Jeremiah 50-51 – Listen here.

Thise 2 chapters are heavy! God is bringing now judgment on Babylon, the nation He has used to bring judgment on Isreal:

Jeremiah 50: 2 Announce to the nations;
proclaim and raise up a signal flag;
proclaim, and hide nothing.
Say, “Babylon is captured;
Bel is put to shame;
Marduk is terrified.”
Her idols are put to shame;
her false gods, devastated.

I think God wants to make a point. He is not cool with idol worship at all!

What I would like to focus on in this section is that fact that God does not forget His people.

Jeremiah 50:4-7 In those days and at that time—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
the Israelites and Judeans will come together,
weeping as they come,
and will seek the Lord their God.
⁵ They will ask about Zion,
turning their faces to this road.
They will come and join themselves to the Lord
in a permanent covenant that will never be forgotten.

⁶ My people were lost sheep;
their shepherds led them astray,
guiding them the wrong way in the mountains.
They wandered from mountain to hill;
they forgot their resting place.
⁷ Whoever found them devoured them.
Their adversaries said, “We’re not guilty;
instead, they have sinned against the Lord,
their righteous grazing land,
the hope of their ancestors, the Lord.”

Escape from Babylon;
depart from the Chaldeans’ land.
Be like the rams that lead the flock.
⁹ For I will soon stir up and bring against Babylon
an assembly of great nations from the north country.

God calls them out of Babylon! Tells them to depart!

Then again He says: Jeremiah 50: 33

³³ This is what the Lord of Armies says: Israelites and Judeans alike have been oppressed.
All their captors hold them fast; they refuse to release them.

Their Redeemer is strong;

the Lord of Armies is his name.

He will fervently champion their cause…

Jeremiah 50:34

so that he might bring rest to the earth
but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.

Through out this whole book. God is bringing judgment. Yet over and over He says to those who are His people, to submit. Do not fight. When the Babylonians came they were coming as the arm of the Lord to enact justice on those who turned from God and disobeyed Him. They worshipped other gods, even as far as sacrificing their children to Moloch. One of the hardest things to do is not take our circumstances into our own hands but rather to trust that the Lord will bring justice. He will not leave us alone. He will not leave us defenseless. He is our Great Redeemer.

Romans 12:¹⁹ Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. ²⁰ But If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For in so doing
you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.

²¹ Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Go, do good!

Thanks for Listening,

Starla