Jeremiah 51:59-64--The Utter Destruction of Babylon (Part 6)

Jeremiah 51:59-64
English Standard Version

59 The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. 60 Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. 61 And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 62 and say, ‘O LORD, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ 63 When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 64 and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

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Though there is another chapter at the end of the book of Jeremiah telling how the prophecies spoken by Jeremiah came true, it seems these are the final words spoken or penned by Jeremiah the prophet.  He gave the words of this book to the quartermaster for King Zedekiah and made him promise to read the words of this prophecy (because they were promises of hope and deliverance for the people of God and promises of recompense and wrath for those who attacked and mistreated the people of God) once the Exiles made it to Babylon.  It would be these words that the prophet Daniel would study that would cause him to fast and pray for his people that they might be ready to return to the Land once the 70 years of Exile had been completed.

Jeremiah wanted the words of the book read and then to have a stone tied to it and have it cast into the midst of the mighty Euphrates River.  This would be a sign of what the LORD was going to do to the king and kingdom of Babylon.  They would sink, never to rise again.  The LORD is going to bring disaster upon them, and it will wear them out so that they become exhausted.  This is the word of the LORD given through the prophet Jeremiah.