JEREMIAH LESSON 51
We will begin this lesson in Jeremiah 50:1 "The word that the
LORD spake against Babylon [and] against the land of the Chaldeans by
Jeremiah the prophet."
In the last few chapters, we have seen the Babylonians, Chaldeans
used of God in judgement against Judah, and Benjamin, and many other
small countries. Now, we see judgement against them.
Jeremiah 50:2 "Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set
up a standard; publish, [and] conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel
is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded,
her images are broken in pieces."
We see from this, that Jeremiah did not side in with the
Babylonians. He would have preferred, from the beginning, to prophesy
against Babylon, instead of his homeland. We can see from this, that
even though judgement begins at the house of God, it finally reaches
to everyone. God was never satisfied with the morals of the
Babylonians, He just used them to accomplish His judgements. He, now,
turns to them and judges them for their evil ways. Jeremiah does not
just tell Babylon, but all who will hear. He is in total agreement
that Babylon needed punishing. "Bel" and "Merodach" are names of false
gods worshipped by the Babylonians. The statues of these false gods
are broken in pieces. "Declare among the nations" means tell everyone.
Jeremiah 50:3 "For out of the north there cometh up a nation
against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell
therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast."
This nation, that cometh from the north, to attack Babylon is
headed by Cyrus. This nation is the Persian empire, which Cyrus heads
up. The her, here, is Babylon. This does happen to the Babylonians.
The city of Babylon will never be built again.
Jeremiah 50:4 "In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD,
the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah
together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their
God."
This occurs at the end of the 70 year captivity of the
Israelites. Specifically to the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah. In a
sense, Cyrus sets them free to go back into their homeland. This is a
time of great rejoicing. They have repented, and God has set them
free. It would be of no help to anyone to return to their homeland,
unless they return to their God. Home, for the believer, is wherever
God is.
Jeremiah 50:5 "They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces
thitherward, [saying], Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in
a perpetual covenant [that] shall not be forgotten."
Zion is the city of God, but it is also His church. To "repent"
means to turn in an opposite direction. This is not only for
forgiveness of past sins, but to walk in newness of life in Christ.
"Jesus said in the following Scripture in Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it
shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you:" In verse 5, above they are seeking God and His
city. "The perpetual covenant" is the covenant of grace. Hebrews 8:10
"For this [is] the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind,
and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they
shall be to me a people:" Hebrews 8:11 "And they shall not teach every
man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord:
for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest." Hebrews 8:12
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and
their iniquities will I remember no more."
Jeremiah 50:6 "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."
Never has there been a people more scattered than the Jews. They
are returning to Israel today by the millions. They are coming home,
just like these of Judah and Benjamin came home from Babylon. Their
leaders {shepherds} had gone astray and taken the people with them.
We read in the 34th chapter of Ezekiel, that the Lord is going to take
the people away from the shepherd that fleeces the sheep. The Lord,
Himself, will be their great Shepherd.
Jeremiah 50:7 "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."
The Babylonians did not want to take any blame, because of what
they did. They did capture them on the orders of God, but they had
been deep in false worship themselves. Just because they were used of
God to carry out His will on Judah, did not excuse their own sins.
Jeremiah 50:8 "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."
The he goat leads the flock, and that is what they are to do.
They must flee the city now, before Cyrus' army actually starts
fighting.
Jeremiah 50:9 "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."
These great nations are the group that make up the Persians. Each
arrow that the Persians shoot, will find their mark, is what is meant
by "not return in vain".
Jeremiah 50:10 "And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her
shall be satisfied, saith the LORD."
There would be great treasures to spoil from all she had
attained, when plundering the nations.
Jeremiah 50:11 "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;"
You remember, when they attacked Jerusalem, they went much
further than the LORD had told them to. They have become fat with the
wealth of other nations they defeated. The "grown fat as the heifer at
grass" means they have had an abundance of food, while their neighbors
have felt famine. "Bellow as bulls" means they have been boasting of
their conquests.
Jeremiah 50:12 "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."
Not only will Babylon proper be destroyed, but the whole land.
The land will be filled with shame. Babylon had been spoken of as one
of the wonders of the world. Now, that will be no more. It is
destroyed. This becomes a desert area, as the remains of Sodom and
Gomorrah did.
Jeremiah 50:13 "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."
The city of Babylon is never built again. The land of Iraq is in
the same land as Babylon. Even today, there is still astonishment at
the destruction. It is, also, astonishing that it has never been
rebuilt.
Jeremiah 50:14 "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."
This is a direct statement to the Persian army, who is come to
destroy Babylon. The punishment comes, because she has sinned against
the LORD. The Persians are to be just as aggressive fighting them, as
they were fighting Judah and Jerusalem.
Jeremiah 50:15 "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."
This is quite a statement. The walls around Babylon were wide
enough to have chariot races on the top of them. It would really be
something for this wall to fall. In fact, there was an inner and an
outer wall. Persia is fighting the battle, but this is really the
vengeance of the LORD.
Jeremiah 50:16 "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."
This is, perhaps, speaking of those who had been held captive.
You remember, they built houses, and grew gardens, and had vineyards.
This is speaking of them fleeing to their homeland, which would
indicate they were the captives.
Jeremiah 50:17 "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."
Israel, in this verse, is speaking of the 12 tribes. The ten
tribes, spoken of as Israel had been captured by Assyria. Judah {the
two tribes of Judah and Benjamin} are part of the Israel in verse 17
above. They were captured by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. "Lions", just
means the attackers.
Jeremiah 50:18 "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."
This just means that it is God punishing them, rather than
Persia.
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."
All of these places, mentioned in the Scripture above, are
wonderful places to graze sheep, or cattle. Carmel is a beautiful
green mountain often mentioned. "Habitation" is their place of
permanent dwelling.
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."
They will be just as if they had never sinned, because they have
repented and God has forgiven them. The iniquity will not be covered
with animal's blood, but totally done away with. Hebrews 10:17 "And
their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."
Jeremiah 50:21 "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."
This is the only mention in the Bible of Merathaim. It seems not
to be a place, but a condition. The word "Merathaim" means double
bitterness. It is, possibly, speaking of the attitude of the
Babylonians after their defeat. The word "Pekod" means punishment. It,
also, seems to be a symbolic name for Babylon. The word is mentioned
one other time, and it is in connection with the Chaldeans. This is
speaking of destroying Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:22 "A sound of battle [is] in the land, and of great
destruction."
This is speaking of that last decisive battle, which destroys
Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:23 "How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder
and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!"
Babylon was like a giant hammer that had come down on the nations
around them. Now, they are destroyed by the Persians with Cyrus
leading them. The hammer is broken.
Jeremiah 50:24 "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."
The snare that was set was a way into the heavily fortified walls
of Babylon. They diverted the water, and came in through the water
ducts. They were in the city, before anyone knew what had happened. I
personally believe God gave Cyrus this plan of attack. He was with
Cyrus for the punishment of Babylon, as He had been with
Nebuchadnezzar, when He used him to punish Judah.
Jeremiah 50:25 "The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath
brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this [is] the work
of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans."
This leaves no doubt where the ability to defeat Babylon came
from. God was angry with the Chaldeans, and He is helping the Persians
destroy them.
Jeremiah 50:26 "Come against her from the utmost border, open her
storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let
nothing of her be left."
Earthly monuments cannot withstand God. In this very same area,
the people had decided to build a tower to heaven, against the wishes
of God. God confused their language and destroyed their tower. The
tower of Babel was in the area we are calling Babylon, here. The City
was thought of as one of the wonders of the world. God tore it down.
It glorified man, and not God.
Jeremiah 50:27 "Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the
slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their
visitation."
The bullocks are the males. They were slain so there would be no
calves. In battle, most of those killed are of the male gender.
Perhaps, that is what is spoken here.
Jeremiah 50:28 "The voice of them that flee and escape out of the
land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God,
the vengeance of his temple."
They had utterly destroyed the temple and Jerusalem. They had
gone further than what God had intended them to do. Now, it is their
time to be destroyed. The Jews are fleeing back home, and carrying
with them the story of the destruction of Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:29 "Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye
that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof
escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that
she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD,
against the Holy One of Israel."
The archers surrounding Babylon shows that it is time for the
battle to begin. They killed without regard, so they will be killed
the same way. "Being proud against the LORD" means she did not stay
within the bounds of His instructions.
Jeremiah 50:30 "Therefore shall her young men fall in the
streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith
the LORD."
This is exactly what she did to Judah and Jerusalem, so her men
will fall in battle, as well.
Jeremiah 50:31 "Behold, I [am] against thee, [O thou] most proud,
saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time [that] I
will visit thee."
We have mentioned before that the time God will visit them, is
their day of death. Their pride caused this to come upon them.
Jeremiah 50:32 "And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and
none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and
it shall devour all round about him."
Pride comes before a fall. They will fall in their pride, and not
stand up as a city again. They will burn, when the city burns.
Jeremiah 50:33 "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of
Israel and the children of Judah [were] oppressed together: and all
that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go."
Those of Judah and Israel that were taken, were kept under
adverse circumstances. Their captors oppressed them. They did not set
them free after a reasonable limit of time. They were like those in
Egypt whom the Pharaoh refused to let go.
Jeremiah 50:34 "Their Redeemer [is] strong; the LORD of hosts
[is] his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give
rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon."
God is their Redeemer. He sent the person of Moses to represent
Him in delivering them from Egypt. Jesus Christ is the true Redeemer
of all the earth. LORD, in the verse above, is speaking of Jehovah,
the self-existent One. Jesus, in its extended form, means Jehovah
Saviour. This is the same. There is nothing, or no one, so powerful
that Jesus cannot deliver them from it.
Jeremiah 50:35 "A sword [is] upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD,
and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon
her wise [men]." Jeremiah 50:36 "A sword [is] upon the liars; and they
shall dote: a sword [is] upon her mighty men; and they shall be
dismayed." Jeremiah 50:37 "A sword [is] upon their horses, and upon
their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that [are] in the
midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword [is] upon her
treasures; and they shall be robbed."
The sword that is against the Chaldeans, even though it is in the
hands of the Persians, is God's. This sword does not discriminate.
Rich and poor, powerful and weak shall feel its cutting blade. The men
are helpless as women before this sword. Her treasures shall be cut
away from her {Babylon}.
Jeremiah 50:38 "A drought [is] upon her waters; and they shall be
dried up: for it [is] the land of graven images, and they are mad upon
[their] idols."
Now, we see the true reason for the punishment on Babylon. They
worship idols {nothings}. God will stop the water of life from
flowing, because of their worship of images.
Jeremiah 50:39 "Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the
wild beasts of the islands shall dwell [there], and the owls shall
dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation."
This just speaks of the total devastation. Until this day, the
city of Babylon has never been rebuilt. There is no city.
Jeremiah 50:40 "As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the
neighbour [cities] thereof, saith the LORD; [so] shall no man abide
there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein."
Sodom and Gomorrah are desert areas. This Babylon will be a
desolate area, as well. It will be a place not suited to the
habitation of man.
Jeremiah 50:41 "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."
The Jewish people always thought of danger coming from the north.
Persia was, in fact, made up of several nations.
Jeremiah 50:42 "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."
Daughter of Babylon is, probably, speaking of the city of
Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:43 "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."
When they discovered that the aggressor was inside the walls of
the city, the king knew all was lost. He feared for his own life. The
comparison of a woman in travail, is speaking of the suddenness and
the severity of the fear and anguish that came upon the king.
Jeremiah 50:44 "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?"
This is a repeat of a previous verse. We know that all will
stand, one at a time, before the Judge of all the earth on judgement
day.
Jeremiah 50:45 "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."
Babylon is thought of as all wicked cities, and also, is thought
of as hell in a symbolic way. Just as this literal Babylon is
destroyed, here, Hell will be thrown into the lake of fire for total
destruction. Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death."
Jeremiah 50:46 "At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth
is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations."
All I can say, is great is the fall of physical Babylon and
spiritual Babylon. Both of them affected the whole earth.
Jeremiah 51 Questions
1. Who is this prophecy against?
2. What is meant by "declare among the nations"?
3. We see from this, that Jeremiah did not side in with the
___________.
4. Even though judgement begins at the house of God, it reaches whom?
5. What are the names "Bel" and "Merodach"?
6. What happens to the statues of their false gods?
7. Who heads the army that comes from the north against Babylon?
8. When will the city of Babylon be rebuilt?
8. When does verse 4 occur?
9. In a sense, who sets the tribe of Judah, that were captives free
from Babylon?
10. They have repented of their sin, and ______ has set them free.
11. It would be of no help to anyone to return to their homeland, if
they did not return to their _______.
12. In verse 5, Zion is the ________ __ ___.
13. Quote Matthew chapter 7 verse 7.
14. What is the "perpetual covenant"?
15. Quote Hebrews chapter 8 verse 11.
16. There has never been a people more scattered than the ________.
17. Just because they were used of God, does not excuse their own
____.
18. These great nations make up the __________.
19. What does the statement "grown fat as the heifer at grass" mean?
20. Why is Babylon not to be inhabited again?
21. What happens to the giant walls of Babylon?
22. How wide were these walls of Babylon?
23. Who is the sower they cut off?
24. What happens to Israel?
25. What do Carmen, Bashan, Ephraim, and Gilead have in common?
26. Quote Hebrews chapter 10 verse 17.
27. What is "Merathaim"?
28. What does "Pekod" mean?
29. How did they penetrate the walls of Babylon?
30. The city was thought of as one of the ____________ of the world.
31. What do the archers surrounding the city show us?
32. What happens to the city?
33. Who is the great Redeemer?
34. LORD, in verse 34, is who?
35. The sword against the Chaldeans is whose?
36. What is the real reason for God destroying them?
37. What do Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Babylon have in common?
38. Who is the daughter of Babylon?
39. What does Babylon symbolize?
40. Quote Revelation chapter 20 verse 14.
41. Who does Babylon affect?
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