Jeremiah 50:1-10--Judgment on Babylon (Part 1)

Jeremiah 50:1-10
English Standard Version

Judgment on Babylon
50 The word that the LORD spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet:

2 “Declare among the nations and proclaim,
    set up a banner and proclaim,
    conceal it not, and say:
‘Babylon is taken,
    Bel is put to shame,
    Merodach is dismayed.
Her images are put to shame,
    her idols are dismayed.’

3 “For out of the north a nation has come up against her, which shall make her land a desolation, and none shall dwell in it; both man and beast shall flee away.

4 “In those days and in that time, declares the LORD, the people of Israel and the people of Judah shall come together, weeping as they come, and they shall seek the LORD their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion, with faces turned toward it, saying, ‘Come, let us join ourselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.’

6 “My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold. 7 All who found them have devoured them, and their enemies have said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their habitation of righteousness, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’

8 “Flee from the midst of Babylon, and go out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as male goats before the flock. 9 For behold, I am stirring up and bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country. And they shall array themselves against her. From there she shall be taken. Their arrows are like a skilled warrior who does not return empty-handed. 10 Chaldea shall be plundered; all who plunder her shall be sated, declares the LORD.

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The LORD will now begin to proclaim judgment on the kingdom of Babylon and the Chaldeans in particular.  Note this is a very long passage, so I'm cutting it up into multiple parts for myself and for you, but I recommend you read it in its entirety if possible.

In all these passages, the LORD makes clear that His contest is with the false gods of these pagan peoples.  In this case, the Babylonians worshiped the god named Bel.  Babylon will be defeated and Bel will be put to shame because it will be revealed that Bel could do nothing to save the people who worshiped him (contrast this with the LORD always working to bring about the salvation of His people in both the Old and New Testaments).

Shortly after the fall of Babylon, the LORD will use another kingdom to release His people back to their ancestral homeland and they will gather once again on Mount Zion in Jerusalem to worship the LORD together in His holy Temple.  The world will once again ask for directions on how to get to Jerusalem because they too want to come and worship the LORD and learn more about Him from His people.  No more will Israel and the Temple be words that leave a bad taste in peoples' mouths.  It will be obvious to the people that the LORD makes eternal covenants with His people, and the other nations of the world will desire to be in an eternal covenant with the LORD so that they too might have His blessing and protection.

The LORD now turns His attention to the people who were like defenseless sheep that had evil shepherds that were supposed to watch over them and care for them, but instead the shepherds fleeced the sheep for themselves, let them wander away so that the sheep got lost, and let the sheep get devoured by their enemies.  Certainly the LORD will judge these "shepherds" of the people (the kings, prophets, priests, and other leaders) for the way in which they did not care for the LORD's flock.

The LORD also speaks of the enemies of the LORD who attacked Israel and Judah.  Yes, He used them to execute His judgment, but that does not absolve them of the evil they did towards His people.  They could have taken the people of of the Land without mistreating them.  These kings and kingdoms had the opportunity to learn about the LORD and become worshipers of Him, but they instead tried to turn the people of Israel and Judah into worshipers of their false gods and change their worldview so they would become like the nations that had taken them captive.

The LORD tells the god-fearing people of Babylon to get out before He sends a strong army to judge them.  He will first use the Medo-Persian empire to judge them, and then the nations of Greece and Rome.  These fierce armies will make the Babylonian Empire pale in comparison, though the spiritual kingdom of Babylon will not go away and will continue to stand in opposition to the LORD and His people until the end of days.  The wealth of the wise men of Babylon will be plundered and neither Bel nor any of the other Babylonian gods will be able to save them from the arm of the LORD.