Jeremiah

Chapter 51:12-24 (ESV) - “Set up a standard against the walls of Babylon;
    make the watch strong;
set up watchmen;
    prepare the ambushes;
for the LORD has both planned and done
    what he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.
O you who dwell by many waters,
    rich in treasures,
your end has come;
    the thread of your life is cut.
The LORD of hosts has sworn by himself:
Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts,
    and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.

“It is he who made the earth by his power,
    who established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,
    and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
    and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
Every man is stupid and without knowledge;
    every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his images are false,
    and there is no breath in them.
They are worthless, a work of delusion;
    at the time of their punishment they shall perish.
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.

“You are my hammer and weapon of war:
with you I break nations in pieces;
    with you I destroy kingdoms;
with you I break in pieces the horse and his rider;
    with you I break in pieces the chariot and the charioteer;
with you I break in pieces man and woman;
    with you I break in pieces the old man and the youth;
with you I break in pieces the young man and the young woman;
    with you I break in pieces the shepherd and his flock;
with you I break in pieces the farmer and his team;
    with you I break in pieces governors and commanders.

“I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea before your very eyes for all the evil that they have done in Zion, declares the LORD.

Question to consider: Why does the LORD use the past tense for a future event?

The final word against Babylon spoke about its destruction in the past tense even though it was written about seventy-seven years before it took place. When Jonah preached to the Ninevites, he said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4) By proclaiming it in the future tense, it gave room for them to repent as a nation and forgo the sentence pronounced upon them. Jonah was exceedingly angry at having to give this message because he knew he worshiped “a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (Jonah 4:2)

The judgment of the Babylonians, however, was described by the LORD as “both planned and done.” There was no turning back from it, and the only mercy that would be shown was in proclaiming it ahead of time for people who believed the LORD to flee. Just as the LORD had used Babylon as a hammer to break the nations, so they would be repaid in kind.

The LORD had used the description of Babylon as His “sword” in previous verses, but in this case, the description of a hammer was appropriate, for the context was related to idolatry. The LORD was the one who made heaven and earth, and man was stupid and without knowledge like the idols they made. Just like a hammer could be used to smash worthless idols, so Babylon was used to smash those who made them. Since they were idol makers themselves, they deserved the same fate.

People may get offended that the LORD called man stupid, especially when He used such “unscientific” descriptions of His creation like “bringing forth wind from His storehouses.” However, as intelligent as we think we are, we really know very little about the universe and how it came to be. At best we understand a handful of the LORD’s processes for how the universe is sustained, and even then at a very rudimentary level.

This decree, given in the past tense, would not only let the Babylonians know their fate was sealed, it would give assurance to those in exile who trusted in the LORD by going into captivity instead of hiding behind the walls of Jerusalem.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, thank You that Your word is true, and that all things that You have proclaimed have come to pass exactly as You proclaimed them. Above all, it is marvelous to witness that which has been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. May this truth help us to trust in You for our future. Amen.