Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Jeremiah 51:1-19
Set – Jeremiah 51; 3 John
Go! – Jeremiah 50-51; 3 John
Jeremiah 51:1-19
1The Eternal has this to say regarding Babylon:
Eternal One: Watch as I stir up a destroying wind
against Babylon and the people of Chaldea.
2 I will send outsiders to sift through this nation,
separating the wheat from the chaff, laying waste this land.
They will fight her from every side
on that fateful day of Babylon’s reckoning.
3 Do not let the archers draw back their bows.
Do not let them put on their armor!
Do not spare the life of one young soldier.
Destroy her army completely.
4 They will all fall dead in the land of the Chaldeans;
her streets will be full of the dead and dying.
5 For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken
by their God, the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies,
Even though their land is awash with the guilt of their sins
against the Holy One of Israel.
6 Get out of Babylon! Escape with your lives!
Do not be caught up in Babylon’s punishment,
For this is the time for the Eternal to avenge His people.
He will pay Babylon what she deserves.
7 Babylon has been a golden cup in the Eternal’s hand,
intoxicating the whole earth.
Yes, the nations drank her wine,
which is why they went mad.
8 But now Babylon—cup of God’s wrath—has fallen and shattered.
Weep for her, if you can!
Give her something for her pain;
perhaps she may still be healed.
9 Exiles: We would like to have healed Babylon,
but she was beyond our help.
It is time to leave her and go home before it is too late,
before we get caught in her coming judgment.
Look, even now it fills the skies, rising up to the clouds.
10 The Eternal has vindicated us;
come, we must tell those in Jerusalem
What the Eternal our God has done!
11 Enemies of Babylon, sharpen your arrows
and fill your quivers. Get ready to attack!
For the Eternal has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes
to accomplish His purpose against Babylon.
He will exact His vengeance for what the Chaldeans did to His temple.
12 Raise up the battle flags around the walls of Babylon!
Reinforce the guard. Station watchmen along the way.
Prepare to make a surprise attack, for the Eternal will see His plan carried through
against the people of Babylon.
13 You who live by the great river
with the comforts of your abundant treasure,
The end has come, and you will lose it all.
Your time has run out.
14 The Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies, has sworn by Himself.
Eternal One: I will cover your land with enemy troops
the way a swarm of locusts covers a field.
And they will shout victory over you.
15 God alone is powerful enough to create the earth.
He alone is wise enough to put the world together.
He alone understands enough to stretch out the heavens.
16 His voice thunders through the heavens, and the waters gush from the sky.
He summons the clouds to build up over the earth.
As the rain falls, the lightning flashes at His command;
the wind rushes in from where He alone can store it.
17 All of humanity is stupid and bankrupt of knowledge.
Those who make idols are shamed by their creations.
What they fashion out of gold are imposters—breathless, lifeless frauds.
18 Their idols are worthless, the work of their hands an embarrassing mockery.
They are doomed to perish under God’s judgment.
19 The portion of Jacob is not like any of these.
He was not fashioned by human hands.
Instead, it was He who made all things and appointed Israel to inherit it all.
His name is the Eternal, Commander of heavenly armies.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
I used Babylon to punish the nations who turned against Me. I enabled them to conquer every nation they came against. Judah was one of those nations because My people forgot Me. They turned to idols instead of worshiping Me, so I used Babylon to destroy the kingdom they thought so mighty and important. Babylon came in and crushed Judah and their capital city of Jerusalem in short order.
Babylon became arrogant, though. They became drunk with their power and thought their power came from their hand instead of Mine. Nebuchadnezzar thought himself king of creation because of his exploits. So I had Jeremiah remind him that I was still in charge. I reminded him I would rule over creation and all the nations of the world as I see fit. The Babylonians would find themselves defeated and destroyed the same way they destroyed others.
The great cities would fall. Nebuchadnezzar’s enemies would trample his great wonders into dust. Just as he carried off prize possessions and the healthiest and wisest into captivity, so would the Medes and Persians carry away all the spoils they chose and put into chains anyone they decided. Because Babylon and its leaders thought themselves more important than Me, they would feel the brunt of My wrath.
So you might ask, “What’s the point of this story for us today? Why include these verses for our study?” My answer is, be careful how you treat My children. Who are My children? All My creation. Everyone I breathe life into has a living soul I long to answer My call for salvation. I know that not all will, but you don’t know who will and who will not. Be careful how you treat My children. All of them are Mine. I don’t want you to end up like the Babylonians.
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