Jeremiah 51:59-64. We finally come to the end of the message to Babylon and the end of the main part of Jeremiah. Earlier we noted that the message to Babylon that we didn’t know when the message to Babylon that we have been reading was written. Obviously it had to be written before Jeremiah died and I mentioned that we didn’t know exactly when that happened either. I suggested that it was certainly some time before Cyrus conquered Babylon (539 BC). Today’s reading starts out by telling us that it is a message for a guy named Seraiah. Seraiah was the son of Neriah and the grand-son of Mahseiah. This exact same description is used for Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, in Jeremiah 32:12. Evidently Seraiah and Baruch were brothers. According to verse 59 this message or instruction was given to Seraiah in the fourth year of Zedekiah.
In 597 BC Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah to put down a rebellion started by king Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim died before Nebuchadnezzar arrived and his 18 year old son took over. Nebuchadnezzar took the son, Jehoiachin, captive (along with many others including the prophet Ezekiel) and placed Mattaniah, Jehoiakim’s brother (Jehoiachin’s uncle), on the throne. Nebuchadnezzar also gave Mattaniah a new name, Zedekiah. The people put a lot of pressure on Zedekiah to start another rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar. In Jeremiah 27:1-3 we see a group of representatives from surrounding kingdoms in Jerusalem. Jeremiah gave a message for those representatives to take back to their kings, “God had put Nebuchadnezzar in power don’t fight him.” According to Jeremiah 27:1 this was early in the reign of Zedekiah.
For some reason Zedekiah was called to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in the fourth year of his (Zedekaiah’s) reign. That would make it 593 BC. Maybe Nebuchadnezzar had heard of the “meeting” in Jerusalem and wanted to make it clear to Zedekiah that there were to be no more revolts. What ever the reason Zedekiah was going to Babylon and Seraiah was going with him.
According to verse 60 Jeremiah wrote a message about the destruction of Babylon on a scroll. The wording of verse 60 suggests it was the message we have just been looking at. Jeremiah gave the scroll to Seraiah and told him that as soon as he reached Babylon he was to unroll the scroll and read it aloud. After reading the scroll he was to summarize what he had read then he was to take a rock, tie it to the scroll and throw the scroll into the Euphrates River. After that he was to tell whoever was listening that Just like the scroll sank to the bottom never to rise again that Yahweh would cause Babylon to sink down never to rise again as a world power.
Today’s reading ends by telling us that these have been the words of Jeremiah. In Jeremaih 1:1 we started out the book with very similar words, “The words of Jeremiah…” Sometimes writers use the same words or idea at the beginning and end of a section to create a sort of literary envelope to help us understand that what we have read all goes together, scholars call this technique an “inclusio” (Like the word “included” or grouped together). In Jeremaih 1:9-10 Yahweh (LORD) told Jeremiah that he had been chosen to be a messenger to the nations and kingdoms. Jeremiah would yank out, break down, destroy, and overthrow nations. Of course he didn’t actually do this but he was the messenger of God warning of the actions that Yahweh was going to take against these nations and kingdoms. Jeremiah would also build up and plant. Again, he didn’t physically do this either but if people or kings would listen to his warnings and turn back to God then those people of nations would be planted or established.
The book of Jeremiah has had two main players in it, Babylon and Judah. The book begins with a warning of coming disaster in the lives of the Jews living in Judah and ends with a warning of coming disaster for Babylon. Babylon would be God’s tool for punishing Judah for defecting from him and in a way Judah would play a part, not the actual tool (that would be Cyrus), in the destruction of Babylon. If you have read “The Old Testament Connection” you know that Israel was to be an example to the nations around them; teaching mankind the story of the one true God, Yahweh. Even in their rebellion and disobedience they wound up being that example because the world could see how serious God is about truly living for him. Sin has a real price that must be paid and Yahweh cannot be bought off with good intentions or little trinkets. We cannot get to God using our own powers and ideas (the lesson to be learned from the history of Babylon) and God’s design for life is God’s design and when we ignore it we put ourselves on the outside of God’s good place for us (the lesson from Judah and Babylon and all the other players in the book). Sin (rebellion, disobedience, disrespect toward God) has a price, death (separation). God does not ignore sin. The repeated calls to repent or return or come back in the book, though, tell us that God doesn’t just write us off either. He has a solution for sin, Jesus. Jesus paid the price of separation so that we could come back to God and so that God could actually live inside of us through his Holy Spirit. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can work toward honoring God more and more with our lives. Judah would eventually be restored as a nation, Babylon would sink to rise no more (the Babylon in the book of Revelation is a different place and nation that reflects the same attitudes as the original Babylon). Nations are not the point though people are. God’s forever kingdom isn’t built nation by nation but one person at a time. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are tired and weighed down and I will give you rest.” In Revelation 22:17 Jesus is speaking to the world through the Holy Spirit and through his followers (the “bride” is the church, or those who have responded already to God’s offer of peace through Jesus). Jesus says “Let the thirsty person come to me, the one who wants to drink the water of life with God.” He was talking to individuals; to you and me. If you haven’t let Jesus deal with your sins come to him today.
Jesus thank you for being the water of life. Thank you for caring about people. Thank you for making a way back to God. Help those who read this hear and understand and return to God through you. Thank you for loving us, each and every one.