©Laura Haverkamp
Chapter 51:59-64 (ESV) - 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. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, 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.’ When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, 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.
Question to consider: What do you think would have been the reaction of the Chaldeans to hearing the word given through Jeremiah when they were read aloud by Seraiah?
Thankfully, Jeremiah must have written more than one copy of this word concerning Babylon, or we would not be privy to it today. I would have liked to have seen the faces of the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors when they heard Seraiah read them out loud before casting the scroll into the midst of the Euphrates and announcing that Babylon would rise no more.
Maybe they just dismissed him as a crazy person and ignored him, but given that Nebuchadnezzar seemed to be aware of Jeremiah and sent Nebuzaradan to protect him in exile, I would guess that Jeremiah was seen as a prophet. We know that Daniel was a reader of Jeremiah even into the reign of the Median king, Darius the son of Ahasuerus, for he referred to him when praying about the time of desolation coming to an end in chapter nine of his book.
Daniel was considered by Nebuchadnezzar and those associated with him to be a prophet and interpreter of dreams. I’d even argue that as ruler of the Magi, Daniel provided an astrological framework for the coming of the Messiah such that the Magi more than five hundred years later saw the alignment and began their journey to Herod’s palace to welcome the king of kings.
Today, self-proclaimed prophets like to interpret what they consider the “still small voice” of God (emphasis on still). By this, they believe that whatever word enters into their mind during a time of prayer must be a revelation from God. Then they give sermons about the word they received rather than the word that has been written for us in scripture. This behavior is more akin to the false prophets of Jeremiah's day. As we learned back in chapter 14, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.” (Jeremiah 14:14)
There was no question that the word that came to Jeremiah was from the LORD, for it was audible, it was recorded as scripture and proclaimed, and it came to pass. The word of the LORD puts the focus on God and not man, and calls people to repentance. If we want to hear the word of the LORD today, we must open the pages of scripture to do so. The full revelation of God culminated in the crowning of Christ as the Holy One of Israel and one true King.
Everything else which is spoken today puts the focus on worldly events and the glory of men when our focus should always be on the glorious reign of Christ. In fact rather than seeking glory in this world, we are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ. Having known Christ for many years, I can attest to the fact that I have been blessed in doing so, but my joy has not come out of worldly success but in knowing and being known by Christ.
I am thankful for the written word of God because its unchanging nature reveals the mercy and glory of God. It reveals a God who demonstrated His love for His creation by becoming one of us, fulfilling the Law where we had failed, and sacrificing His own life so that we may be justified before our Creator and live eternally with Him.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for revealing Your holiness and mercy even to the Chaldeans. Help us to grow in our knowledge of You so that we may learn to love You with our mind, body, and strength. Amen.