Covenant Application
New Covenant Application
We have seen throughout Jeremiah, that Adonai has used Babylon as the instrument of His judgement against the nation of Judah. This is because Adonai is completely just, and fair. But just because Babylon was used by Adonai at one time, does not excuse the ongoing sins of Babylon.
Yeshua points out in Matt. 25:31-33
“Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left.
And how will Yeshua judge the nations? Matt. 25:40-41
“And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Go away from Me, you cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.
Yeshua will judge the nations based upon how they treated the Jewish people, just as he judged Babylon for how they treated the kingdom of Judah.
Babylon in our day
Babylon in our day
We live in a time when all the world want to hear is about the God of Love. Is God Love? Well yes, but that is not all of who He is. We are also told the Fear the Lord, because as the author of Hebrews writes, Heb. 12:25-29
See to it that you do not refuse the One who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the One who was warning them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject the One who warns us from heaven. His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” Now this phrase, “Yet once more,” shows the removal of those things that are shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude—through this we may offer worship in a manner pleasing to God, with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming fire.
Our God is a consuming fire, He is the Judge of all. And Adonai is coming to judge the living and the dead. The world’s empires have become just as an angel said in Rev. 18:2-3
He cried out with a mighty voice, saying: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a den for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit and for every unclean bird and for every unclean and detestable beast. For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the fury of her immorality. The kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich off the power of her self-indulgence.”
And just as Jeremiah warned the Jewish people in his day, we also are warned not to participate in the sins and indulgences that this world has to offer. Rev. 18:4-5
Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you participate in her sins and receive her plagues! For her sins have piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.
So what should we do?
So what should we do?
Those of us who have already put our trust in Yeshua, we should lift up our eyes, because our redemption is near. And we can join with the worshipers in Rev. 19:6-9
Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude—like the roar of rushing waters or like the rumbling of powerful thunder—saying, “Halleluyah! For Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready, She was given fine linen to wear, bright and clean! For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the kedoshim.” Then the angel tells me, “Write: How fortunate are those who have been invited to the wedding banquet of the Lamb!” He also tells me, “These are the true words of God.”
For those of you watching online, or here in the congregation who are not certain if you have been invited to the wedding supper of the lamb, 2 Cor 6:2
For He says, “At a favorable time I listened to you, in a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.
And as Peter declared in Acts 2:38-41
Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua for the removal of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away—as many as Adonai our God calls to Himself.” With many other words he warned them and kept urging them, saying, “Save yourselves from this twisted generation!” So those who received his message were immersed, and that day about three thousand souls were added.
So let’s respond!