59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”
Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
REFLECTION:
Regardless of his situation, Jeremiah will bring God’s words to his fellow captives. Because he could not visit Babylon in person, Jeremiah entrusted Seraiah, the quartermaster, to bring his message to the place. Seraiah is probably Baruch’s brother. In Jeremiah’s last message, we once again see two major themes throughout the book: first, God has absolute sovereignty; second, God will impose a righteous judgment. Although God temporarily tolerated Babylon’s abuse of the people of Israel, He must judge its sins; God saves good people from their sins and must severely punish all evil ones. When we live in this generation, we will also face the oppression of various evil forces. Although the evil forces will triumph for a while, we must not give in because of its strength, nor should we be deceived by it, and go along with it, otherwise we will inevitably receive God’s judgment.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you, so that you can know more clearly that He is your God, you are His people, He has absolute sovereignty over you, and absolute sovereignty over mankind; ask God to give you greater faith and strength, so that you will not succumb to the evil power in your life, and you will never go along with it, and hold on to your faith in all your encounters, good or bad.
17 “Israel is a hunted sheep driven away by lions. First the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has gnawed his bones. 18 Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing punishment on the king of Babylon and his land, as I punished the king of Assyria. 19 I will restore Israel to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and in Bashan, and his desire shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead. 20 In those days and in that time, declares the Lord, iniquity shall be sought in Israel, and there shall be none, and sin in Judah, and none shall be found, for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.
REFLECTION:
In its heyday, the Babylonian Empire was so majestic that it seemed unshakable. However, after this empire achieved God’s purpose of judging Judah’s sins, it was also punished by God for its own sins and was destroyed by Medes-Persia in 539 BC. God will punish Babylon for Israel, just as it punishes Assyria before. Assyria once ruled Babylon, but was later destroyed by Babylon; Babylon also ruled Medes-Persia for a time, and was later defeated by Medes-Persia. This passage typifies the rebuilding of Israel when Messiah is in power. At that time, all those who seek God will be forgiven, and Israel will be cleansed from sin. The Holy Spirit often uses Babylon as a symbol of sin, and God destroys Babylon, a sign that God will execute a great and righteous judgment in the last days and completely eliminate all sins in the world. If we feel that this world is as sinful as a mountain that cannot be shaken for a while, we should live out God’s holiness in the filth with firm faith, and look forward to the day when God seeks vengeance and repays. It is also the day when the righteous followers of God receive rewards and be with God in eternal glory.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enlighten you and make you understand that God is always with you when you are sad and weak; pray that God will give you beautiful hope and make you understand that God has prepared a better home for you in heaven, where there is no pain, tears, crying, and death of God, God’s love will last forever; ask God to transform the hope in your heart into the courage in your life, and inspire you to sail against the current and bear a beautiful testimony for God in the world.
“Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then has Milcom dispossessed Gad,
and his people settled in its cities? 2 Therefore, behold, the days are coming,
declares the Lord,
when I will cause the battle cry to be heard
against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
it shall become a desolate mound,
and its villages shall be burned with fire;
then Israel shall dispossess those who dispossessed him,
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth,
lament, and run to and fro among the hedges!
For Milcom shall go into exile,
with his priests and his officials. 4 Why do you boast of your valleys,
O faithless daughter,
who trusted in her treasures, saying,
‘Who will come against me?’ 5 Behold, I will bring terror upon you,
declares the Lord God of hosts,
from all who are around you,
and you shall be driven out, every man straight before him,
with none to gather the fugitives.
6 “But afterward I will restore the fortunes of the Ammonites, declares the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
Similar to the Moabites, the Ammonites were descended from the incest between Lot and his younger daughter. The Moabites were judged because they occupied the land of the tribe of Gad, the people of God, worshipped the idol Moro, and offered their children as burnt offering. Both Rabbah and Heshbon were originally the prosperous metropolis of the Ammonites. Under the judgment of God, they eventually became a wasteland. Today, we are often attracted by the prosperity of the world, taking worldly wealth as our support. From the historical outcome of the Ammonites, we should have spiritual insights to understand that God is in power throughout human history, and the entire world has been under God’s judgment from ancient times to the present. No matter how dazzling the vanity and treasure of the world may seem, the glitz of seduction is just like dew on the grass, and the sun evaporates it without a trace. We should follow the teachings of the Lord Jesus, lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, set our minds on things that are above, and have an inheritance that is imperishable.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you spiritual eyesight, not to be obscured by the vanity of the world, to see through everything in the world is nothing but vanity; only seeking God and living in God’s truth is the true purpose of life. Pray for God to lead you, Increase your inner strength, and make you a person who rely on God and is blessed by God throughout your life.
