Jeremiah 50:6

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:6-8, “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.[7] All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.[8] Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.” In Jeremiah 50:6 God called the Israelites “lost sheep.” Of course, the Lord is talking about lost souls. You are lost if you do not know where you are and you do not know where you are going. Being lost has everything to do with what you know or do not know. The problem with the world is all of the lost souls. They need to know something. They need to know someone: Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” The danger for sheep that are lost is that they will fall off a cliff or have some other disaster befall them. The disaster that awaits lost souls is hell: the place of fire and judgment far-removed from the presence of God. Jesus does not want this to happen to anyone, and so He offers His salvation. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

It says in Jeremiah 50:6, “they have forgotten their restingplace.” This phrase describes exactly what happens to believers who fall away from fellowship with Christ. They forget. They stop thinking about the Lord. Much of Christianity has to do with what you think about and when you think it. It says in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” It says in Philippians 2:5-8, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:[6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:[7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:[8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” It says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

What did the Israelites forget? They forgot their “restingplace.” Jesus is our restingplace. The reason that God gave a Sabbath Day was to teach us about our rest that He has provided for us. It says in Exodus 20:8, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy.” The most important part about the Sabbath Day is to “remember” it. In other words we must understand the true significance of the Sabbath Day, and never forget it. The first Sabbath Day took place in the week of creation. God created life on the earth in 6 days and on the seventh day God rested from His labors. We rest from our labors when we turn to Christ and rely upon what He has done for us instead of what we can do for ourselves. We cease from our labors and we rest in Christ. If you forget your restingplace, you will stop living by faith in Jesus, and you will therefore not be on a path that pleases the Lord.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:9-12, “For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.[10] And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.[11] Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;[12] Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.” The first reason given for the judgment that came upon Babylon is stated in verses 11 that says, “” God used Babylon to punish Israel, but the lesson here is that no one should ever rejoice in someone else’s misfortune. God does not. God loves everyone and cares about everyone. It says in Ezekiel 18:32, “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God; wherefore turn yourselves and live.” Jesus expressed a similar sentiment when He looked over the city of Jerusalem, knowing the judgment that would befall them because they rejected Him. Jesus said in Matthew 23:37-38, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not![38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:13-18, “Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.[14] Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.[15] Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.[16] Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.[17] Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.[18] Therefore thus saith 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.” Notice Jeremiah 50:13. Exactly what God said would happen to Babylon is what happened. It says, “it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate.” You can go to the desolate place in Iraq that was once the location of Babylon and see that it is still in this condition of ruin. That is one reason to believe that the Babylon of the last days will be in a different location: maybe it will be Rome, or maybe New York, or some other city. Why did this terrible and such long-lasting destruction happen to Babylon? It says why in verse 13. It says, “Because of the wrath of the LORD.” God does get angry. It says in Psalms 7:11, “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.” It mentions “the vengeance of the Lord” in Jeremiah 30:13. This vengeance will come against every sinner who does not repent. Remember the great commandment to believers to not take vengeance because the Bible says in Romans 12:19, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” The Lord is slow to anger, but His vengeance does eventually come against sin. Repent while you have time. How fortunate are all believers because we have escaped the wrath to come. All of the judgments in the Old Testament against individuals and nations are symbolic of the judgment to come. The Bible says in First Thessalonians 1:10, “And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:19, “And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon Mount Ephraim and Gilead.” This promise to Israel God has made over and over again in the book of Jeremiah: the fact that Israel would not be punished forever, but would know God’s mercy and would be re-established with a close relationship with the Lord. The eating of food is compared to having one’s soul satisfied. Almost everything in life has some spiritual symbolism to it. When we sit down to a good meal and walk away full and satisfied, we should remember that God wants to do the same thing for our soul. Is your soul satisfied? The Bible says in Luke 4:4, “And Jesus answered him, saying, that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.”

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:20, “In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.” To pardon Israel’s sins was God’s plan all along. One of the reasons for the judgments was to wake up Israel to their need of forgiveness. God works in everyone’s life so they will see their need to turn to Jesus to receive forgiveness of sin. One of the truths that Jeremiah 50:20 reminds us of is how complete God’s forgiveness is. When God forgives sin, He forgives completely and entirely. That is why it says, “the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found.” Once Jesus forgives you, it is the same as though you have not sinned. Your sins are taken away and you are credited with the righteousness of Christ. It says in Psalms 103:12, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” As a matter of fact, the word “forgive” means “to remove.” Once you are forgiven, when God looks at you, He see no sin: no sin whatsoever. No wonder God makes such an effort to bring people to see their need of repentance. Great suffering will be worth finding such great forgiveness. God sent His own dear Son to suffer on the cross for you.

The Bible says in Jeremiah 50:21-24, “Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.[22] A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.[23] How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations![24] I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.” There is no one too great that they cannot fall, and there is no nation so great that it cannot fall. Babylon is a good example of this. Babylon was one of the great world-powers of the ancient world, but it became nothing. What a shock that such a great and powerful nation would come to naught so quickly. That is what is expressed in verse 23, “how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations![” That leads us to ask the question: why such a terrible thing happened to such a great nation. It says in verse 24, “because thou hast striven against the LORD.” To “strive with” means “to be in contention with,” and can be used in a context that speaks of using great energy to oppose someone such as in war. It may seem strange, but some people are at war with God. The war ends when a person turns to Jesus for salvation. That is why it says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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