Jeremiah 25
February 1, 2024 4:36 PM
Solitary Man
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(Please refer to the Preface and Introduction sections found in the Jeremiah Chapter 1 commentary for some general information about this chapter by chapter study of Jeremiah).
Jer 25:1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon;
We now take one of Jeremiah’s jumps backward in time. Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ruled from 608 to 597 BC. Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar) reigned from 608 to 562 BC. Thus the prophecy came right around 605 BC. We shall see this same exact time for the portions of the book beginning at 36:1 and 45:1 also. Do not trouble yourself if it was 605 or 604 – each kingdom and even different eras within kingdoms counted years differently. Some counted the year even if they only began reigning on the last day of that year, others only began counting the first year when they ruled for the entire year of it. Or some combination thereof. There were reigns where they ruled as co-regents with their father. Some authors counted the co-regency as part of the years, others did not. That is why it is foolish to listen to the mockers and scoffers saying there are so many dating errors in the word. In general, they do not know what they are talking about, having not done their homework. If a man truly seeks to honor God in teaching his word, God will reveal his secrets to them. If you go in with a wicked, unbelieving heart, thinking that I will not be biased but speak of errors if I find them, then God will let you be deceived, and even let you teach others of like heart, thus sealing your judgment.
Jer 25:2 The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying,
Jer 25:3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.
God gave his word to everyone in the land who was willing to listen, as Jeremiah spoke to all the people, so it must have been in a very public place. Think of his faithfulness, speaking for 23 years, with no real positive feedback. He must not of been Canadian, because as soon as he would have given the first prophecy and someone got offended, he would of profusely apologized and never spoken again.
The time period is from 627 to 605 BC. The 13th year is the 13th year of Josiah’s reign (627), the 23rd year is the time period from that year that God has been trying to warn them (605). This represents the first of the 2 major time periods that Jeremiah’s ministry pertained to. Note that Josiah ruled from 639 to 608, so they had about 19 years when they had a good king who promoted the law like no king ever did before him. 19 years where they had no excuse, the king enforced true Yahweh worship, and tried to extend it even to Samaria. Then another 4 years when the kings turned wicked once again.
I am fascinated at the parallel we are currently living in regarding America today. From 911 to covid, we had 20 years under fairly normal conditions, even culminating with the last 4 years under the most favorably patriotic president that we have had in some time. The last 4 years are now under a particularly wicked ruler, which takes us to 2024. 2001 to 2020, then 4 more years to 2024, making it a total of 23 years that God has been speaking to us, again and again, but who is listening?
As in Judah’s case, perhaps 2024 is the year that time runs our for America. All those heathen that have been invading via the open border may finally be released to attack us. Perhaps the 2024 election will signal the end of America. Perhaps America doesn’t even make it to that point. In any event, this 19 years under a ‘normal’ king and 4 more years under worthless kings, then God said he was done speaking, and the end came. 2001 to 2024, could it possibly be? As we look around us today, is it far fetched to believe that we may experience the exact same fate? Of course, Judah was not destroyed in 605. Yet I find it highly provocative that God has singled out this 23 year span – why would he not have spoken of a longer span that would of taken them right to 587 or 586? I think that means that there is a hint of something deeper at work in the text.
Jer 25:4 And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened (shama), nor inclined your ear to hear (shama).
God loves us so much that he is not willing for any to perish, but that all might be saved. That is why he gave us the prophetic books. He does not necessarily need to send another Jeremiah again, though there is nothing stopping him from doing so. He has sent all the prophets that we will ever need in each generation, whether found in the word, or found in the flesh. He sends his messenger at the earliest opportunity. But we have done nothing to shama, nor have we even tried to shama.
Jer 25:5 They said, Turn ye again (shoob) now every one from his evil (rah) way (deh-rek), and from the evil (ro-ah) of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and to your fathers for ever and ever:
Jer 25:6 And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt (raw-ah – I will not break you into pieces).
Prophets are not created to tell you how wonderful you are. Prophets are serious people, tasked with a serious mission – to save God’s people, certain nations, and even all of mankind from destruction and damnation. Those tv prophets that have a frivolous personal prophecy for each soul in the audience are no better than psychics and soothsayers.
God is continually demanding that we shoob. We are to turn away from sin and turn back to God. Shoob away from sin, shoob back to God. If you want to live in the inheritance that God gave you on the cross, you must live for Jesus. You cannot live for self. Living for self leads ultimately to being enslaved to other elohim. Anyone can provoke God. Do not make other gods in your life. Whether or not you bow to an idol of stone, or become addicted to your social media account, your heart is meant for God and God alone.
Jer 25:7 Yet ye have not hearkened (shama) unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt (rah).
God concludes his lament for his rebellious people by stating that no matter what he did, they refused to hear and obey. All they did was provoke God, like they were poking a bear.
Jer 25:8 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard (shama) my words,
Now comes God’s mishpat – his decree, his verdict, his righteous judgment that he pronounces on these people who had 23 years to repent, but refused to do so. How many of us have even a fraction of this kind of patience with anyone?
Jer 25:9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment (waste), and an hissing (derision), and perpetual (eternal) desolations (dry place).
Notice how God calls the pagan king his servant. God can take anyone, at any time, and knowingly or unknowingly use him for his greater purposes. Nebuchadnezzar was made to realize who God was after being given seven years of madness. Cyrus was also God’s servant, but he did not know Yahweh (Is 45:1-5). When God’s anger is stirred, there is often collateral damage. Not only the people of Judah, but the land itself would be laid waste. Not only Judah, but the surrounding nations will be caught up in the devastation. Not only America, but Canada and the entire west is caught up in God’s judgment against America. While each nation is being punished for their own sin, there will be a collective calamity when America finally falls. The end result is shame and ruin, nothing left for the next generation. We cannot presume to know how God will use someone as his instrument. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Judah, was then used to proclaim the reality of God to all the earth, and not too long after, his own kingdom of Babylon fell. The cabal, Russia, or China could all be God’s instruments to bring destruction upon us. When God is done judging us, he will take care of each of them in turn as well.
Jer 25:10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
See how business and energy will be shut down. Joy will flee. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s really difficult to find any joy in day to day living, unless you wilfully choose to pretend that all this tyranny is not really happening. It’s hard to not be reminded of it. You see it on tv, on the internet. You see it on the streets, in your coworkers, in your relatives. You see it in the inflation in the stores, in your dwindling bank account, in the loss of services you thought would always be there, like ethical doctors and hospitals. Now with the European farmer protests getting uglier by the hour, we are truly watching the collapse of western civilization in real time. Who would ever think that we would actually hear people speak at the WEF about criminalizing farming? Why can’t they just be honest at this point in the game, and say that our plan is now to starve you. We have just finished poisoning as many of you as we could. That was a partial success, but locking up all farmers as criminals should do the trick on the rest of you.
Jer 25:11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Here is one of those ‘go out on a limb’ prophecies. An exact prediction of something in the future at a precise time. How many wannabe prophets try to do this same thing and fall flat on their face? The bible says that someone who predicts falsely is someone we should not be afraid of (Dt 18:22). If they go so far as to try and encourage you to depart from the faith, you’re then supposed to kill them (Dt 18:20). Yet most Christians give these people a free pass. They claim that it’s normal for a prophet to miss it. That may apply to an individual believer speaking a word of encouragement to another, but never should we ignore false predictions. Perhaps true prophets can misspeak, but I don’t know how we can accommodate that when we look at what God says about it. In any event, giving out words that speak of a specific event such as this are relatively rate. The book of Daniel is a big exception. He had a very unique ministry. A handful of phenomenal miracles, followed by 4 amazingly detailed unveilings of the future over the course of many years.
What was even more interesting is that Daniel used this verse as the basis for his famous prayer in Daniel chapter 9. He started to pray for the fulfillment of this promise about 3 years before it was to occur. He was then rewarded with the most amazingly precise revelation of the timing of the 1st coming of the Messiah in Dan 9:24-27. Even though this was a promise in scripture that could not be broken, yet God moved upon Daniel’s heart to pray for it to come to pass. In some mysterious way Daniel’s prayer was needed. So we too should not hesitate to pray for future certainties to come to pass, like the second coming of Jesus.
Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity (perversity), and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations (I will utterly lay it waste).
Just because God uses the wicked for some divine purpose does not mean that they are exonerated for their crimes. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon – all were used by God for one purpose or another, yet all ultimately were destroyed for their wickedness. Just because God chose to reveal himself in a special way to Nebuchadnezzar did not mean that the evil promulgated by his nation was somehow forgiven. Their judgment was to be complete. Babylon would never rise again. It is not a terribly desirable task to be given – that of being the instrument of God’s wrath against God’s own. Somehow it always ends up worse for that nation than for the people of God that they were sent to discipline.
Babylon is singled out for several discourses of judgment. Is 13,14; Jer 50,51; Rev 14,17,18 all contain severe judgments on this kingdom. The two other kingdoms that have detailed prophetic penalties in the scripture are Egypt and Tyre. However Babylon seems to be in a class of its own.
It is generally agreed that Babylon is more than just an ancient kingdom. It is a world system, originating in Babel, most likely under Nimrod, who was probably a Nephilim. Prophecy buffs love to associate the latest evil nation with Babylon. Many believe Babylon is America today. There are certainly many moral parallels.
What is uncertain is if Babylon was supposed to rise again. Scriptures like this one are used to argue that when God overthrew Babylon in 539 BC, it was to be made a perpetual desolation. Later in Jeremiah it will say that no man will dwell there ever again. Since we take the scriptures very literally wherever possible, this may pose a problem.
I think the problem is solved if we agree that the physical land of the original Babylon will be, and has been, laid waste, but spiritual Babylon is alive and well. Thus we are doing no injury to the text is applying its judgments onto America today. No one can say for certain that this is valid, but most would have no issue with doing so.
Another way of interpreting such passages is to look carefully at the word inhabitant (yaw-shab), such as is found in 25:9. Inhabitant is more than just a survivor sojourning and attempting to stay alive in some desolate place. It carries the idea of a settler, a dweller, where a permanent life has been established. Thus when God pronounces that a place will be without inhabitant, perhaps we are taking this hyper literally and missing the mark. All permanent, peaceful, secure dwelling places would of been destroyed. There may be survivors existing in the rubble, or in temporary shelters. That would not negate the accuracy of the judgment. I was recently watching an apocalyptic movie, where survivors were hiding in the ruins. You would not call them inhabitants. They did not really live there. They were temporarily sojourning there, trying to stay alive, with no guarantee of tomorrow. The place could of easily been described as having no real inhabitants within. God will speak to us using examples in our daily lives, even as he spoke to Jeremiah by watching the potter at work (ch 18), or by examining what happened to his buried garment (ch 13).
Jer 25:13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
We find these prophecies in chapters 46 through 51. Thus they must of already been written. The Septuagint actually places those chapters right here. The Masoretic text leaves it as a separate section almost at the end. It makes more sense to group them separately, so the reader does not lose the flow of God’s dealings with Judah.
Here is an example of using some common sense when claiming to be a literalist in interpreting scripture. God spoke of Jeremiah prophesying against all the nations. Of course, there were many nations that Jeremiah did not prophesy about. What is intended is that all the nations that Jeremiah prophesied against, can be found in this book of prophecy. Sometimes it’s just the way we phrase something in another language that may cause a misunderstanding.
Jer 25:14 For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also (shall make them their servants): and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.
The English here is obscure. ‘Serve themselves’ was better understood in the 17th century, but is now obscure and ambiguous. The sense is that eventually those nations that were slaves of Babylon will turn around and enslave them. God always repays justly, according to what you deserve.
Jer 25:15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury (poison, rage, wrathy) at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
Jer 25:16 And they shall drink, and be moved (agitate violently, be troubled), and be mad (to rave, to be clamorously foolish), because of the sword that I will send among them.
God’s anger at not only Judah, but all the surrounding nations, will be poured out through Babylon. We see how God uses the devil’s own people as he wills. It is a mysterious relationship. The devil and his fallen ones have been given authority over all the Gentile tribes, yet God can deputize or draft them into his service. Almost all of the time they have no idea that they are being used to do God’s will. They think their evil plots were conjured up by themselves. Yet the hand of the Lord may be behind it.
Now does that mean that they are not culpable for their actions? God forbid, as Paul says. God never forces anyone to wickedness. He foresees all, and weaves his will even amongst the wicked. They may go far beyond what God intends, but no one will escape judgment. These sorts of things are what gives us true comfort, the fact that there is nothing beyond God’s control. The wicked scoff and mock at us for being so weak and gullible, having a pat explanation for all the evil in the world. Well I rather embrace the reality revealed in the scripture than pride myself in being a self made man who doesn’t need the ‘crutch’ of religion. It matters not if we are perceived as weak. What matters is the truth. God’s word is truth. There is no other place in the universe to go and find it.
Whether or not a nation wants to accept God’s cup of wrath is irrelevant. You can pretend all you want that you don’t believe in God. You will drink. And when you drink, you will lose your mind. Your society will fall apart. People will start doing insane things. Nonsense will be believed. Fear will be on every side.
Sound familiar?
Death jabs, sodomy, transgenderism, destruction of farmland and fossil fuels, chemtrails, mrna poison injections in animals, culling of billions of animals, open borders, endless wars, unlimited money printing – nothing insane about all that, is there?
Jer 25:17 Then took I the cup at the LORD’S hand, and made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me:
Whether you want to partake of judgment or not, you will partake. This verse symbolizes that Jeremiah ensured that each nation heard what God wanted them to hear. Have we made sure that those whom he has sent us to are hearing the right things?
Jer 25:18 To wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse; as it is this day;
We now read a list of the various tribes and nations that will experience God’s wrath via Babylon. Some are well known, many are obscure. Judah is mentioned first, as judgment always begins in the house of God (1 Pet 4:17).
‘As it is this day’. Whereas this prophecy, according to verse 1, was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, but Jerusalem was not made such a desolation till the eleventh year of Zedekiah, which was eighteen years after. Some think that though the thing were yet to come, yet the prophet spoke of it as past, because of the certainty of it, which is but what is ordinary in the prophetical writings. Others think that these words were added after the captivity of Jeremiah, when his prophecies were rewritten. Others from these words judge that this part of the chapter was a prophecy at some other time following what was in the beginning of this chapter. Others think that he adds these words because the carrying into captivity was at this time begun, though not completed until the eleventh year of Zedekiah. You see how opinions are like relatives from the spouse’s side of the family – there’s way too many of them, they clamour for your attention, but are too often not very useful! I will leave it you, the dear reader, as to what you think God meant by that final phrase.
The main point is that Judah is toast. Instead of being an example of God’s special favor, they will be an example of God’s special curse. Think of the holocaust. Or the aftermath of October 7, 2023. How the entire world to this day hates the Jews with an irrational hatred. They think the cabal is all Jews, all the time, all the day long. Didn’t know Gates, Soros, Schwab were Jewish names!
Jer 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, and his servants, and his princes, and all his people;
The list begins with the people of the south and proceeds northwards.
Jer 25:20 And all the mingled people (ay-reb – mixed multitude, mongrel people), and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah (Gaza), and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,
This Uz was in Edom, not the Uz of Job. The mixed multitude were a collection of mixed bloods that dwelt between Egyot and Philistia. 4 of the 5 main cities of the Philistines are mentioned. The exception is Gath, which had been destroyed by this time.
Jer 25:21 Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon,
The three estranged brothers of Israel. Esau, and the children of Lot.
Jer 25:22 And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon (Sidon), and the kings of the isles (coastlands) which are beyond the sea,
Jesus preached even unto Tyre and Sidon (Mk 7:24,31). The isles, or coastland, many think is referring to Cyprus. Modern interpreters love to see all references to isles in the old testament as Britain, or even North America. A bit of a stretch in most places, but definitely not the meaning here.
Jer 25:23 Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners (in the most isolated areas),
Dedan descended from Abraham by Keturah (Gn 25:3). Probably founded the city Dedan which was annexed to Edom ((Jr 49:8, Ez 25:13). Tema was one of Ishmael’s sons (Gn 25:15). A city or district was named after him, near the mountains that separated Arabia from Chaldea. Buz was the brother of Uz (Gn 22:21), and settles in the same area. Elihu, the wisest of Job’s friends, was a Buzite (Jb 32:2). The utmost corners could be the most remote part of the Arabian peninsula.
Jer 25:24 And all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert,
Some tribes in Arabia proper were singled out, here they are all included. The mingled people would of referred to the Bedouins and the wanderers between Mesopotamia and Palestine. They had no fixed home, and promiscuously intermingled with whoever they traded with or captured. No matter where you are or where you go, if God has singled you out for judgment, you cannot escape.
Jer 25:25 And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes,
Zimri descended from one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah (Gn 25:2,6). Elam is another name for the Persians. The Medes were descended from Madai, the son of Japhet.
Jer 25:26 And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.
The north kingdoms would of predominantly referred to Syria. Those afar off may of been the Hyrcanians and Bactrians. And all the kingdoms of the world, would of referred to the known world at the time, or the nations that the Jews were aware of. In any event, these were all the nations that Babylon had at its zenith conquered, thus showing that all these nations losing sovereignty to Babylon was all a sign of God’s judgment, not just on Judah alone.
Sheshach means Babylon (see Jer 51:41). No one quite knows why this symbolic name was chosen for this kingdom. Once Babylon was finished being God’s instrument of wrath on all the nations around her, so she too would drink of this cup. We can certainly consider a double meaning, or fulfillment here, as Babylon was judged at 539 BC, but will be judged again in the book of Revelation.
Jer 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue (vomit), and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.
As the old gods have returned to our lands and repaganized them, our leaders have lost their wits and are acting like insensible drunks. How else can you explain things like the WEF allowing depraved genocidal lunatics to propose that farming be considered ecocide, a genocide against the planet, as if the planet itself should have the same rights as all humans. The narrative becomes more and more insane, because they know that what satan has ordered them to do cannot be couched in any remotely plausible argument. That woman was calling for the destruction of all human food on the planet, and the mass starvation of billions. And this was considered a legitimate topic amongst the world’s richest people.
Can we get past trying to prove that what their side says is just a conspiracy theory? A conspiracy theory is something you think to be true, but cannot definitively prove. Today there is nothing left to prove anymore. Just go and listen to what the demon possessed are openly saying.
God will so punish theses people with blindness and deceit, that they will be like the hard core drunk who drinks until he vomits and passes out. They will not regain their former glory ever again.
Jer 25:28 And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Ye shall certainly drink (shaw-thaw shaw-thaw).
Whenever we read something like ‘most certainly’ or ‘certainly’, it usually means the same Hebrew word is repeated. Jesus did the same thing with his verily, verilies. It is like saying this is really, really the case. You or your nation’s leaders can try to reject the true word of judgment all you want, but your free will is of no use to you in this case. When it’s time to pay for your wrong choices, then there is no place to run, except the cross of Christ. That is why the cross is so unique in human history. Without it, only the choice of God to spare one or another could save you, and that was never guaranteed. At the cross, whosoever will can come and be cleansed and be spared the eternal damnation that they deserve.
Jer 25:29 For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
Judgment, as always, began with God’s tribe. If God is willing to destroy those he has chosen and loved in a special way, how much more the goy (Gentiles) who were under the dominion of other elohim? All means all. Not just the known world, but here God wants to make sure that no one who has ever lived will escape. If during Babylon’s hour no one on earth escaped, how much more so will we, at the end of all things, with the technology the antichrist has to track and trace everyone on the planet, escape?
Jer 25:30 Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his
habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Jer 25:31 A noise (tumult) shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy (strife, contention) with the nations (goy – Gentiles), he will plead (shaw-fat – judge, pronounce sentence) with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
God will make his voice heard in the end. I believe the prophecy is morphing into more of an end time pronouncement. The entire planet will not be able to escape the fact that God is the one bringing tribulation. He is angry at every Gentile nation. It speaks about the wicked. Although all men may be labelled wicked, apart from the cleansing blood of Jesus, I believe scripture speaks of three classes of people – the saved, the lost, and the wicked that have made such an irrevocable choice that any hope of salvation has been wilfully rejected forever. This passage reminds us of their guaranteed fate.
Jer 25:32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts (flank, rear, border, coast) of the earth.
Did not the covid scam spread to absolutely every nation on the planet? Have we ever seen such a thing? Even world war two did not touch every nation like covid did. Can this whirlwind refer to the border invasions that are happening in all the western nations?
Jer 25:33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
Mass genocide is inevitable in the day of wrath. Died suddenly has now become so common, it is rarely even talked about. Governments are murdering their own citizens with impunity. So many deaths being covered up, with no chance to properly lament them, because one cannot discuss the cause of death, or there is another death to adjust to just around the corner. I have seen videos of automated vehicles that scoop up dead bodies to be dumped in the trash. The dead will soon become so numerous that we may have to leave them rotting in the streets.
Jer 25:34 Howl, ye shepherds, and cry (shriek); and wallow yourselves in the ashes (roll in the dust), ye principal (lordly, mighty, noble) of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions (being dashed in pieces) are accomplished (fulfilled); and ye shall fall (naphal) like a pleasant vessel (precious object).
Whether or not they have actually experienced total defeat by the Babylonians at this moment, as far as God was concerned, it was already done. You might as well shriek and wail because your utter destruction is now assured. You had your chance, and you refused to bend the knee.
Jer 25:35 And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.
The spiritual and the civil leadership have nowhere to run to escape the consequences. Let us embrace this promise as we live through all the injustices in our lands today.
Jer 25:36 A voice of the cry (shriek) of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal (ad-deer – famous, powerful) of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled (destroyed) their pasture.
A hard truth to internalize is that there does come a time in a person’s and a nation’s life where they have used up all their chances. We preach about the infinite mercy of God. How it endures forever. While his mercy will never disappear, it is not infinite. Otherwise no one would end up in hell. And if he does send the vast majority of people to hell when they die, is it such a stretch to believe when the bible teaches that you can be so cursed while still alive, that heaven is forever closed from that moment onward? This is not meant to scare the young believer, but simply to understand that some people have made a final irrevocable choice while still alive, and God honors that choice.
Jer 25:37 And the peaceable (shalom) habitations (homes) are cut down (ceased) because of the fierce (burning) anger (that comes up in his nostrils) of the LORD.
How many homes have lost their peace during covid and beyond? How many families were destroyed, some forever, by people taking sides. Those that were told to denounce and betray their loved ones because they refused to shut their brains off.
Jer 25:38 He hath forsaken (relinquished) his covert (tabernacle), as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor (or because of his raging sore displeasure), and because of his fierce anger (furious wrath that comes up to his nostrils).
God has left many earthly tabernacles (churches) in our generation. The land is indeed becoming more desolate and dangerous. Whether it be by the fierceness of the enemy, or due to God’s raging anger against mankind’s rebellion, the atmosphere is nothing like we grew up in.
Let us do all we can to rescue those who know not what is really out there, or what is about to come to pass.
Solitary Man
https://solitaryman.substack.com/
Photos courtesy Depositphotos
