THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Jeremiah: Prophet Of Judgment Followed By Blessing

Part XCII: God's Recompense To Babylon For All Of Its Violence Against His People

(Jeremiah 51:34-58)

I. Introduction

A. The Abrahamic Covenant promised God's blessing on those Gentiles who blessed Abraham's seed and God's curse on those who cursed the seed of Abraham, a covenant that was applied in His destruction of Babylon.

B. The Babylonians had inflicted not only physical violence on God's people, but also spiritual violence on them, so the Lord promised to recompense Babylon for both kinds of violence in Jeremiah 51:34-58.

C. We thus view this passage for our insight and edification (as follows):

II. God's Recompense To Babylon For All Of Its Violence Against His People, Jeremiah 51:34-58.

A. God promised to take vengeance on Babylon for its physical violence on His people, Jeremiah 51:34-49:

1. In Jeremiah 51:34-35, the prophet Jeremiah presented the complaint of the Hebrew people against Babylon, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, p. 1202:

a. The Hebrew people had been figuratively devoured and crushed by Nebuchadnezzar, made like an empty vessel and had swallowed by a monster only to be expelled, Jeremiah 51:34 ESV.

b. Thus, the Hebrew people called for vengeance on Babylon for such physical violence, Jer. 51:35.

2. The Lord responded by promising to punish Babylon for this physical violence, Jeremiah 51:36-40:

a. God promised to plead the cause of vengeance voiced by His people, Jeremiah 51:36a.

b. The Lord would do so by drying up Babylon's water and making the city a heap of ruins and a haunt of wild animals without human inhabitant, Jeremiah 51:36b-37. Though the Babylonians were like violent, fierce lions, God would figuratively prepare a feast for them and make them drunk so that they would fall asleep never to wake up in the permanent sleep of death, Jeremiah 51:38-39 ESV; Ibid. They would become like lambs to the slaughter and like rams and male goats that were sacrificed, Jeremiah 51:40.

3. Jeremiah 51:41-44 then predicted the coming great destructions of the city of Babylon and its wall, of its god Bel and of the complete, permanent devastation of the countryside of the nation of Babylon.

4. The Lord called His people who would still reside in Babylon to flee from the city to avoid His fierce anger upon it, that the heavens and earth would rejoice at Babylon's destruction as she must fall for slaying His people just as she had slain the nations of the whole Middle Eastern part of the earth, Jer. 51:45-49.

B. God also promised to take vengeance on Babylon for its spiritual violence on His People, Jeremiah 51:50-58:

1. In Jeremiah 51:50-51, the godly remnant recalled how they had been put to shame by the act of Gentile Babylonians entering into the holy places of the temple of the Lord.

2. Such violence against not only God's holiness, but also the consciences of God's people would be avenged, and, starting in Jeremiah 51:52, the Lord promised to execute judgment on Babylon for such sin.

3. This judgment would surely come regardless of Babylon's efforts to defend herself against it (Jer. 51:53) so that a great cry regarding great destruction would arise from Babylon, Jeremiah 51:54.

4. Noting that God would surely repay Babylon for this spiritual abuse (Jer. 51:56b), He promised to lay the city waste, defeating her warriors and breaking their bows in pieces, Jer. 51:55-56a. All of the great men of Babylon would be made drunk with God's judgment and thus sleep the lasting sleep of death, Jer. 51:57.

5. Babylon's broad walls that she had trusted for security would be flattened, her gates burned up, and efforts to fortify those protective gates would only add to the flames of their destruction, Jer. 51:58; Ibid., p. 1203.

Lesson: God promised to avenge His people of the PHYSICAL violence done to them by the Babylonians through physically destroying the city and making it a permanent heap of ruins, and God would avenge His people of the SPIRITUAL violence done to them by the Babylonians' desecration of God's temple through laying Babylon waste, defeating her warriors, breaking their bows and leveling the great, broad wall and gates behind which the Babylonians had once trusted for their nation's security.

Application: (1) May we realize that God views different KINDS of abuses, be they physical or mental, emotional or spiritual, as REAL SINS nonetheless, and that He WILL PUNISH each KIND of abuse for the SIN that it is. (2) May we take care not only to avoid physically abusing other people, but also to avoid abusing them emotionally, mentally and spiritually, for God WILL avenge ALL TYPES of abuses that we commit! (3) If we have suffered any kind of abuse, may we be sure that God WILL PUNISH the wrongdoers in line with His perfect righteousness.