Call to Commitment

Chapter 25 

  Twenty-three years of warning

Ruins of Babylon today

      2.   which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: 

       3.   "From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, this is the twenty-third year in which the word of the LORD has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened. 

 4.      And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear. 

 5.      They said, 'Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. 

 6.      Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.' 

 7.      Yet you have not listened to Me," says the LORD, "that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. 

 8.      "Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Because you have not heard My words, 

 9.      behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,' says the LORD, 'and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 

 A prophet must speak, when the word of the Lord comes to him, and only when His word comes. It came, addressed to all the people of Judah, when Jehoiakim was in the fourth year of his 11-year reign. His brother, Jehoahaz, was the people’s choice, but Pharaoh Necho removed him, after only three months, and put Jehoiakim on Jerusalem’s throne. Nebuchadnezzar was emperor over powerful Babylon. 

 Jeremiah briefly reviews his ministry, which began in the 13^th year of good King Josiah’s rulership, He began to reign when he was only eight-years-old and ruled for 31 years. Then, we add in the three months of Jehoahaz’s reign. Up until the time of this prophecy, Jeremiah had given the people God’s word for 23 years (3).  “Rising early and speaking” expresses his faithfulness and care throughout his ministry.

 There were other prophets speaking to the people throughout this period, just as faithful as Jeremiah, but they all were ignored, nor was there any inclination to listen (4). As is always the case, the Lord demands repentance, individually, each one recognizing that his own ways are evil. Then he promises them a good future; if they respond positively (5), they can enjoy all His good purposes.   

 In Judah and all Israel previously, there was always a strong tendency towards idolatry. They were enamored by false gods, serving and worshiping them. In particular, this sin would develop as a process over time, moving from the invention of their minds to the actual deed of forming the idols with their hands. As they progressively harden themselves to His warnings, it brings the Lord to jealousy and anger. But notice, as in the last verse, He speaks to them of the benefits of obedience, to “dwell in the land… forever and ever” and “I will not harm you” (6). Always, His intentions for them are good.

 Every sinner needs to know, as God shows Judah, that they are only hurting themselves (7). Notice how He reveals this principle to Saul of Tarsus: “It is hard for you to kick against the goads (sticks for prodding cattle)” (Ac.9:5). God then explains exactly how they are harming themselves (8): Because of their sins, he will act and move Nebuchadnezzar, who will take Judah’s place as God’s servant, since they have rejected His word. He, allied with other nations to the north, will invade their land and also will conquer the countries around Israel. The invasion will have a devastating effect, an astonishing destruction that will cause a lasting desolation, evoking the Mideastern hissing expression of exclamation.  Remember that He is the Lord of hosts, that is, He is the Lord of armies, and moves them at His will (9).

 Matthew Henry notices that “it is not so much men’s turning aside that ruins them as their not returning.” They refuse to listen to His warning, but God will be heard. Henry continues, “God will send for his servant the king of Babylon, whom they cannot mock, and despise, and persecute, as they did His servants the prophets… God will make men know that He is the Lord.”

Seventy years in captivity

 10.  Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 

 11.  And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 

 12.  'Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,' says the LORD; 'and I will make it a perpetual desolation. 

 13.  So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations. 

 14.  (For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.)' " 

 Can we imagine a country, void of a word that brings joy, of happy conversation, of exciting wedding plans and announcements by a bridegroom and his bride? There will be no place for festivity or reason for gladness in the land, the pleasant sound of a millstone, as ladies grind wheat for bread in the kitchen, and a lamp is not lit for light in the living room. All is darkness and gloom (10).

 2)  Unless a parable, example, or type is clearly indicated, we should take the word literally. There is no reason to try to understand what 70 years might mean in this case, or try to spiritualize, like the amillenialist does with  the thousand-year reign of Christ in Revelation 20, or others may try to find another way to interpret hell-fire. This kind of approach leads to private interpretation, in which the student can take different directions and end up in error. We can find numerous prophecies concerning Christ’s life and ministry in the Old Testament, which were literally fulfilled in the New Testament. That fact, requires a serious study that we cannot begin to undertake at this point. We will simply conclude that seventy years means seventy years, nothing else.

 3) God’s word is always challenged by His enemies. In a few chapters, we will view a controversy between Jeremiah and a false prophet, Hananiah, who claims that the Lord is saying, “I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon” (28:2). A person is easily deceived, when he refuses to accept the “hard” truth that comes from God. He goes on to say that in two years, all that Nebuchadnezzar has taken from the temple will be restored and Judah’s king will return. It sounds good, so it will easily mislead the people, but it is false! In 28:6, Jeremiah intimates that he wishes that it could be so, but gives a little resume of true prophecy… it always spoke of negative consequences to sin, therefore peaceful claims had to be put to the test (28:8,9). Now, God had instructed Jeremiah (in chapter 27) to put a wooden yoke on his neck, symbolizing Judah’s captivity by Babylon, and Hananiah breaks the yoke. Jeremiah then declares him to be a false prophet, and says that the wooden yoke would be replaced by iron… 70 years of captivity and not two years, as Hananiah claimed. The false prophet died that same year.

 4) A major proof of the legitimacy of divine inspiration to the Bible, is the fulfillment of prophecy. Daniel reads Jeremiah’s prophecy sent to the captivity in Babylon concerning the seventy-year duration of that the Jews would spend in Babylon (Dn.9:1-3), totally accepts it as God’s word, and prays accordingly. Exactly in that 70^th year, Cyrus wrote a decree, authorizing the Jews to return to their native land “to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah…to fulfill seventy years… Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem… Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!” (2 Ch.36:21-23). The Lord’s prophecy is always literally fulfilled.

 Babylon will have performed its purpose, punishing and humiliating the Jews for their idolatry and harboring them in their land for 70 years. After that, this evil empire will be conquered by the Persians and totally destroyed (12). The present situation of this great city, now lying in ruins within the precincts of Iraq, makes an interesting study. I covered the subject, when I did an exposition in Isaiah a few years ago. The complete story can be found on this blog.

 The prophecies of the major prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, as well as Jeremiah’s prophecies were international, involving various nations. So the Bible remains a message to the entire world. God told the apostle John that he “must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings” (Rv.10:11) years after he quoted the words from the lips of the eternal Son of God in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…”, confirming His concern for the entire planet. The Scripture terminates by the same apostle offering in Revelation 22:17, “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” It is a world-wide gospel, designed by the Creator, and delivered by His servants, Jew and Gentile (13). Jeremiah’s international prophecies are from chapters 46-51.

 The Lord is assembling nations, principally the Medes and the Persians, which previously had served Babylon, to overcome the Babylonian Empire and turn them into a nation of slaves. In this way, God will recompense them for their cruelty to Israel, their own deeds testifying against them. Justice will be served, when they receive punishment for their years of evil reign (14). The divine principle will be fulfilled: “He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword” (Rv.13:10).

The wide extent of the Babylonian conquest

15. For thus says the LORD God of Israel to me: "Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. 

 16.  And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them." 

 17.  Then I took the cup from the LORD's hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the  LORD had sent me: 

 18.  Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day; 

 19.  Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people; 

 20.   all the mixed multitude, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod); 

 21.   Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; 

 22.    all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are  across the sea; 

 23.    Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; 

 24.   all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; 

 25..   all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; 

 26.  all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also the king of Sheshach shall drink after them. 

 27.  "Therefore you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you." ' 

 28.  And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "You shall certainly drink! 

 29.  For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city which is called by My name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth," says the LORD of hosts.' 

 The Lord acts through His sure word and the nations, to which Jeremiah speaks, will certainly partake of His wrath. As is stated in verse 15, when Jeremiah prophesies, he causes the nations to experience it. A vineyard may sometimes symbolize God’s people, but wine is the biblical symbol for God’s fury (e.g. Lam.4:21; Is.51:17). The imagery is very graphic in the book of Revelation. See it in Revelation 14:10: “He himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” A few verses later (14:19), a vintage differentiates from an earlier harvest of grain, but the vintage is thrown “into the great winepress of the wrath of God”.  See it also in Revelations 16:19 and 18:6.

 Verse 18 confirms Barnes’ explanation, spoken first in Jerusalem, then to other cities of Judah,  and given directly to leaders, the kings and princes. We see again the description already given in this chapter and other places in Jeremiah: “A desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse.” The word extends to the southwest to Egypt, to Pharaoh, the nobility, the common people (19), and the mixed races (20). It goes on to the land of Uz, on to the Philistines, naming their chief cities, with which the student of biblical history becomes familiar. Then, it reaches the neighbors on the east border of Israel – Edom, Moab, and Ammon (21), and turns to the north to Tyre and Sidon and the coastlands and islands of the Mediterranean (22). Without going farther to name them all, verses 23-26, will give an extensive list of nations, which the Babylonian Empire will overcome.

 The authoritative word of the Lord that brought worlds into existence will absolutely fulfill its purpose. They will drink into a stupor the wine of God’s wrath, which will be administered by the sword of Babylon and will not fail. Notice the sequence of full intoxication… drink until drunk, then vomit and fall (27). The word is confirmed to the resistors (28) so they see that resistance is useless.

 The prophecy includes divine reasoning: Jerusalem is the city nearest God’s heart in all the world, but He will not spare it. Should these idolatrous, pagan nations be spared? The word of judgment will surely fall upon all the known earth. He speaks as the Lord of Armies, because not only angelic forces are His, but He also musters all worldly might to His purposes (29).

The universal extent of God’s wrath

 30.  Therefore prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: 'The LORD will roar from on high, And utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, Against all the inhabitants of the earth. 

  31.  A noise will come to the ends of the earth—For the LORD has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,' says the LORD." 

 32.  Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Behold, disaster shall go forth From nation to nation, And a great whirlwind shall be raised up From the farthest parts of the earth. 

 33.  "And at that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground. 

 34.  "Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, You leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; You shall fall like a precious vessel. 

 35.   And the shepherds will have no way to flee, Nor the leaders of the flock to escape. 

 36.   A voice of the cry of the shepherds, And a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard. For the LORD has plundered their pasture, 

  37.   And the peaceful dwellings are cut down Because of the fierce anger of the LORD. 

 38.    He has left His lair like the lion; For their land is desolate Because of the fierceness of the Oppressor, And because of His fierce anger." 

His servant, the prophet, has the austere duty of heralding the future, vocally and in writing. Here comes another picture, upon which the listener should ponder. From the heaven of heavens, from the holy of holies, His universal throne room, where He treads the winepress, the Lord roars His decree. More frightening than thunder, He raises His voice against His sheep, as well as the entire world of nations (30).

 The echo of the roar, the fulfillment of God’s word, will reach the ends of the world. The ultimate prophecy will extend beyond the Babylonian conquest to every modern nation, to the Americas, Australia, and the islands of the South Pacific. The Lord has a controversy against all the inhabitants of the world. He raises His voice in prosecution against the entire world population. They have rebelled against their Creator and they are His enemies. He will unsheathe His mighty sword and His righteous judgment will fall upon every sinner. None will escape (31).

 In this passage, Jeremiah gives a prelude to the book of Revelation, where we can study the seals, the trumpets, and the outpouring of the bowls of wrath. We can know in detail, how disaster will unfold, covering the earth. The great whirlwind, picturing nature gone berserk, will rise up in rebellion against the world inhabitants (32)). In the Day of the Lord’s Wrath, there will not be time or space for burial for the dead, for great percentages of the population will be killed. Death by “common causes” will no longer be common (33).

 World leaders will wail in failure and defeat Their losses will go out of control and the postponing of disaster will end in its fulfillment. Leaders will crash like priceless masterpieces of pottery… not a few, but many (34). Carefully planned escape routes will be blocked and world leaders will stand in their places to “face the music”, along with the flock (35). Around the world, the governing forces will mourn in defeat, vocalizing their shame. Entire countries will know economic collapse, avenues of income will close, and natural resources will be expended.  “The Lord has plundered their pasture” (36).

 There is no refuge of peace, no vacationing resort, to which to retire. All is universally in turmoil, when the Lord roars in fierce anger (37). The Lion has come out of His lair, He has come from heaven to judge the world and leave it desolate. He is the possessor of the Bowls of Wrath. He has become the world’s Oppressor (38). Jeremiah joins the company of last-day prophets.