Bobservations Column
By Pastor Bob Lawrenz
As we think of all the judgment that has been prophesied against the enemies of Israel, and what we begin to read of today in Jeremiah 50, One cannot help but think of a lioness that goes after a prey, and kills it for her cubs, she must also chase away the scavengers that come to steal bits and pieces for themselves. Hyenas and buzzards invariably gather for the feat, and must be chased away for their numbers will consume all the prey unless they are kept at bay.
In many ways, Babylon is that lioness that has set her eyes on Israel as prey. And the tribes surrounding Israel geographically are like the scavenger hyenas and buzzards. They are opportunists that saw Israel “on the ropes” and were willing to kick her while she was down in captivity, and divided: Egypt, Philistia, Tyre, Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, Damascus, and Elam. (circa 600 BC).
In judging them all, God has chased the scavengers away while they were vying for position at the carcass. As God Himself had sent Babylon (Chaldeans) as judgment upon the Israelites, it is now Babylon who will suffer loss because of their excessive cruelty against God’s Chosen.
Historically, the Chaldeans were of the same blood line as the Israelites. The Tower of Babel (Babylon) was built during chapter 11 of Genesis. It is in the previous chapter (10) that we begin read of Noah’s descendants and all their names and the places they established as mankind again spread across the known world in the days after the great flood (circa 2350 BC).
It is with irony that we read that Abram (Abraham) came from Ur of the Chaldeas. This is the Persian Gulf region from which Abram moved away, directed by an inspired message from God (Genesis 11:26-29) to a new land.
In Genesis 10, the sons of Noah moved out from Mt. Ararat in eastern Turkey and found their way to the fertile Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys. Your Bible maps reveal the proximity of the two regions. There they established a base, and they were all of one tongue, until God confused their language. Babylon is named for the languages that suddenly sounded like babble to one another. But all these were Noahites, descended from Noah after the flood.
“These are the generations of Shem" Genesis 11:10-26 ~ Abram’s ancestry.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
With just a few chapters left in the book of Jeremiah, we continue to read the historical account of the judgments declared on the unrepentant nations of Jeremiah’s day. God speaks of the judgment against Babylon. From their inception it is clear they turned away from God to build a kingdom that pleases the desires of their own flesh. How interesting that God would use this pagan nation to execute His judgment against His rebellious people. Yet God does not turn a blind eye to the sins of this enemy, they would be judged for their pride, their wickedness, and particularly for their cruelty to God’s people, the Jews. Jeremiah devotes two long chapters of divine message to Babylon. It is a prophecy of judgment for this mighty world conqueror, but of restoration for an exiled Israel. The pride of men’s hearts sets God against them. Those who oppose God's presence and His purposes in their lives, and in this world, have made themselves His enemy. They are weighed in the balances and found wanting, and God Himself has numbered their days.
