Jeremiah 50:41      

 

 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:41-44, “Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.[42] They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.[43] The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.[44] Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation 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? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?” The problem with Babylon is a common problem with sinful men. They would not do God’s will. But God’s work is going to get done. If you will not do God’s work, then He will find someone else to do it. He will put you aside and replace you with someone else. That is exactly what happened with Babylon. Babylon refused to return the Israelites to their land, so God raised up the Media-Persian Empire to conquer them. That is exactly what the Lord was talking about when He said at the end of verse 44, “and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?

 

God speaks of a “chosen man,” and one that God would “appoint.” This man will be a leader. God raises up leaders. Most people are followers, and followers need a leader. Jesus is the greatest of all leaders, and if you are smart, you will follow Jesus. King David wrote in Psalms 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The word Messiah means “Anointed One,” which refers to the One chosen from the foundation of the world to be King of kings and Lord of lords. But until Jesus comes on the scene in the capacity of Supreme Leader, there will be other leaders. Every leader is raised up by God and given authority and power. But that leader is expected to follow God’s will. It does not happen very often. That is why God asks the question at the end of Jeremiah 50:40, “and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?    

 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:45-46, “Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
[46] At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations
.” Once God decides to do something, it is going to happen. No power of man, no strength of man, no cunning of man, and no alliance of man will stop it. Of course, that is true because God is all-powerful. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” O how proud human beings can be in the power and authority that they have acquired to themselves, and so the Lord likes to use the small and insignificant things of the world to set at naught the supposedly wise and powerful things. Remember David and Goliath. And it says in Jeremiah 50:45, “Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out.” We see this truth spelled out very clearly in First Corinthians 1:18-25, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.[19] For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.[20] Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?[21] For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.[22] For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:[23] But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;[24] But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.[25] Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.   

 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 51:1-5, “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;[2] And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.[3] Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.[4] Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.[5] For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.” At least two of the reasons that Babylon was destroyed are given in these few verses. The first is that they opposed God and thought they could get away with it. Of course, it is ridiculous to think that mere human beings could oppose the Almighty and have it turn out well, and yet billions do it every day. It says in verse 1, “Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind.

 

The second reason given that Babylon was destroyed was because of God’s faithfulness to the Israelites. It says in verse 5, “For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.” God loves His children with a great eternal love. That is one of the many benefits of becoming a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ: you become one of the objects of God’s affection. It says about Jesus in John 13:1, “having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.” Jeremiah 51:5 makes it very clear that God did not forsake the Israelites even though “their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.” God hates sin, but one thing that trumps His hatred for sin is His love for sinners. This verse is like many verses in the Bible in that it supports the concept of eternal security. Just as God did not forsake Israel even though their land was filled with sin, Jesus will not forsake any person that He has saved even though that person drifts away and their life becomes filled with sin. God keeps His promises even when we do not. Salvation is not based upon works. What happens when a Christian sins? One thing that does not happen is that God does not forsake him or her.

 

Israel did not have to defeat Babylon. God is the One who raises up and who casts down. God will fight your battles for you. You need to concentrate on loving other people. Let God worry about who needs to be defeated and who needs to be punished and when. The Lord said in Jeremiah 51:5, “I will raise up against Babylon.” It says in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.”

 

The Bible says in Jeremiah 51:6-8, “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.[7] Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad. (8) Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed.” God made it very clear that Babylon was going to be destroyed and soon. One reason that God prophesied to the people what was going to happen was so that they could be prepared, and could escape before the destruction came. Life is temporary. Governments and nations are temporary. If you are able to perceive the times, and if you see something terrible coming to your nation soon, it is wise to get out. The people who left Germany right after Hitler took control were very wise and fortunate people. May God give us wisdom if and when it is time to move.

 

One of the observations that can be made about Jeremiah 51:7-8 is how much these verses parallel exactly what is said in the book of Revelation about the Babylon of the last days. What happened to Babylon hundreds of years before Christ symbolized exactly what will happen to the Babylon of the last days. Jeremiah 51:7 says about Babylon during the time of Jeremiah, “Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” Revelation 17:4 also associates the Babylon of the last days with a golden cup. It says, “And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:” Within the golden cup is a drink, and one would expect wine to be therein, but the red wine symbolizes another red liquid: blood. And so it says in Revelation 17:5-6, “And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.[6] And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

 

Jeremiah 51:7 says that the nations “have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” This probably refers to the false teachings and the propaganda that will proceed from this powerful and controlling nation. They will be so good at lying and misleading people and convincing people, that almost everyone on the earth will believe their lies and propaganda. The same message is given about Babylon in Revelation 17:2 that says, “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

 

Jeremiah 51:8 speaks of how suddenly Babylon will be destroyed, and how much pain it will cause the inhabitants of the earth who will be shocked and troubled by the destruction of Babylon. It says, “Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her” The book Revelation gives the exact same message about the Babylon of the last days and goes in more detail about the destruction of Babylon. It says in Revelation 18:8-19, “Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.[9] And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,[10] Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.[11] And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:[12] The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,[13] And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.[14] And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.[15] The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing,[16] And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls![17] For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off,[18] And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city![19] And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.” Repent and turn to Jesus or your own personal judgment will be just as terrible.          

 

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Copyright; 2013 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
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