Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.
Today we finished our 28th book of the Bible. And in case you were wondering, yes, chapter 51 is one of the longest chapters in the Bible. The sixth longest, to be precise. It picks up where chapter 50 left off yesterday, with the destruction of Babylon. But one thing that's important for us to remember as we're reading this is that some of the exiles of Judah are there when this invasion and destruction are taking place.
Given their track record for remembering God's word and his promises, there's a strong chance they may have forgotten that he's promised to rescue them and bring them back to Israel. It's possible that all they recall is that they were driven out of their country into exile and now they're being attacked while in the land of their exile. So one of the first things he says to them in this chapter is, "'Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God.'"
He reminds them that he's there with them, they're not alone, and that he's active in this process and will bring them back and restore their fortunes. He says he will plead their cause and take vengeance on their behalf by way of destroying Babylon. And when the destruction comes, all they need to do is pack up and go back to Jerusalem.
This reminds me of their exodus from Egypt, when God killed all the firstborn of Egypt and Pharaoh finally agreed to let them go. And they didn't leave empty-handed. They had the spoils of the Egyptians as payment for their slavery. But this time, when they leave Babylon, things will be slightly different.
God is going to punish Babylon for what they did to Israel, and they will be so thoroughly destroyed that nothing useful will come from them. He says not even a stone will be removed to use elsewhere. They're like a nuclear waste site. They're Chernobyl. In order to make this happen, God will prompt the king of Persia to come and destroy Babylon. He says that because he has planned it, it's as good as done. Because as we know, what God initiates, he sustains, and he fulfills. Nothing can stand against the Lord, no matter how fortified it seems.
He can overcome it. And while the Babylonians will be ashamed of their worthless idols, God's people not only don't have to be ashamed, but they also don't have to be afraid. Verse 46 says, Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful at the report heard in the land. It's not that it's not a frightening situation. God just says he can be trusted in the midst of it. God's people don't have to fear frightening things.
Jeremiah writes all this down and tells it to one of King Zedekiah's military officials. And by the way, when he does this, it's still seven years prior to the time when Judah is taken captive by Babylon, which is decades before Babylon is defeated by Persia. We don't need to know those dates, I'm just telling you that to help establish Jeremiah's proficiency as a prophet. In chapter 52, the final chapter of the book, we get an overview of the whole story, particularly the fulfillment of some of the early prophecies. Jeremiah,
Jerusalem was overthrown, the temple was plundered, then burned and destroyed, kings and leaders were killed, people were exiled, and in fact, there were three rounds of exile and deportation to Babylon. Yet there are stories of redemption, freedom, and hope in the midst of it all. And the redemption isn't just for those who do everything perfectly. It even includes people like wicked King Chin in his orange jumpsuit, the one we first met on day 231. By
By the way, there's one other thing I wanted to point out about his story today. You know how Jeremiah has been prophesying all along that Judah should surrender to Babylon if they want to survive, but all the kings resisted? King Chin was the only one who obeyed. He surrendered just three months into his reign. It probably looked like a fearful move, and maybe it was, but God blessed his obedience richly.
He was a wicked king by most accounts, but he did what God commanded in this one instance and God took care of him, just like he promised. God provides for and protects people we'd never expect to receive his blessing. That says a lot about God's heart. Despite King Chin's story being so near and dear to my heart, that's not my God shot for today. It was in 5119.
That verse comes right after God is talking about the idols of the Babylonians, and it says, Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things. And Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. The Lord of hosts is his name.
The God who made everything, who formed all things, as the verse says, gives his people himself. He owns everything, and he says, I'm the best gift. I'm better than all the stuff I've made. And I will give you plenty of those things for sure, but none of them will be as good a gift as me. And he's right. Ask anyone who has everything, and they'll tell you it doesn't satisfy.
There's an old song by John Mayer called Something's Missing that highlights this idea so perfectly. I know not all of you listen to that kind of music, so if you've missed it and you want to hear it, we'll link to it in the show notes. By the way, there are probably a thousand other songs out there that make this same point. That's just the one I thought of first.
So, people who have everything realize it doesn't satisfy. And on the other hand, some of the most content people I've ever met are homeless people who know Jesus. They get it. And they get it in a way that's very hard for the rest of us to understand.
But when God gives us the gift of himself, it's evidence that he gives us the very best gifts because there's nothing better than him. You've probably heard of the book called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It outlines five ways we give and receive love. Words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, gifts, and quality time.
I know God is fluent in all these, but I have a theory that maybe his primary love language is actually quality time, because he gives us himself. That's good news for us, because no matter what love languages we speak, he's where the joy is.
Tomorrow we'll be reading in the book of Lamentations. It's five chapters long. We've linked to a short video overview in the show notes that will really help set you up for success with this new book. Check it out if you've got seven minutes to spare. The Bible Recap is brought to you by DGroup, discipleship and Bible study groups that meet in homes and churches around the world each week.