Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

To read Jeremiah 50:1-46, click this link HERE.

To read Jeremiah 51:1-64, click this link HERE.

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence.
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured.
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. There at Riblah the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death.
On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile some of the poorest people and those who remained in the city, along with the rest of the craftsmen and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon. But Nebuzaradan left behind the rest of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried all the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, sprinkling bowls, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. The commander of the imperial guard took away the basins, censers, sprinkling bowls, pots, lampstands, dishes and bowls used for drink offerings—all that were made of pure gold or silver.
The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the twelve bronze bulls under it, and the movable stands, which King Solomon had made for the temple of the Lord, was more than could be weighed. Each pillar was eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference; each was four fingers thick, and hollow. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was five cubits high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its pomegranates, was similar. There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; the total number of pomegranates above the surrounding network was a hundred.
The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took the officer in charge of the fighting men, and seven royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land, sixty of whom were found in the city. Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile:
in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews;
in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,
832 people from Jerusalem;
in his twenty-third year,
745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard.
There were 4,600 people in all.
In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah and freed him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. Day by day the king of Babylon gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived, till the day of his death.

• Jeremiah 52:1-34

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Jeremiah 46-51 ‘The Prophecies against the Gentiles’: “In chapters 46-51, Jeremiah spells out prophesies against the surrounding Gentile nations. A good number of these prophecies were fulfilled in the course of the history following Jeremiah; however, there are other prophecies that speak of a future judgment against these nations, and it is this future portion of the prophecies with which we will be concerned in this section.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 50-51 ‘Babylon’: ”After declaring the destiny of the Gentile nations (Jer. 46—49), the prophet now focused on Judah’s hateful enemy, the empire of Babylon. Jeremiah devoted 121 verses to the future of nine nations and 44 verses to the defeat and destruction of Jerusalem. When we count the number of verses in Jeremiah 50 and 51, however, he devoted 110 verses to the fall of Babylon. It is an important subject indeed!
“In Scripture, the city of Babylon is contrasted with the city of Jerusalem—the proud city of man versus the Holy City of God. In Hebrew, the name babel means ‘gate of God,’ but babel is so close to the word balal (‘confusion’) that it’s associated with the famous tower of Babel and the confusion of human languages (Gen. 11:1—9). The founder of Babylon was Nimrod (10:8—10), ‘a mighty hunter before the LORD’ (v. 9). Some students interpret this to mean ‘a mighty rebel against the Lord.’ Babel / Babylon is a symbol of rebellion against God, the earthly city of human splendor opposing the heavenly city that glorifies God.”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 50-51 ‘Babylon’: “Jeremiah’s most extensive prophecies are against Babylon. As with Isaiah 13-14, some commentators view Jeremiah 50-51 as having been fulfilled against ancient Babylon, but the details simply do not fit the Babylon of the past. The passage can only be true of the Babylon of the future, which will be the capital of the world under the authority of the Antichrist. The description Jeremiah gives here fits that of a destruction of Babylon in the course of the war of Armageddon.”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Jeremiah 50 ‘a declaration of war’: ” ‘Announce and proclaim!’ is the commandment in Jeremiah 50. ‘Raise the signal!’ God declared war on Babylon and announced that her great god Bel (also called Marduk) was about to be shamefully defeated.
“God declared war on both Babylon and the gods of Babylon. The word translated ‘idols’ means ‘wooden blocks,’ and the word translated ‘images’ means ‘dung pellets.’ The Lord didn’t think much of their gods! The invaders would come from the north just as Nebuchadnezzar came from the north to conquer Judah (Jer. 1:11-15).”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 50:3 ‘no one shall dwell’: “The far view (see note on v. 1) sees this as not yet fulfilled in a sudden way (cf. 51:8). Medo-Persia came down from the north in 539 B.C. to conquer Babylon, but armies in the years that followed only gradually brought the historical Babylon to complete desolation (cf. vv. 12, 13).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 50:4-5 ‘a returning to Zion requires repentance’: “This text shows us that those who came back to Zion by God’s gracious leadership were first, mourners; second, seekers; and third, covenanters.
“After all your sins, I will not believe that you are truly coming to God if there is not about you a great sorrow for sin and a lamenting after the Lord. Can you imagine the Jews returning from captivity without bewailing the sins that drove them into the place of their exile? How could they be restored to God if they did not lament their former wicked estrangement? How can there be peace to an offender as long as his or her offenses are not repented of? There must be tenderness toward God if we expect reconciliation with God. These confessions, if truly made, cannot be spoken without sighs and sorrows—’weeping as they come.’ The multitude of our sins cannot be thought of without a moving of the soul and a measure of heartbreak. Observe further in the case of Israel and Judah there was an old feud. They were brothers, and it ought not to have been so, but they had become bitter adversaries of each other. Yet now that they return to the Lord, we read, ‘The Israelites and Judeans will come together.’ When we are reconciled to God, we are reconciled to others. We must not pass over the words ‘and will seek the LORD their God.’ This is a guide to you as to whether your present state of feeling is leading you aright. What are you seeking?
“Second, these mourners became seekers—-‘They will ask about Zion, turning their faces to this road.’ Having been born and nurtured in Babylon, they had never trod the road to Jerusalem. It is clear from their asking the way that these seekers were teachable. They not only yielded to instruction, but they were eager to be taught, and therefore they asked for information. But at the same time they are questioning, they are still resolved. They ask their way to Zion, but they are traveling in the right way. They do not raise questions by way of quibbling that they may have an excuse for sitting still. They question because they are downright earnest. Though they ask the way, they know where they are going—to Zion. They seek God’s own dwelling place. They ask boldly, for they are not ashamed to be found inquiring, and when they are informed, their faces are already that way, and therefore they have nothing to do but to go straight on.
“Finally, these inquirers became covenanters: ‘They will come and join themselves to the LORD in a permanent covenant.’ The mischief of our fallen state arose from our trying to be distinct and independent of God. This is a permanent covenant. An agreement? A promise? No! ‘Covenant’ is the word. And their covenanting with God ‘will never be forgotten.’ ”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Jeremiah 50:20 ‘Israel’s Many Sins’: “Those sins were of no common order. The Israelites were always a stiff-necked and rebellious race. Israel’s sins were of the most heinous character because of the greatness of their privileges and the peculiar and special love the Lord had lavished on them. They were positively unmatched in guilt by any nation under there will not be any to be heaven. For all of that, the Israelites cast away their God. They who had worshiped the Lord turned aside from him and bowed down before Baal and went after other gods and worshiped idols. But their provocations, their idolatries, their lusts were all to be swept away and to be forgotten.
“Complete pardon is spoken of in the text. Not only will they not be discovered, but discovered. Their sins will be so completely removed, so absolutely annihilated, that they will have ceased to exist. What a joy it is for us to know that even the Lord will not be able to find a sin in any of his blood-washed children. When God pardons his people, he pardons all their sins at once—not halt, but all—’the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin’ (1 Jn 1:7).””

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Jeremiah 50:23 ‘hammer of the whole earth’: “This described Babylon’s former, conquering force; but God broke the hammer He had once used. The fact that God used Babylon as His executioner was no commendation of that nation (cf. Hab. 1:6, 7).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 50:29 ‘Repay her’: “God aimed to bless Israel and curse all who cursed her (cf. Gen. 12: 1-3, Abrahamic covenant). The judgment on Babylon, as in Habakkuk 2, was a divine curse in view of Babylon’s wrongs (v. 34; 51:36, 56), particularly God’s vengeance on Babylon’s arrogance (“proud against the LORD” cf. vv. 31, 32).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 50:31-32 ‘God passes judgment on Babylon’: ”God told Babylon that He was against them because of their pride (Jer. 50:31-32) and because of the way they had made the Jews suffer unnecessarily (v. 33). The exiles couldn’t free themselves, but their strong Redeemer would free them! The phrase ‘plead their cause’ speaks of a court case. Jehovah was defense attorney, judge, and jury, and He found Babylon guilty.
“Now the Lord told Babylon what to expect on the day of their judgment. The first picture is that of a sword going through the land and cutting down the people (vv. 35-38). Gods sword will even attack the waters and dry them up (v. 38). Why? Because it is ‘a land of idols’ (v. 38 NIV), and God wanted to reveal that the idols were nothing. Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, nothing will be left. Babylon will become a haven for animals and birds, and the city will never be restored.
“The Lord directed the Babylonians’ attention to the great army that He had called from the north—a cruel army without mercy, whose march sounded like ‘the roaring sea’ (v. 42 NIV). This report paralyzed the king of Babylon. Like a hungry lion, looking for prey (see 49:19-21), Cyrus (and then Alexander) will attack Babylon, and nobody will be able to resist. God’s chosen servant will always succeed. The Lord’s judgment on Babylon will be like the winnowing of the grain: ‘Great Babylon’ will be blown away like chaff along with its idols!”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 50:34 ‘Redeemer’: “The OT concept of kinsmen-redeemer included the protection of a relative’s person and property, the avenging of a relative’s murder, the purchase of former property, and even the marriage of his widow (cf. Lev. 25:25; Num. 35:21; Ruth 4:4).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 51:8 ‘suddenly fallen’: “The focus was first on Babylon’s sudden fall on one night in 539 B.C. (Dan. 5:30). The far view looks at the destruction of the final Babylon near the Second Advent when it will be sudden (Rev. 18).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 51:11 ‘kings of the Medes’: “The aggressor was specifically identified (cf. v. 28) as the leader of the Medes, assisted by Persia (539 B.C.).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

Jeremiah 51:25 ‘destroying mountain’: “Though Babylon existed on a plain, this phrase was meant to portray Babylon’s looming greatness and power in devastating nations (cf. 50:23; see note there). a burnt mountain. Babylon will be like a volcano that is extinct, never to be rebuilt (v. 26).”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 51:27-33 ‘Babylon was helpless’: ”Throughout this prophecy, God has frequently announced the fall of Babylon, but the closing section seems to focus on God’s total victory over the enemy.
“God describes the victory in Jeremiah 51:27-33. God’s armies were prepared, the commanders were ready, and the battle began; but the Babylonian army was helpless! They lay on the walls exhausted; their courage had failed them. The city was in flames, and the bars of the gates were broken. Nothing kept the enemy from entering the city and doing to it what the Babylonians had done to Jerusalem.
“The Babylonians had an effective courier system and could quickly send messages to the various parts of their vast empire. In fact, Jeremiah described the runners meeting and exchanging messages for the king: ‘The river crossings have been seized!’ ‘The marshes are set on fire!’ ‘The soldiers are terrified!’ ‘The city has been captured!’ (see vv. 31-52 NIV). It was God’s harvest, and Babylon was on the threshing floor.
“God made it clear that there was no future in Babylon, for He had determined to destroy the city. If His people remained in Babylon, they would suffer the fate of the city. If they obeyed the Lord and returned home, they would experience a new beginning under the blessing of the Lord.”

• Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Decisive

Jeremiah 52 ‘The Destruction of Jerusalem’: “This chapter is almost identical to 2 Kings 24:18-25:30, and it is a historical supplement detailing Jerusalem’s fall (as ch. 39). It fittingly opens with her last king and his sin (597—586 B.C.). The purpose of this chapter is to show how accurate Jeremiah’s prophecies were concerning Jerusalem and Judah.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Jeremiah 52:28-30 ‘carried away’: “The stages of deportation to Babylon include: (1) in 605 B.C. under Jehoiakim which marked the beginning of the seventy years of exile; (2) in 597 B.C. under Jehoiachin; (3) in 586 B.C. under Zedekiah; and (4) a mopping-up campaign in 582-81 B.C. The number may include only males.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

 

My Thoughts

Jeremiah 50 and 51 are a curse on Babylon.  Babylon will be utterly destroyed and uninhabitable except for desert animals and owls.

The false gods, Bel and Marduk, will shake in fear.  This sounds strange in that carved false idols cannot hear, cannot speak, cannot see, but then in 1 Samuel 5 the false gods of the Philistines were falling down before the Ark of the Covenant and the Philistines gave the Ark back to prevent any more temple damage among the Philistines.

Some of the language regarding the Jews and Israelites seems like it might be End Times prophecy rather than the remnant sent back to Jerusalem by the Medes, but elements of that prophecy were fulfilled.  God did forgive the remnant, but then the remnant that returned made sure to purify themselves, especially regarding marriage to local people.

But God makes sure that the Redeemer is strong and is God.  This points to Jesus, but even in the return of the remnant to rebuild Jerusalem, God’s power was in it.

Jeremiah is even told that the Medes will be the destroyers of Babylon.  Babylon knew, but they could do nothing about it.

We know that a new Babylon will arise, maybe in a metaphorical sense with the center of the Antichrist’s power, but that too will be utterly destroyed.

At the end of Jeremiah 51, it says the prophecy of Jeremiah had ended.  Yet, Jeremiah 52 gave the historical end of Zedekiah and the freeing from prison of Jehoiachin.

The relics of gold, silver, and bronze are detailed, a record of everything stolen by the Babylonians.  This record then, could be used by Cyrus, king of Persia to ensure these things were brought back to Jerusalem.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

“Jeremiah 50-51: 1. Just because God uses a nation or a person to carry out his plan, does that mean God is pleased with them? Can you think of any other instances where God uses bad people to accomplish his will? What do these incidents tell you about God’s power and plan?
“2. Does Babylon stand for anything else in prophecy, besides itself (see Rev 17-18)? If so, to what future event might these chapters point?
“3. What feelings and actions do you think God wanted these chapters to inspire in the Jews in exile? What feelings and actions does he want them to inspire in you?
“4. What do you need most in your life: (a) Destruction of ‘enemies’? (b) Restoration of ‘fortunes’? (c) Raised ‘banner’ in the field? What would you like to see happen in one of these areas?
“5. If God ‘did to you as you have done to others’, what would be your fate? Do you sense a basic fairness in life: ‘What goes around comes around’? Or does life seem unfair or unpredictable?
“Jeremiah 52:1 30 The Fall of Jerusalem 1. What lessons from the book of Jeremiah are brought to mind by this postscript or second reading about the fall of Jerusalem? What else in Jeremiah do you need to re-read to make sure you get the point God wants you to get?
2. Who is the ‘Jeremiah’ (or ‘Ezekiel’) in your life who warns you when you’ve made a wrong turn or bad decision? Are you trying to tune them out (and God) in any way right now?
“3. What is your gut reaction to the wrath of God revealed in this passage? Does it make you yearn for a happier ending? Or do you feel satisfied that the punishment fit the crime?
“Jeremiah 52:31-34 Jehoiachin Released 1. When have you had to wait along time for an answer to prayer? What did you feel about God while you waited‘? How did you recognize the answer when it finally came?
“2. The King of kings has asked you to put off your old clothes and come to eat with him at his table (see Rev 3:20). What is your response?
“3. As you review the book, which promises of God did Jeremiah live to see fulfilled? Which were still to come?
“4. Which promises of God have you seen fulfilled? Which are yet to come?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

Jeremiah 50-51 have one set of questions.  Jeremiah 52 has two sets of question as noted above.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

If you like these Thursday morning Bible studies, but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Thursday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.