Jeremiah 51 – Oracle Against Babylon Again – Jeremiah
here repeats that the “moral arc” of God’s dealing with Israel and Babylon will
be long, but in the end Babylon whom God used to punish the unfaithfulness of
His people, will also be brought low by its “kingdom from the north” [Persia].
“The Lord made the earth by his power; by his
wisdom he created the world and stretched out the heavens. At his command the
waters above the sky roar; he brings clouds from the ends of the earth. He
makes lightning flash in the rain and sends the wind from his storeroom. At the
sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless; those who make idols are
disillusioned because the gods they make are false and lifeless. . . The God of
Jacob is not like them; he is the one who made everything, and he has chosen
Israel to be his very own people” (51:15-19). This monotheistic approach to religion, this Creator God held high by
the people of Abraham, will – after everything – show that the wonders and
miracles of nature are also reflected in the history of humankind.
God
is a mace that will be used against Babylon: “I will dry her rivers up, make her springs run dry, and turn Babylon
into a heap of stone, a lair for jackals, and thing of horror and of scorn with
no one living in it” (51:36).
Jeremiah
sends Seraiah, brother of Baruch, to read every word of the Babylonian oracle
to them and then to throw the scroll into the Euphrates saying “so shall
Babylon sing, never to rise again. . .”(51:64). “The words of Jeremiah end here” (51:64).
Jeremiah 52 – This chapter seems
tagged on to just put the key events of Jerusalem’s fall into a very brief
historical context: Zedekiah was 22 when he became king (597 BC), and served 11
years before the end came for Jerusalem and the kingdom of Judah (586 BC). In his ninth year, the siege
began. When he was captured his
sons were killed before his eyes and then he was blinded and taken in chains to
Babylon. The valuable fixings of the Temple were carried off. The High Priest, Seraiah, his next-in-line,
Zephaniah, and a number of others were killed in Riblah. A total of 4,600 people were taken into
exile. In Babylon, the king
Jehoiachin remained in prison until 561/560 and then he was released and
treated honorably at the expense of the government there until his death.
Romans
12 – “Do not conform yourself to this age but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will
of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect” (12:1). As the body has many
parts so we, though many, are one body in Christ (12:4-5). All these words are so precious:
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold
on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection. . .” (12:9).
“Bless
those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. . .do not be
haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own
estimation. Do not repay anyone
evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. . .Beloved,
do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written,
‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ Rather, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him
something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his
head.’ Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good” (12:9-21).
These
words of Christ are here even before the first gospel was written, one of the
relatively few occasions where we hear Paul repeat Jesus’ teaching rather than
reflecting on what Jesus did—in his dying and rising again.
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