Jeremiah in Prison
37: 1-21

Jeremiah in prison DIG: How would you make sense of Zedekiah’s feelings about the prophet? Why does Zedekiah respect him at times and then ignore him other times? Why does Jeremiah try leaving the City? Why doesn’t Irijah believe in him (21:8-10)? How does ADONAI use the evil events recorded in verses 14-21 for Jeremiah’s welfare and Zedekiah’s downfall? How does Yirmeyahu show his ability to think on his feet? Why is he persuasive? How did Jeremiah deal with the people of his day? What was it like to be with him when he wasn’t preaching a sermon or in the middle of a confrontation?

REFLECT: Do you know people who only want to hear “God’s will” that matches their own? Do you waver on ADONAI sometimes yourself? What did Jesus say about such behavior (Revelation 3:15-16)? Yirmeyahu has a trust problem, not altogether on his own making. How is trust built or broken? How can trust be rebuilt once broken? How do you make an appeal?

587 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim (37:1). Zedekiah was king for eleven years and all through those years he had conversations with Yirmeyahu. The king had mixed feelings about the prophet. Zedekiah respected him. How could he not? Jeremiah’s stature was immense, his integrity impressive, and his courage was legendary. But he was also an embarrassment, for the king permitted himself to be surrounded with the usual crowd of court officials, who were trying to gain advantage from their association with him. He knew full well that Jeremiah had a quiet contempt for such people.

In the summer of 588 BC Zedekiah had hope when the Egyptian army entered the land of Judah. Perhaps Zedekiah hoped that Yirmeyahu’s prayers would persuade God to grant a victory with the Egyptians and force Babylon out of Palestine. Babylon had just lifted her siege of Yerushalayim because Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt in an attempt to rescue Y’hudah from Babylon (to see link click Fp – A Lament Over Egypt). And when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about the Egyptians, the Babylonians withdrew temporarily from the City to meet the challenge. It was during this lull that an incident of the shameful and treacherous treatment of the slaves took place (see Fy – A Warning to Zedekiah). One senses in Jeremiah that hopes were high that the Egyptians would prevail (34:8-11). Yirmeyahu, however, warned the people against undue optimism since the City of David was doomed. It was a very brief time, perhaps only a few weeks, when the Egyptians were defeated and the siege was resumed. This was a chance for those who believed Jeremiah’s message to flee. Unfortunately, we have no record of any who did.

But a similar opportunity happened much later in Jewish history where the righteous of the TaNaKh did escape. When the Romans put Jerusalem under siege there had also been a lull in the fighting in 69 AD after Emperor Nero committed suicide and General Vespasian returned to Rome to be crowned as the new emperor. As a result, army camps surrounded Yerushalayim but the war did not progress. The Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah recognized that the situation was a perfect reflection of Yeshua’s prophetic Word: When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Luke 21:20). This led to a mass exodus of messianic Jews from Tziyon and Judea. They escaped to the mountains that are mainly in the modern so-called West Bank. In Pella, on the other side of the Jordan, in the region of Decapolis, they sought shelter from the imminent cruelty of the Roman’s war against the Jews. There they were received as peace-loving citizens and protected by King Agrippa.³²¹ Not one single messianic Jew is known to have died at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD! Faith in Yeshua and His Word saved the lives of Jewish believers.

A weak, vacillating person, Zedekiah was appointed to rule, we suspect, because the Babylonians knew that he had no will of his own and would submit to what was commanded. What they failed to anticipate was that he would do whatever he was told by anyone who happened to be in the room with him. When the Babylonians temporarily withdrew their siege, the pro-Egypt group filled the king’s head with the idea that Judah could throw off Babylonian rule with the help of Egypt. He was easily swayed. Sometimes he would have qualms of conscience and call on Jeremiah for a consultation and, for a brief time, pay attention to the prophetic word. But nothing lasted very long. The man was a marshmallow. He fit into the plans stronger people had for him. He was not an evil person . . . just weak.

But neither Zedekiah, nor his attendants, nor the people of the Land listened (Hebrew sh’ma) to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet (37:2). Zedekiah must have been one of the most difficult people in all of Jeremiah’s life. One king (Josiah) had been his close friend; one king (Jehoiakim) had been his relentless enemy. But this king was formless: he could never be counted on for anything, whether positive or negative. There was nothing to him. Meanwhile Yirmeyahu maintained his witness under the faithfulness of his God, quite apart from the fickle nature of his king.³²²

Scene One: Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah (who would shortly call for the prophet’s death in 38:4) with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah (who was a member of request for prayer on the part of Jeremiah in 21:1) to Jeremiah the prophet with this message, “Please pray to ADONAI our God for us” (37:3). Suddenly Zedekiah wanted prayer. Perhaps he hoped that YHVH would repeat the miracle of 701 BC when He eliminated the Assyrian armies surrounding Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put To Death a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp). But Yirmeyahu had already told Zedekiah about the fate of the City and the commencement of the siege. Zedekiah’s and Judah had reached the point of no return and the king’s request for prayer was merely a matter of circumstances . . . not conscience.

God’s answer, however, was not one Zedekiah sought. Then the word of the LORD came to Yirmeyahu the prophet. This is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Me, “Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back (shuwb) to its own land, to Egypt. Then the Babylonians will return (shuwb) and attack this City; they will capture it and burn it down. Do not deceive yourselves, thinking that the Babylonians will leave you like the false prophets are saying. They will not! Even if you were to defeat the entire Babylonian army that is attacking you and only slain men were left in their tents, they would come out and burn this City down (37:4-10). Such words, coming at a time when the morale of the people had been boosted by the Babylonian withdrawal, could only arouse bitter and violent antagonism against the prophet from Anathoth.

The Holy City was under final attack by the Babylonians. It would soon fall. Jeremiah had given counsel to the leaders and had preached to the people that the Babylonian presence was the judgment of ADONAI: It should be accepted and submitted to. They had sinned and they were being judged. The judgment was God’s way of restoring wholeness.

People didn’t like that. They kept trying to find ways to avoid the reality of judgment, of right and wrong, of sin and irresponsibility. One of their substitute ways of thinking was in terms of loyalty and disloyalty. Patriotism was used to muddle their sense of morality. It was as if they were saying, “Our beloved country is being attacked and we must be loyal to it. In times of crisis it is not right to criticize your leaders. It is disloyal, an act of treachery.”

Scene Two: The arrest of Jeremiah took place at some time during the interruption of the siege when there was a certain freedom for people to move about outside the City.³²³ One day, after the Babylonian army had temporarily withdrawn from Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s army, Jeremiah started to leave Tziyon to go to his hometown of Anathoth three miles away in the territory of Benjamin to get his share of his property among the people there (see Fs – Jeremiah Buys a Field). But when he reached the Benjamin Gate on the north side of the City, the captain of the guard, whose name was Irijah son of Shelemiah ben Hananiah arrested him and said: You are deserting to the Babylonians (37:11-13)! This was understandable because Jeremiah had encouraged Zedekiah and the whole City to surrender and not fight the Babylonians (21:9 and 38:2). In fact, a number of Judeans did defect to the enemy (38:19 and 52:15). Plus, Yirmeyahu’s message of certain victory for Babylon was well known.

The priest from Anathoth had lived in the City of David his whole adult life. He had been a public figure for over forty years. He had established credentials as a loyal friend and adviser to the great King Josiah. Jeremiah had never for a moment rejected his identity as a Jew or exempted himself in any way from the obligations of a son of the covenant. He was no traitor. His message was from God, not himself. Most of the time he was not happy with the message he had to give. To anyone who knew him he was neither a bystander criticizing, nor a traitor propagandizing, but an insider agonizing.

Jeremiah said: “That’s not true! I am not deserting to the Babylonians.” He was merely going home. But Irijah would not listen to him; instead, he arrested Jeremiah and brought him to the officials who had served during the reign of Jehoiakim. Those officials who were loyal to him (26:16 and 24, 36:11-19 and 25) were all taken away in the second deportation to Babylon in 598 BC. Therefore, when Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah king, he appointed new government officials who were antagonistic towards the prophet. They were angry with Yirmeyahu and had him beaten and imprisoned in the house of Jonathan the secretary, which they had made into a temporary prison. These men were upstarts who had no experience in government; hotheaded and shortsighted, they remembered how Jeremiah had compared them to bad figs (see Ei – Two Baskets of Figs). Apparently they had been waiting for any excuse to put the prophet in prison. Yirmeyahu was put into a vaulted cell in a dungeon, which was part of Jonathan’s house, where he remained until the downfall of the City (37:14-16).

Irijah was a man who used his job to escape his responsibilities as a human being. He was a bureaucrat in the worst sense of the word, a person who hides behind the rules and prerogatives of a job description to do work that destroys people. Without considering morality or righteousness, God or person, he did his job. We meet these people all the time. Every day people are hurt or demeaned by office-holders who refuse to look us in the eye, shielding themselves behind regulations and paperwork, secretaries and committees. Irijah was that kind of a person.

The most famous twentieth-century instance of Irijah is Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in the murder of six million Jews in Nazi Germany. At his trial in Jerusalem it became quite clear that he had nothing against Jews . . . he was just doing his job. No great venom of hate flowed in him; he was simply being obedient to what his superiors told him. Unimaginable evil comes from these unlikely sources: quiet, efficient, little people doing their job, long since having given up thinking of themselves as responsible, morale individuals.³²⁴

The resumption of the siege by the Babylonians prompted Zedekiah to communicate with Jeremiah again. Then King Zedekiah sent for him and had him brought to the palace (37:17a). The scene is just as moving as it is historically interesting. On the one hand was the prophet, disfigured by mistreatment, the prison atmosphere and hardships, but firm in his near historical prophecy, without malice, defiance, or exaggeration. He was physically subdued and emotionally humble. On the other hand was the king, who obviously had been led against his own will by his officials into rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, anxiously watching the lips of the prisoner for a favorable word for himself, whispering secretly with the man whom his officials imprisoned for treason. Zedekiah was a pathetic follower. All his good intentions were worthless without some character behind it. It seemed as though the king was much more bound than the prisoner who stood before him!³²⁵

Scene Three: Then King Zedekiah asked him privately, “Is there any word from the LORD?” Something of Zedekiah’s character is revealed here. The meeting was secret because of the king’s fear of his officials. But even under duress Jeremiah could not compromise the truth: Yes, Jeremiah replied: You will be handed over to the king of Babylon. Then Jeremiah addressed Zedekiah respectfully and said to the King, “What crime have I committed against you or your officials or this people, that you have put me in prison? Where are your prophets who prophesied to you, ‘The king of Babylon will not attack you or this Land?’ But now, my lord the king, please listen. Let me bring my petition before you: Do not send me back to the house of Jonathan the secretary, or I will die there” (37:17b-20).

The courtyard of the guard was located next to the palace (Jeremiah 32:2; Nehemiah 3:25) and seems to have been used for men who did not require strict confinement. It was there that Yirmeyahu was able to conduct the business concerned with the purchase of his cousin’s land in Anathoth (34:1-15).

The secret interview ended with a kindly gesture from the king. Zedekiah then gave orders for Yirmeyahu to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the bread in the City was gone. But it was a slim ration. The bread was literally a disk of bread, meaning one piece of something like modern pita bread. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard (37:21).

Jeremiah responded to Irijah and Zedekiah with relentless endurance. He did not bluster or curse. The prophet did not threaten or rail. Nor was he a lifeless doormat. The priest from Anathoth asserted his innocence and he endured. Yirmeyahu accepted this trivial stupidity with, it seems, composure, and persisted in his ministry as a prophet of God.

The Sin and Judgment of the Gentile Nations
Ezeki’el 25: 1-17

The sin and judgment of the Gentile Nations DIG: Where were Ammon, Mo’ab, Edom and Philistia? From whom did these nations descend (Genesis 36:6-9 and 19:36-38)? Were the Philistines related to Isra’el (Genesis 10:13)? For what crime is each nation being punished? Had any of them been given the ten commandments or any part of the Torah? How will God punish each nation? What will be the effect of the punishments (Ezeki’el 25:7, 11, 14, 17)?

REFLECT: Do you recall a time when you learned ADONAI is ELOHIM through hard knocks? Does your faith grow best in good times or adversity? Is Ha’Shem really “mean” to those He punishes, or is He righteous? What is your attitude when you hear bad things are happening to bad people? What should it be? If God did not give Isra’el’s neighbors biblical revelation, how do you think He made His will known? How does the LORD communicate today? With whom does God communicate?

588 to 585 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

With the preceding chapter, Ezeki’el’s denunciation of Isra’el’s sins and prophecy of Jerusalem’s doom come to an end. Before he reverts to the theme of Isra’el’s future, her restoration and spiritual regeneration, Ezeki’el proclaims the downfall of seven Gentile nations. The nearest, Ammon, Mo’ab, Edom and Philistia, are seen here. Those farther away are Egypt (to see link click Fn – The Sin and Judgment of Egypt), Tyre and Tzidon (see Gl – The Sin and Judgment of Tyre and Tzidon). The sins of these nations, and the reason they are doomed, are twofold: not only did they take no warning from Isra’el’s punishment and made no effort to change their wicked ways, but they were overjoyed at Isra’el’s tragedy. In addition, their presence was a constant physical and spiritual danger to Isra’el’s restoration and thereby an obstacle of the divine plan.

The word of ADONAI came to me:

A near historical prophecy against Ammon: The Ammonites were related to Isra’el (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). Son of man, set your face against the Ammonites and prophesy against them. Say to them, “Hear the word of Adonai ELOHIM. The Ammonites maliciously rejoiced over the destruction of the Temple, the ravaging of Judea and the deportation of the population. He says: Because you have gloated when My sanctuary was profaned, when the land of Isra’el was laid waste, and when the house of Judah went into exile. I will let the people from the east take possession of you. Once again what is seen is the working out of the Abrahamic Covenant: Whoever curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3). The Ammonites had cursed the Jews and then YHVH would place a curse upon them (also see Zephaniah 2:8-10). The nomad tribes of the Arabian Desert. Josephus records that five years after his campaign against Judah, Nebuchadnezzar successfully went to war against the Ammonites and the Moabites (Antiquities X, 10.7). In their weakened state they could not resist the Bedouins. They will set up camps and build their homes among you; they will eat your fruit and drink your milk. I will turn Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, into a camel pasture and Ammon into a sheep-yard. From being a great city, the site will be overgrown and camels graze where once were streets. Then, addressing the exiles, you will know that I am ADONAI (Ezeki’el 25:1-5 CJB).

A far eschatological prophecy for Ammon: For here is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Because you clapped your hands and stamped your feet, full of malicious joy over the land of Isra’el; I am going to stretch out My hand over you and deliver you as plunder to the nations; I will cut you off from being a people and cause you to cease from being a nation; I will destroy you. Then you will know that I am ADONAI (Ezeki’el 25:6-7 CJB). Eventually that knowledge of the LORD will lead the Ammonites to salvation, and the nation of Ammon will be restored during the Millennial Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom).³¹⁶

A Prophecy Against Mo’ab: The Moabites were also related to Isra’el (see the commentary on Genesis Fb – Let’s Get Our Father to Drink Wine, and then Lie With Him to Preserve Our Family Line). There was constant strife between the two nations, Mo’ab joined in the attack upon Judah by the Babylonians (Second Kings 24:2). Adonai ELOHIM says: Because Mo’ab and Seir (Seir stands for Edom. They were mentioned together because of their hatred for Isra’el) said, “Look, Judah has become like all the other nations.” They taunted the afflicted Israelites with being no different from other nations and mocked their claim to be a people chosen by God. Thus I expose the flank of Mo’ab, with all its cities – that is, all the cities on its frontier, Beth Jeshimoth, Ba’al Meon and Kiriathaim – the glory of that land. ADONAI will expose Mo’ab to attack by Bedouins who will penetrate the fortified cities on the frontiers and overrun the whole country. The three cities mentioned here were fortresses upon which Mo’ab relied for security. Mo’ab would suffer the same fate as Ammon. I will give Mo’ab along with the Ammonites to the people of the East as a possession, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered among the nations; and I will inflict punishment on Mo’ab. Then they will know that I am the LORD (Ezeki’el 25:8-11). So just like Ammon, this knowledge of the LORD will eventually lead the Moabites to salvation, and the nation of Mo’ab will be restored during the Millennial Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom).³¹⁷

A Prophecy Against Edom: While Ammon and Mo’ab were merely guilty of taking pleasure in Isra’el’s fall, Edom was guilty of actively aiding that very destruction. Therefore, her punishment will be much greater. This was especially despicable because Edom was more closely related to Isra’el than Ammon and Mo’ab because the Edomites were descendants of Esau (see the commentary on Genesis Iu – The Division of the Two Brothers). Adonai ELOHIM says: Because Edom has taken severe vengeance against the house of Judah, incurring much guilt by its actions of vengeance against them, therefore, I will stretch out My hand over Edom and eliminate both its humans and its animals. I will make it a ruin; from Teman to Dedan they will die by the sword. Teman was a district in the extreme north of Edom named after Esau’s grandson, while Dedan was in the extreme south. The meaning is, therefore, that the entire country was reduced to nothing (Obadiah 18). Moreover, I will lay My vengeance on Edom carried out by My people Isra’el; they will treat Edom in accordance with My anger and My wrath; and they will know My vengeance, declares Adonai ELOHIM (Ezeki’el 25:12-14 CJB). Both Ammon and Mo’ab will eventually know YHVH and become a nation again in the Millennial Kingdom. But no such statement is made of Edom because she will only know God’s vengeance (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom).³¹⁸

A Prophecy Against Philistia: The Philistines, who inhabited the southern coast of the Holy Land, are believed to have come from the island of Crete and also known as the Cherethites. The designation of the Cherethites and the Pelethites (Second Samuel 8:18) is assumed to have been that of a bodyguard of King David consisting of Philistines. Hence the dual name Kerethi Pelethi. The hostile acts of the Philistines against Isra’el at various times were so ferocious as to be capable of being committed only by an outraged people seeking vengeance. Adonai ELOHIM says: Because the Philistines have acted out of vengeance, taking revenge with malice of heart, due to their long-standing hatred sought to destroy Judah (Isaiah 14:28-31; Jeremiah 47:1-7 and Amos 1:6-8). Therefore, Adonai ELOHIM says: I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and just like the Edomites, I will cut off the Kerethites. The Kerethites was the original name of the Philistines and also a play upon words. The Hebrew words for Kerethites and cutting off sound very similar. It literally means, “I will cut off the cutters off.” And destroy the rest of the people along the coast (Ezeki’el 25:15-16 CJB).

The final fulfillment came in 604-603 BC when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Ashkelon (see Di – A Message Concerning the Philistines). And as a result, there are no more Philistines in existence today (see Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh). And what sorrow awaits you Philistines who live along the coast and in the land of Canaan, for this judgment is against you, too! The LORD will destroy you until not one of you is left (Zephaniah 2:5 NLT). Therefore, God declared: I will execute great vengeance on them with furious punishments; and they will know that I am ADONAI when I take vengeance on them (Ezeki’el 25:17 CJB). Consequently, as with Edom, they will only know God’s vengeance and will not have a part in the Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Fk – Gentiles in the Messianic Kingdom).³¹⁹

It is solemn to consider that all four nations in this chapter showed vindictive jealousy and hatred toward Isra’el. That nations of earth refused to learn that YHVH meant every single word in the Abrahamic Covenant: The LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you’ (Genesis 12:1-3).”

No nation under heaven can go to war with Isra’el without bringing down upon them the wrath of Adonai ELOHIM. The pages of history are littered with the wreckage of nations who, though great in the eyes of the world, incurred the just wrath of an outraged God. While Ha’Shem reserved the right to judge His chosen people for their sins, He also reserves the right to judge those who spitefully attack the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10), and thus rebuke the One who made an everlasting covenant with Isra’el.³²⁰

Jerusalem as a Boiling Pot
Ezeki’el 24: 1-14

Jerusalem as a boiling pot DIG: What happened in Jerusalem on the same day this word came to Ezeki’el? What figures of speech does Ezeki’el use to describe the City and its leadership? What does each part represent; the boiling pot (Ezeki’el 11:3, 24:3-6)? The choice pieces of meat (Ezeki’el 11:3, 24:4)? The rusty scum that had encrusted the pot (Ezeki’el 24: 6 and 11-13)? What will happen to Tziyon? Why did the choice pieces mistakenly think their names would be omitted from the “pot-boiler” (Ezeki’el 11:1-8)? What does their uncovered blood represent? As with Nineveh, God sometimes relents of His judgment (see Jonah Ax – The Ninevites Believed God)? What is God’s reason for threatening Jerusalem? How do they respond? On what basis was YHVH judging them? Is that just?

REFLECT: Why does God warn you about His punishments beforehand? What does He hope will happen? Are you feeling the heat anywhere? Is the LORD warning you about anything? If you are on Ha’Shem’s hot seat or in His boiling pot, what does He want you to do about that? As for the corruption of city or government officials in your area, what are some “backburner issues” which Ezeki’el might be prompting you to bring to the front burner and “pile on the wood?”

January 10, 588 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

One is struck with the detail as to the day, month and year. Ezeki’el was three hundred miles away from the scene of the invasion of Jerusalem by the forces of king Nebuchadnezzar; but he was fully aware of what was happening in the doomed city. What was the purpose of God’s revelation to Ezeki’el? It was meant to show that God was carrying out His will. Ezeki’el was commanded to write down the very day because of its importance and because the nation would have tangible proof of the accuracy of his prophecies.³¹²

The setting: In the ninth year of the reign of Zedekiah’s eleven year reign, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of ADONAI came to me (Ezeki’el 24:1). Son of man, record this date, this very date, a day of national calamity, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day (Ezeki’el 24:2). This was the day Ezeki’el had been pointing to for over four years. The date was so significant that it is mentioned in Second Kings 25:1, Jeremiah 39:1, 52:4, and Zechariah 8:19.

Tell this rebellious people a parable and say to them (Ezeki’el 24:3a). Thirteen previous times Ezeki’el had called the Israelites a rebellious people. Time was running out. Ezeki’el’s words were useless. Actions were needed. It was the beginning of the end.

The boiling pot song: The prophet was instructed to declare an allegory. It begins with a song, probably a popular work song used by members of the exiled community. The song itself is not particularly allegorical; it introduces the theme of the detailed allegory that is to follow. The song simply illustrates the daily routine of domestic life. This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Put on the boiling pot; put it on and pour water into it (Ezeki’el 24:3b). The imagery of the boiling pot, previously used by the inhabitants of Jerusalem for their deceptive hopes (Ezeki’el 11:3), is now to be given its true interpretation by the prophet in the light of current events. Setting the boiling pot on the stove and pouring water into it, the first stage in the process of cooking, represent the siege of Jerusalem that came before the actual battle had begun.

Put into it the pieces of meat, all choice pieces – the thigh and the shoulder. Fill it with the choicest cuts, taken from the pick of the flock, and pile bones underneath. Bring it to a rolling boil, till it’s all cooked, even the bones (Ezeki’el 24:4-5 CJB). The pieces of meat, gathered in the pot symbolize the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and the fugitives from the other towns who sought refuge there. The bones are a graphic illustration of the extreme cruelty of the Babylonian attack.

The allegory: Therefore Adonai ELOHIM says: Woe to the City drenched in blood, to the pot whose rust (Hebrew: chel’ah) is in it, and whose rusty scum will not go away, it’s like a permanent, indelible mark. The pot, it seems, had not been cared for; it was covered with rusty scum that ruined the meal so the contents of the pot had to be dumped on the ground. People in Jerusalem, who had felt secure from Babylon’s onslaught, would be dragged from the City into exile with no regard for their position in society. Empty it piece by piece, without troubling to draw lots (Ezeki’el 24:6 CJB). The population within Tziyon will perish or be exiled in deportations at different times (to see link click Gt – In the Thirty-Seventh Year of the Exile, Jehoiachin was Released from Prison). In the fire of God’s judgment, Jerusalem’s “impurities” would float to the surface. The corruption could not be hidden. She was as unappealing as rusty scum floating on the surface of a pot full of stew.

Then Ezeki’el, under the inspiration of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, points out Jerusalem’s guilt. For her blood is still in her; she poured it on bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, to cover it with dust (Ezeki’el 24:7 CJB). The rabbis interpreted this verse as referring to the blood of the prophet Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, who was stoned to death in the courtyard of the LORD (Second Chronicles 24:20-21). According to Jewish legend, the blood boiled at the spot where Zechariah was murdered for 252 years. But after the Babylonians had captured Zion, the Babylonian general Nebuzaradan saw this boiling blood and in an effort to appease the blood, he slaughtered thousands of Jews to no avail. The blood continued to boil. Finally Nebuzaradan appealed to the dead prophet Zechariah to stop the killing lest the whole nation perish. And at that point, the blood stopped boiling. The legend goes on to say that because of this experience the Nebuzaradan converted to Judaism (Midrash to Lamentations, Proem 23).

Jerusalem’s guilt was so great that it represented the stain of blood, like rusty scum, on a bare rock. So in order to rouse My fury and excite My vengeance, I have fixed her blood there on the bare rock, where it will not be covered (Ezk 24:8; Lev 17:13). This blood would always be visible and testify to the fact that blood had been shed throughout Jerusalem. We see that same type of figure in Genesis 4:10; Job 16:18 and Isaiah 26:21).

The application: Therefore Adonai ELOHIM, as the supreme Judge, pronounces sentence: Woe to the city drenched in blood! I myself will make a huge bonfire, heap on the wood, light it, cook the meat and add the spices – the bones can just be burned. So thorough will the punishment be that the Holy City will be destroyed (Ezeki’el 24:9-10) CJB). Isra’el heaped sin upon sin, so God will also heap on fuel for her punishment.

Put the empty pot on the coals, heat it till its copper bottom glows, till its impurity melts inside it, and its rust is burned away (Ezeki’el 24:11 CJB). After all the contents had been poured out, then the pot would eventually melt down with its rusty scum. This was a symbol of Zion’s purification after being emptied of its inhabitants. After the inhabitants of Zion were taken captive, the City and the Temple were burned down.

But the effort is in vain: its layers of rust will not leave it; so into the fire with its rusty scum (Ezeki’el 24:12 CJB). The rusty scum, or the stain of blood, could not be removed by fire until the whole pot was destroyed. Likewise, Jerusalem’s sin was so indelibly part of her, the only way of removing the sin was to destroy the City.³¹³

Because of your filthy lewdness, because you refused to be purified when I wanted to purify you; now you will not be purified from your rusty scum until I have satisfied My wrath on you (Ezeki’el 24:13 CJB). YHVH had tried to purify His people from their impurities but they resisted. So they would experience the purifying work of God’s wrath. His patience had run out; the time had come for Him to purify.

Ha’Shem’s commitment: I, ADONAI, have spoken it, and it will happen. I will do it, I will not turn back I will not refrain or spare or relent. They will judge you as your ways and deeds deserve, says Adonai ELOHIM (Ezeki’el 24:14 CJB). The mercy of ADONAI prompts Him to withhold judgment as long as possible to enable people to repent (Second Peter 3:8-10), but He does not wait indefinitely. A time comes when Ha’Shem punishes wickedness.³¹⁴ The Babylonians, who would be the executors of God’s judgment would inflect upon them the punishment that was equal with their monstrous crimes.

The siege was to be a long one, but when the people in Jerusalem received confirmation of the date on which it began, they would also be convinced of the inevitability of its conclusion. Consequently, in this allegory of the boiling pot, many of Ezeki’el’s earlier prophecies were moving towards a hopeless climax; he had spoken of the coming destruction of the Holy City of David, but many no doubt consoled themselves with the thought that the prophet’s sayings were merely the ranting of a religious fanatic. But now, for those who would believe, the dye was cast.

The nature of the allegory introduces the theme of uselessness. A normal pot didn’t need to fear any fire; it was designed to sit on fire. So too a nation need not fear adversity; it exists not only to cope with adversity, but also to flourish under stress. But the Sacred City had forgotten the reason for its existence, and so had become useless to its Founder. The rusty scum that corroded the nation’s soul had been allowed to spread, so that it had no strength in adversity. Those who would seek to retain the usefulness for which they were created must constantly scour the rust. If it is allowed to spread, usefulness diminishes and there remains no ability for converting adversity into strength. Since what is useless . . . is eventually destroyed.³¹⁵

God Rejects Zedekiah’s Request
21: 1-14

God rejects Zedekiah’s request DIG: What kind of a king was Zedekiah (Second Kings 24:18-20)? Does he consult the prophet before or after he makes the decision to stop paying tribute to Babylon? What good news/bad news does Jeremiah give the two priests of Zedekiah? What radical survival tip does Yirmeyahu give them? For saying this, would you brand Jeremiah a traitor, or salute him as a patriot? Would this news sit well, or upset, the soldiers defending Jerusalem? Why? What crisis of faith does Judah now face (Deuteronomy 30:15)? What does God want Zedekiah to do? Is it ever too late for God’s people to repent, or is there always time to make peace with Him? Why?

REFLECT: Why do some people never learn? Are you a slow learner do you seem to “get it” pretty quickly? Would you have deserted the City, as Jeremiah advised? What would it have cost you to flee? What would it have cost you to stay? How might leaving Jerusalem be an allegory for becoming a committed believer? What would you need to leave behind to become more committed to Yeshua? Who in your world are “oppressors” and who are the “robbed?” How can you help bring justice to the oppressed?

589 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This incident took place as the Babylonians were moving in against Yerushalayim and getting ready to lay siege to the City. This report drips with irony as the king has nowhere to turn except to God’s prophet. All the conventional forms of strategy and policy had failed. Jeremiah had been perceived as an enemy, but now he was Judah’s only hope.

This was the first time Zedekiah would send a delegation to Jeremiah, but it would not be the last (to see link click Fm – Jeremiah in Prison). What happened here was the fulfillment of a prophecy that ADONAI made to Yirmeyahu that a day would come when the very ones that were mocking his prophecies and rejecting him as a prophet would come to him, seeking the word of the LORD. But as YHVH had accurately prophesied, by then, it would be too late.

The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent Pash’chur son of Malkijah (not the same Pash’chur seen in 20:1-6) and the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, to him. They begged: Inquire now of the LORD for us, not in the sense of seeking information, but to pray on the king’s behalf, because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps ADONAI will perform wonders for us as in times past, so that he will withdraw from us (21:1-2). Zedekiah pinned his hopes on the inviolability of the Temple (see Cc – False Religion is Worthless) and divine intervention.

Zedekiah had rebelled against Yirmeyahu’s prophecies and the Jewish king was hoping for a “Hezekiah miracle.” When Hezekiah disobeyed Isaiah and rebelled against the Assyrians, they also came to the gates of Yerushalayim to destroy the city. But Hezekiah was a good king and truly repented of his disobedience, trusted in the LORD and was rescued (see the commentary on Isaiah Gw – Then the Angel of the LORD Put To Death a Hundred and Eighty Five Thousand Men in the Assyrian Camp).

In response to Zedekiah’s inquiry Jeremiah made three prophecies. The royal house of Judah, her officials and people had all been warned earlier (see Bx – Concerning the House of David). What was conditional then . . . becomes fixed now.

First ADONAI’s answer concerning Zedekiah: The Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem. This would happen within three years of this prophecy. Jeremiah said to the two emissaries: Tell Zedekiah, this is what ADONAI, the God of Isra’el, says: I am about to turn against you the weapons of war that are in your hands, which you are using to fight the king of Babylon and the Babylonians who are outside the wall besieging you. And I will gather them inside this city. The reason the Babylonians would undoubtedly succeed was because God Himself would fight against Jerusalem with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in furious anger and in great wrath. These same words were used to describe how YHVH brought Isra’el out of Egypt during the time of the exodus centuries earlier. That same power will now be used against Isra’el. I will strike down those who live in this city – both man and beast – and they will die of a terrible plague. As God caused a plague to fall on the Egyptians (see the commentary on Exodus Bu – I Will Bring One More Plague on Pharaoh), He will now cause a plague to fall on the Jews (21:3-6).

After that, declares ADONAI, I will give Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who want to kill them. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion (21:7). Twice before, in 605 BC (resulting in the first deportation) and 597 BC (resulting in the second deportation) Nebuchadnezzar had captured the City. Both times he showed mercy, pity and compassion. But this time Nebuchadnezzar would not. The fulfillment of these verses is found in Second Kings 25:6-7, 18-21 and Jeremiah 52:9-11, 24-27.

Second, the LORD’s answer concerning the people: Furthermore, tell the people, this is what the LORD says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. The way of death was to remain inside the City and fight the Babylonians. Whoever stays in Jerusalem will die by the sword, famine or plague. The judgment was against the arrogant Temple class and the self-serving monarchy. The way of life was to go outside the City and surrender to the Babylonians. But whoever goes out (Hebrew: yatsa, the primary word for “exodus”) and surrenders to the Babylonians will escape with their lives. The reason for this was that God had declared the City to be devoted to destruction. I have determined to do this city harm and not good declares ADONAI. It will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will destroy it with fire (21:8-10).

Third, Ha’Shem’s answer concerning the house of David: Here God does not address a single king, but the house of David. Moreover, say to the royal house of Judah, “Hear the word of the LORD.” This is what ADONAI says to you, house of David: this is your responsibility – administer justice every morning, in other words, be swift to administer justice; rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. But these responsibilities were exactly where they had failed. Consequently, My wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done – burn with no one to quench it. I am against you, Yerushalayim, you who live above this valley (the land on which Zion sits is lower that all the surrounding mountains, so it has the appearance of a valley), on the rocky plateau, this refers to Mount Zion or Mount Moriah (Second Chronicles 3:1), which had a flat surface and for that reason could be used as a threshing floor. That threshing floor was bought by David and used by Solomon to build the Temple (21:11-13a).

ADONAI declared to the arrogant Judeans, “You who say, “Who can come against us? Who can enter our refuge?” The reason God was against them was because of their self-reliance and boasting. They were so sure they could withstand any invasion, based on what had happened to Jerusalem when Hezekiah prayed to the LORD when the Assyrians surrounded the City (see above). God would do exactly what He had promised Isra’el long ago when the Mosaic covenant was confirmed between YHVH and the people. Blessings were promised for obedience and curses for disobedience (Leviticus 26 Deuteronomy 27-29). King Hezekiah’s repentant heart had given God the opportunity to forgive and relent on God’s promise of imminent judgment. Now the situation was entirely different due to Judah’s and King Zedekiah’s stubborn and hard heart attitude. Now Judah’s coming to God was merely to get out of punishment. So sadly, there was No repentant heart. Though God wanted to forgive His people, He is also holy and righteous, and their unrepentant, unyielding, uncaring hearts “tied God’s hands” so He could not relent (Jeremiah 18:7-8).

The mercy of ADONAI prompts Him to withhold judgment as long as possible to enable people to repent (Second Peter 3:8-10), but He does not wait indefinitely. A time comes when Ha’Shem punishes wickedness. God said, I will punish you as your deeds deserve, declares Ha’Shem. Jerusalem may be strongly fortified, but the misdeeds of her inhabitants will bring about their undoing. I will kindle a fire in your forests that will consume everything around you (see Fk – Jerusalem as a Boling Pot).

In This Same Way Babylon Will Sink, Never to Rise Again
Jeremiah’s Eighth Symbolic Action
51: 59-64a

In this same way Babylon will sink, never to rise again DIG: What was to be done with this message? Why? What message about Babylon was Seraiah to deliver to the exiles in Babylon? How is this scroll like the fate of Babylon? What overall picture of God do you get from this prophecy and the preceding ones? How is the Law of Double Reference used here?

REFLECT: How do you feel about God’s retribution against evil? Did the people of Babylon have a chance to see YHVH (see Romans 1:18-23)? Are they without excuse? If you were to create a symbolic action for your spiritual condition right now what would it be? Down the drain? In the desert? Soaring with the eagles? Confused?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The one main point to Yirmeyahu’s eighth symbolic action
(what might be called a parable in action) is that it summarizes
everything the prophet has said concerning his prophecy about Babylon.

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1):

This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah, the brother of Jeremiah’s scribe Baruch (32:12), son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign (51:59). He was in charge of making sure that the provisions for King Zedekiah’s trip to Babylon were in order. This was the same year of the plot to rebel against Babylon (to see link click Eq – Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar). Zedekiah probably had to make the trip to explain away the plots. The chameleon king probably figured that if Hananiah’s prophecy of a speedy return of the exiles from Babylon were true (see Et – The False Prophet Hańaniah), it would be in his best interests to assure Nebuchadnezzar of his loyalty. Afterwards he was allowed to return to Judah and reign; but when Hananiah’s prophecy turned out to be false, Zechariah would rebel more overtly later.

But here, once again we see the Law of Double Reference. This law observes the fact that often a passage of a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time. In the passage itself they are blended into one picture, and the time gap between the two persons or two events is not presented by the text itself. The fact that a gap of time exists at all is known because of other Scriptures. But in that particular text itself the gap of time is not seen. A good example of this law is some of the prophecies of the TaNaKh regarding the First and Second Coming of the Messiah. Often these two events are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a gap at all. Zechariah 9:9-10 is a good example of The Law of Double Reference. Verse 9 is speaking of the First Coming, but verse 10 is speaking of the Second Coming. These two comings are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a separation of time between them. Another example is Isaiah 11:1-5. Verses 1-2 speak of the First Coming, while verses 3-5 speak of the Second Coming. Again, the two are blended into one picture with no indication of a gap of time between the two. Because several of the prophetic passages follow this principle, it is good to know.

On the one hand, there was a near historical component to Jeremiah’s prophecy because a staff officer was taking a new scroll to Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah’s reign, and at that time the king of Babylon was Nebuchadnezzar. Yirmeyahu had written on a separate scroll about all the disaster that would come upon Babylon if she attacked Judah – all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words of this scroll aloud.

The audience that heard the reading was probably some of the exiles since it would have been extremely imprudent to declare such things openly in Babylon even if the event were some distance in the future.³¹⁰ Both the written scroll and the verbal message by Seraiah were a “word” from the LORD. Then Jeremiah added a third “word.” When you finish reading, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then say, ‘In this same way Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her’ (51:60-61 and 63-64a NLT).”

Of all the things Jeremiah said or could have said, this was his last testimony to his people. It was a testimony that invited Judah to see the hidden power of God at work. Babylon would sink, facing a future with no Easter; while Y’hudah would rise. Jeremiah was told to tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates, and when he obeyed, it symbolized the Babylonian empire that would also sink like that stone. The scroll was gone, but the promise of the scroll, and ADONAI who spoke through the scroll was still valid. No wonder the words of Yirmeyahu ended here. Nothing more needed to be said!³¹¹

But on the other hand, there was a far eschatological component to Yirmeyahu’s prophecy when Seraiah said: ADONAI, will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever (51:62). This did not happen when Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 BC (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon), but Babylon would be uninhabitable for people or animals during the Messianic Kingdom (see the commentary on Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again) and continuing on into the Eternal State (see the commentary on Revelation Fq – The Eternal State).

The Fall of Babylon
and Assurance to the Exiles
51: 45-58

The fall of Babylon and assurance to the exiles DIG: What are the Jews in Babylon instructed to do? When? What will the effect be on the Jews (51:45-47 and 50-51)? Why will God punish Babylon? Why will the Jews cover their faces? Where will the escaping Jews go? Why? Where do they end up? What will happen when the armies of the antichrist surround Bozrah? What will the Jewish leadership do at that time? What will be the result? To Isra’el? To Babylon?

REFLECT: When have you had to run for your spiritual life? Was there a time when you lingered when you should have run? What did you learn from that situation? Do you remember Jerusalem? What are you doing while you wait for the blessed Hope – the appearing of the Sh’khinah glory of the great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), Do you look forward to it, or dread it? Why?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1):

God has a specific message for His chosen people: Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives! Run from the fierce anger of ADONAI (51:45). Like the Egyptian Passover (see the commentary on Exodus, to see link click Bx – He Will See the Blood and Pass Over that Doorway), the Jews had to do something to save themselves. When trying to escape from Pharaoh, they were instructed to slaughter the Passover lamb in the entrance, or doorway of their house, dip some hyssop into the blood from a basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. But in the far eschatological future, when trying to escape from the antichrist, they will be instructed to run for their lives.

Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of [leader] against [leader]. These guerrilla conflicts between sheep Gentiles (see 51:28; 50:41 and 51:11a) and goat Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats) in the various nations will precipitate the fall of Babylon. They will hear of civil war here, civil war there, but they are not to be afraid. God’s message: Don’t be afraid – just leave (51:46). For the time will surely come when I will punish the idols of Babylon; her whole land will be disgraced and her slain will all lie fallen within her (51:47). Those who stay will die; those who run for their lives will live. When Yirmeyahu (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the twenty-second of twenty-five times that Jeremiah uses one of these phrases.

Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will shout for joy when Babylon is destroyed (see the commentary on Revelation Eq – Rejoice Over Her, O Heaven, God Has Judged Her for the Way She Treated You), for out of the north (a repeated motif) destroyers (plural) will attack her, declares the LORD. Babylon must fall because of Isra’el’s slain, just as the slain in all the earth have fallen because of Babylon (51:48-49). Once again, the specific reason why Babylon will receive this harsh judgment is because of the way they treated the Jews. The antichrist will hunt them down like animals. Even into the far eschatological future, the Abrahamic Covenant is still relevant: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3a)

You who have escaped the sword, leave and do not linger (51:50a)! When the Jews went home after the exile, they did not escape. They were released (Ezra 1:1-3). However, the Jews who will flee Babylon will then be on a holy mission. They must do two things:

First, they must remember ADONAI in a distant land. They must believe that Yeshua is the Meshiach, be converted and be saved. And after they have been saved, they must remember Tziyon (51:50b).

Secondly, some, but not all, of the believing Jews will make their way toward Tziyon to tell the unbelieving Jews there that Babylon had fallen. Having become believers themselves they can comfort the Jerusalem Jews under the attack of the antichrist. The antichrist and his vast army will start moving toward Jerusalem about the same time that the Jews, who had fled Babylon, arrive to warn their fellow Jews that Babylon had fallen. Although the Holy City of David will fall, (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon: 3. The Fall of Jerusalem), YHVH is in control, and Babylon’s fall will be a sign of the imminent fall of the antichrist himself. Then most, but not all of those Jews will leave Zion together and continue southward to Bozrah where all Isra’el will be in hiding. There those fleeing Jerusalem will tell the Jewish leadership in Bozrah what has taken place. This will have a profound effect on them.

Next the Gentile armies of the world will surround Bozrah (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon: 4. The Armies of the Antichrist Descend on Bozrah). As they tighten the noose around the neck of the Jews, they are a frenzy of anticipation and excitement. They believe this will be the “final solution” that Hitler and Haman (see the commentary on Esther Aq – Haman the Agagite: Enemy of the Jews) were unable to accomplish. But this will bring about the fifth stage.

It was the Jewish leadership that led the nation of Isra’el to reject Jesus Christ (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, That This Fellow Drives Out Demons); therefore the Jewish leadership in the far eschatological future will have to ask the Lord to return (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of Armageddon: 5. The Regeneration of Isra’el). For this to happen, two conditions must be met. First, there must be a confession of Israel’s national sin (Leviticus 26:40-42; Jeremiah 3:11-18; Hosea 5:15), and secondly, a pleading for Messiah to return (Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 23:37-39). This will lead to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

In response to the news that Babylon had fallen, the Jews confess: We are disgraced for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of ADONAI’s home (51:51). What we see here once again is the Law of Double Reference. In the near historical future Nebuchadnezzar would defile the Temple in 586 BC (see Ga – The Fall of Jerusalem), and in the far eschatological future the antichrist will defile the tribulation Temple (see the commentary on Revelation Bx – The Tribulation Temple). In the middle of the Great Tribulation, the antichrist, which will be the epitome of Satan, will have an image set up in the most holy place in the tribulation temple by the false prophet. There, the counterfeit son will claim to be God. He sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (Second Thessalonians 2:4). Because Jerusalem is the religious capital of the world for ADONAI, the counterfeit Messiah will set up his counterfeit religious capital in the City (see the commentary on Revelation Dr – The Abomination That Causes Desolation).

YHVH answers their plea. But the days are coming, declares the LORD. This is the twenty-third of twenty-five times that one of these phrases above will be used in Jeremiah. Although Ha’Shem will allow both Nebuchadnezzar and the antichrist a certain amount of latitude, there will be judgment upon the gods of Babylon. The days are coming, when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan. The far eschatological future destruction of Babylon is inescapable. Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers (plural) against her, declares ADONAI (51:52-53).

The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians. The cries come for three reasons. First, The Lord will destroy Babylon. The context here is the far eschatological future because Cyrus did not destroy Babylon in 539 BC (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon); He will silence her noisy din. Waves of enemies (plural) will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound (51:54-55).

Second, a destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken (51:56a).

Third, for ADONAI is a God of retribution; He will repay in full (51:56b). The world does not want to hear this. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (First John 2:16-17). Those in rebellion against Ha’Shem will never get away with anything (see the commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment).

I will make her officials and wise men drink the cup of divine wrath; her governors, officers and warriors will sleep forever and not awake, declares the King, whose name is the LORD of heaven’s angelic army (51:57). Again, this cannot be referring to Cyrus’ take-over of Babylon in 539 BC because it was unopposed. No governors, officers or warriors (soldiers) died. In fact, virtually everyone in Babylon didn’t even know their capital had been captured until the next day when it was all over. Only one person died: That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain (Dani’el 5:30a).

This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire. The people exhaust themselves for nothing, the nation’s labor is only fuel for the flames (Jeremiah 51:58 and Habakkuk 2:13b with minor alterations). Again, when Cyrus took Babylon in 539 BC, he did not demolish the city walls or burn down her high gates. Therefore, the fall of Babylon here must be in the far eschatological future.

Lift Up a Banner in the Land,
Blow the Shofar Among the Nations
51: 27-44

Lift up a banner in the Land, blow the shofar among the nations DIG: Who are the Gentiles who rise up and fight against Babylon and the antichrist? How will those loyal to the antichrist behave? What will happen to the land of Babylon? Who will live there? How long will her condition last? What is significant about the owl in the Bible? What is the Law of Double Reference? How is it applied here?

REFLECT: Is there a problem in your life that is so overwhelming that you have stopped fighting? Can you give it to the Lord? Is there a heap of ruins in your life that you need to leave behind? Can you give it to Jesus?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning far eschatological Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1 and 51:1a):

The lead nation will be the Medes (see below), but an alliance of nations will be involved in the destruction of Babylon at the end of the Great Tribulation. Lift up a banner in the Land! ADONAI Nissi (Hebrew: The LORD is our banner). Blow the shofar among the nations! Prepare the [Gentile] nations for battle against her: summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat (Armenia in turkey and southern Russia today), Minni (Lake Van in Turkey and Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran near the Turkish border) and Ashkenaz (Germany and the Baltic region). Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts (51:27).

YHVH declares: Prepare the nations for battle against her – the lead nation, the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule because His purpose is to destroy Babylon (51:28 also see 50:41 and 51:11a). We are told elsewhere in Scripture that the antichrist rules all the nations of the world. So how can these other nations come up against him? The word nations means goyim or Gentiles. Even though the antichrist will control all the governments of the world there will be believing Gentiles (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fc – The Sheep and the Goats) who will not go along with the party line of these governments who will be subservient to him. These pro-Jewish sheep Gentiles will form underground guerilla-warfare type groups. So the word kings here is used loosely as leaders. For example in Joshua, the term king is used of one city-state rather than the king of an entire nation. We saw something similar in World War II when Germany captured France, Poland and Holland. The official governments were pro-Nazi, but there were underground forces such as the French and Polish.

The land trembles and writhes, for ADONAI’s purpose against Babylon stand – to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one, not one single person, will live there (51:29). The far eschatological judgment of the city of Babylon (see the commentary on Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again) can be found in Jeremiah itself (51:39-43, 61-64). There we find the owl (see Ad – The Owl as a Symbol of Judgment).

Babylon’s warriors become panic stricken. They withdraw to their strongholds. Their power of resistance gone, their strength exhausted, they became weak and stop fighting. Paralyzed with fear, they see their houses set on fire and the bars of her gates broken. The utter collapse of Babylon’s warriors is referred to several times in these chapters (51:30, 36-37 and 43, 51:30 and 32). However, when Cyrus the Great captured Babylon in 539 BC there was no fighting because the city was taken unopposed (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon).

A message is sent out to the antichrist because he is attacking Jerusalem when Babylon is destroyed. He will probably remove virtually all of his army out of Babylon, leaving only a small auxiliary force behind. The underground guerilla-warfare groups will take advantage of that opportunity to attack and destroy Babylon. One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger. The messengers bring news of defeat after defeat. They seem to meet the king from all sides. As one messenger who has already given the bad news leaves, he is met by another messenger bringing more bad news. To announce to the king of Babylon that his empire city is captured, the river crossing seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified (51:31-32).

This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says: Daughter of Babylon (the people of Babylon loyal to the antichrist) is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. When an area for threshing was trampled down to prepare it for winnowing, then the people knew that the time to harvest her will soon come (51:33). Likewise when the city of Babylon will be trampled down by these invaders, then the people will know that God’s harvest of judgment was just around the corner.³⁰⁹

The fact that 51:37 below is placed in the context of this verse places it in the far eschatological future. But then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is mentioned! This verse says that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has devoured (killed) us, he has thrown us into confusion, and he has made (our City) like an empty jar. Then more figurative language: Like a serpent he has swallowed (killed) us and filled his stomach with our delicacies, and then has spewed us out into captivity (51:34). This might be confusing if it were not for the Law of Double Reference.

This law observes the fact that often a passage of a block of Scripture is speaking of two different persons or two different events that are separated by a long period of time. In the passage itself they are blended into one picture, and the time gap between the two persons or two events is not presented by the text itself. The fact that a gap of time exists at all is known because of other Scriptures. But in that particular text itself the gap of time is not seen. A good illustration of this law would be the king of Tyre in Ezeki’el 28. There was a real king of Tyre, but he and Satan are blended together into one picture.

Another example of this law is some of the prophecies of the TaNaKh regarding the First and Second Coming of the Messiah. Often these two events are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a gap at all. Zechariah 9:9-10 is a good example of The Law of Double Reference. Verse 9 is speaking of the First Coming, but verse 10 is speaking of the Second Coming. These two comings are blended into one picture with no indication that there is a separation of time between them. Another example is Isaiah 11:1-5. Verses 1-2 speak of the First Coming, while verses 3-5 speak of the Second Coming. Again, the two are blended into one picture with no indication of a gap of time between the two.

Because many of the prophetic passages follow this principle of the Law of Double Reference, this is an important law to know. Hence, as the king of Tyre was representative of Satan, Nebuchadnezzar is representative of the antichrist.

For such unspeakable viciousness Yerushalayim calls for vengeance upon her captors. “May the violence done to our flesh be on Babylon,” say the inhabitants of Zion. “May our blood be on those who live in Babylonia,” says Tziyon (51:35).

Therefore this is what ADONAI says to the Jews in Bozrah: See, I will defend your cause and avenge you; I will dry up her sea [Euphrates] (See the commentary on Revelation Eg – The Sixth Angel Poured Out His Bowl and I Saw Three Evil Spirits That Looked Like Frogs), and make her springs dry (Jeremiah 51:36; also see Psalm 107:33-35; Isaiah 45:8; John 7:37-38; Revelation 21:6).

Far eschatological prophecy: Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals, an object of horror and scorn, a place where no one lives (51:37, also see the commentary Isaiah Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, Will Be Overthrown).

At first all her people pretend like they are very brave and roar like a pride of young lions, they growl like lion cubs. But it’s all a bluff. But while they are aroused, I will set out a feast for them and make them drunk with the cup of My wrath (25:1ff), so that they shout with laughter – then they will die, and sleep forever and not awake, declares the LORD. The lion cubs will be as sacrificial lambs led to the slaughter, like rams and goats (51:38-40). Just as lambs do not resist their own slaughter, even so, far eschatological Babylon will not resist.

How Sheshak (a cryptic name for Babylon, an atbash) will be captured, the boast of the whole earth seized! How desolate Babylon will be among the nations (51:41)! An atbash was a code in which the letters of a name counted from the end of the alphabet are substituted for the corresponding letters from the beginning of the alphabet. For example, in English the letter “z” would replace the letter “a,” the letter “y” would replace the letter “b,” and so on. The name “Abby” as an atbash would become “zyyb.”

The sea has flooded Babylon; overwhelmed her with its raging waves. Whenever the Bible uses symbols, it uses them consistently. When the picture of a flood is used symbolically, it is always a symbol of a military invasion. Her cities will be desolate, a dry and desert land, a land where no one lives or travels through (51:42-43 CJB and see 51:37 above). Whether swallowed by the sea or scorched by the sun, Jeremiah’s point was the same . . . Babylon would be destroyed.

Once again we see the law of Double Reference (see above). I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon will fall (51:44). Bel was judged when Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC and Satan will be judged when the antichrist and his armies fall when Messiah returns (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

The Greatness of the God of Isra’el
51: 15-26

The greatness of the God of Isra’el DIG: In what sense is YHVH omnipotent? Omniscient? Sovereign? How did Jeremiah contrast the God of Isra’el with the mindless idols of the other nations? How is the war club like the gold cup? How do we know that this is a far eschatological prophecy? What is the mountain? Why will Babylon be left with no stone for a foundation?

REFLECT: How has Elohim shown His omnipotence in your life? In what way is He omniscient? Is He the sovereign Lord of your life? Who has their hands on the steering wheel of your life? You or God? Who is in charge of your checkbook? You or ADONAI? Who controls your sex life? You or the Great King?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning far eschatological Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1 and 51:1a):

ADONAI-Tzva’ot has sworn by Himself; He made the earth by His power; He is omnipotent (51:15a). God is all powerful, limitless in ability, within the range of His holy character (Psalm 62:11; Genesis 17:1; Jeremiah 32:27; Job 26:7). Christ is omnipotent (Romans 1:4; John 10:18; Isaiah 9:6 Matthew 28:18). As far as the application to the unbeliever, there is no way out of God’s righteous judgment. As far as the application to the believer, there is nothing to fear (Psalm 118:6), we can be fully assured that He will perform His promises (Romans 4:21), with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

He founded the world by His wisdom (omniscience) and stretched out the heavens by His understanding (51:15b). God’s power is infinite, or limitless. YHVH is all knowing in the sense that He is aware of the past, present, and future. Nothing takes Him by surprise and He does not have to develop contingency plans. His knowledge is total (Job 37:16). The writer of Proverbs says that the eyes of the LORD are everywhere (Proverbs 15:3); Jesus said that not one sparrow will fall to the ground without the Father’s will, and even the very hairs of the apostle’s heads were all numbered (Matthew 10:29-30). Hebrews 4:13 says that before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Consequently, we are completely transparent before ADONAI. He sees and knows us totally. He knows every truth, even those not yet discovered by mankind, for it was He who created us.³⁰⁶

YHVH is sovereign. When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses (51:16). What do we mean by the sovereignty of God]? We mean the supremacy of God, the kingship of God, the godhood of God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that God is God. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Most High, doing according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, so that none can restrain His hand or say to Him what are You doing (Dani’el 4:35)? To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the Almighty, the Possessor of all power in Heaven and earth, so that none can defeat His counsels, thwart His purpose, or resist His will (Psalm 115:3). To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He rules over the nations (Psalm 22:28), setting up kingdoms, overthrowing empires, and determining the course of dynasties as He pleases. To say that God is Sovereign is to declare that He is the only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords (First Timothy 6:15). This is the God of the Bible.³⁰⁷

When contrasted with mindless idols, Yirmeyahu reminds us that everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them. They are worthless, impotent objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish (51:17-18). During the Great Tribulation, people will continue to worship idols: The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk (Revelation 9:20).

The Portion (the God) of Jacob, however, is not like these, for He is the Maker of all things (preexistent before all things), including His chosen people Isra’el (10:16), the people of His inheritance – ADONAI-Tzva’ot is His name (51:19). In human affairs a woman’s portion is the inheritance she receives from her father. It is hers by legal and moral right. So on the one hand, YHVH is especially the rightful, proper inheritance of Isra’el. On the other hand, God has chosen Isra’el as His very own people . . . the people of His inheritance. So there is an intimate relationship between ADONAI and His people that could never exist between the counterfeit idols made with human hands.³⁰⁸

[Babylon] you are My war club and weapon of war. The Hebrew root of club and weapon of war is used here as a verb of action, or destroying thing. Earlier God used the example of Babylon as an instrument of destruction, a gold cup in the LORD’s hand (51:7a), to render His vengeance. Ha’Shem is saying the same thing here, only now He is using a different figure of a shattering war club. But as with the gold cup, after He had used it to make the nations drunk, He then shatters them (51:8). Now in this passage, the shattering war club itself will be shattered. The repetition here (with an added verb at the beginning) emphasizes divine power and simulates the sound of a shattering war club (onomatopoeia).

With you I shatter nations;
with you I destroy kingdoms;
with you I shatter horses and their riders;
with you I shatter husbands and wives;
with you I shatter old and young;
with you I shatter young men and virgins;
with you I shatter farmers and their teams;
with you I shatter governors and officials (51:20-23 CJB).

Then the shattering of Babylon. Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Tziyon, declares ADONAI (51:24). The reason is her treatment of the Jews, the same reason that the golden cup was shattered. The Abrahamic Covenant was, and is, still in effect: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (Genesis 12:3a). The Babylonians actually treated the Jews quite well during the Babylonian Captivity. Many rose to prominent positions like Dani’el and Ezekiel. So this prophecy could only happen in the far eschatological future.

This is what the LORD says: I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth, declares the LORD. Whenever the Bible uses symbols, it uses them consistently. Every time the word mountain is used symbolically it is always a symbol of a kingdom. Here it is the symbol of the worldwide kingdom of the antichrist. Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon did not destroy the whole earth, but the antichrist will. I will stretch out My hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain (51:25).

The destruction of the land of Babylon will be so complete that ADONAI declares: No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever (51:26 also see the commentary Isaiah, to see link click Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, Will Be Overthrown). Once again, this did not happen after Cyrus took Babylon without a fight (see Ez – A Message to Babylon). In fact, Babylon continued to flourish for centuries. It is only after her defeat at the end of the Great Tribulation that she will be desolate forever. So this can only be a far eschatological prophecy.

Judgment Against Babylon
51: 1-14

Judgment against Babylon DIG: What will the effect be on the Jews (51: 5-6, 9-10)? Why were they told to run for their lives? Where do they go? What were those living in Babylon failing to take into account about the LORD’s relationship to Isra’el? What is the golden cup? Who uses it? Why is it necessary? What three groups desert her? ADONAI will take vengeance, vengeance for His Temple. Where was this Temple located?

REFLECT: What does Babylon’s judgment mean to you personally? What does it mean to you personally that ADONAI has already picked out a safe place for the Jews as they flee Babylon and run for their lives? What does it say about God’s faithfulness?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning far eschatological Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1 and 51:1a):

The winnowing of Babylon: See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer (Jeremiah 51:1a; First Chronicles 5:26; Haggai 1:14). The Hebrew underlying this phrase is translated aroused . . . the hostility of in Second Chronicles 21:16. Against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai (51:1b). Leb Kamai means the heart of my adversaries, but the expression is also an atbash for Chaldea or Babylon. An atbash was a code in which the letters of a name counted from the end of the alphabet are substituted for the corresponding letters from the beginning of the alphabet. For example, in English the letter “z” would replace the letter “a,” the letter “y” would replace the letter “b,” and so on. The name “Abby” as an atbash would become “zyyb.” The consonants for heart of my adversary (lbqmy), when reversed in the Hebrew alphabet, spell Chaldea (ksdym). Why Jeremiah didn’t simply say Chaldeans is a mystery, we just don’t know.³⁰⁵

YHVH will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to completely devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of disaster (51:2). This didn’t happen in 539 BC when Cyrus captured Babylon unopposed (to see link click Ez – A Message Against Babylon). This far eschatological prophecy could only happen at the end of the Great Tribulation. There is a play on the words strangers (Hebrew: zarim) and oppose her (Hebrew: zeruha). Normally when winnowing, one throws the wheat and the chaff up into the air and the wind blows the chaff away, while the wheat falls to the ground. But here, when the wheat and the chaff are thrown up into the air, both are blown away by the devastating wind.

Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor (get ready for war). Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her for she is cherem, meaning devoted to destruction (see Fb – The Destruction of Babylon and Restoration of Isra’el: three degrees of excommunication). The winnowing will be total and the land of Babylon will be completely destroyed at the end of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again). This did not happen in 539 BC when Cyrus captured Babylon without any opposition. The results of the winnowing are that the Babylonians will fall down slain, fatally wounded in her streets (51:3-4).

The Jews are told to run for their lives: For neither Isra’el nor Judah will be forsaken by their God, ADONAI-Tzva’ot, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Isra’el. The point here is that YHVH has not forsaken Isra’el (despite what replacement theology says). The word forsaken here is a Hebrew word meaning Isra’el is not widowed (from alam). She is looked upon in the TaNaKh as the wife of ADONAI. He is alive; therefore, she is not widowed. And this is in spite of the fact that her land is full of guilt. This is because God’s unconditional covenants are not determined by Isra’el’s failures . . . but on the LORD’s faithfulness (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). ADONAI issues instructions to the Jewish remnant: Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives (The Jews in the exile of 586 BC were directed to go to Babylon to be protected and live safely. That’s what Jeremiah had been consistently saying. They did not have to fear for their lives)! Do not be destroyed because of Babylon’s sins. At the end of the Great Tribulation the city of Babylon will be destroyed (Revelation 18:4). That’s why they will need to run for their lives. It is time for God’s vengeance; He will repay her what she deserves (51:5-6). Where do they run to? To a place in the desert made ready for them (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah).

Babylon the golden cup: Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk (Revelation 17:3-4, 18:6). In the Bible, whenever the cup is used symbolically, it’s always a symbol of the wrath of Ha’Shem (51:7a). Here, the Ruach is saying that YHVH used Babylon as a tool against other Gentile nations. So in that sense God has been the golden cup. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad (51:7b). Just as the Jews were disciplined by ADONAI (Deuteronomy 28:49), through Assyria (see the commentary on Isaiah Fm – With Foreign Lips and Strange Tongues God Will Speak to This People), and Babylon (Bb – Judah’s Invasion from a Distant Nation), now Babylon herself will be disciplined by God through many nations.

At the end of the Great Tribulation Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. The world will wail over her! Get balm from Gilead (see 8:22) for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. Then we see the response of foreigners (who made money from Babylon because she had become the economic center of world trade). These three groups; the kings of the earth, the merchants of the earth, and the transporters of goods (see the commentary on Revelation Ep – Woe! Woe, O Great City, In One Hour She Has Been Brought to Ruin) would have tried to heal Babylon, but she could not be healed. It will be a fatal wound. They desert her, saying: Let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it raises as high as the heavens’ (51:8-9). They realized that the destruction of Babylon was a sign of divine judgment.

The Jews run to Bozrah: ADONAI’s people, knowing that He has vindicated them, will sing a song of praise, declaring: Come, let us tell the sons and daughters of Tziyon what the LORD our God has done (51:10). They head for Bozrah to tell the Jews there that Babylon, the oppressive capitol of the world, had been destroyed.

Judgment against Babylon: Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields (get ready for war)! Be prepared for the attack. The LORD has stirred up a lead nation, the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule because His purpose is to destroy Babylon (51:11 and also see 51:28). ADONAI will take vengeance, vengeance for His Temple in Heaven (see the commentary on Revelation Dx – the Seventh Trumpet: God’s Temple in Heaven).

Then the actual attack: Lift up the banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, and prepare an ambush! ADONAI will carry out His purpose, His decree against the people of Babylon. Then the declaration: You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures (see three groups above), your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed. According to Babylonian mythology, Babylon was built on a great subterranean ocean. We also know from archeology and other historical records that the Euphrates, with its many canals, man-made dikes and trenches that surrounded the city, when viewed from a distance looked like it was sitting on many waters. ADONAI-Tzva’ot has sworn by Himself; I will surely fill you with troops, and figuratively, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you (51:12-14).

The Devastation of Babylon
According to the Divine Purpose of God
50: 39-46

The devastation of Babylon according to the divine purpose of God DIG: Does Babylon stand for anything else in this prophecy (Revelation Chapters 17-18)? If so, to what future event might these chapters point? What feelings and actions do you think God wanted these chapters to inspire in the Jews who were in exile? How can we know for sure that this prophecy is in the far eschatological future?

REFLECT: What feelings and actions does He want to inspire in you? How do these verses comfort you in knowing that nobody is getting away with anything in this life. Ha’Shem will bring justice to every evil deed. If God “did to you as you have done to others,” what would be your fate? Do you sense a basic fairness in life? Or does life seem unfair and unpredictable?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning far eschatological Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1):

So desert creatures (Hebrew: siyyim) and hyenas (Hebrew: ’iyyim) will live there. Neither humans nor animals will live there. Therefore, these cannot be literal animals. They are demons with animal-like features. And the owl will dwell (to see link click Ad – The Owl as a Symbol of Judgment). It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation (50:39). During the Messianic Kingdom there will be four uninhabitable places: Edom (see the commentary on Isaiah Gi – Edom’s Streams Will Be Turned into Pitch); Kedar and Hazor (see Dp – A Message Concerning Kedar and Hazor); and Babylon (see the commentary on Isaiah Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdom, Will Be Overthrown).

While the rest of the world enjoys the blessings of Messiah reigning and ruling from the Temple in Jerusalem, the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil, will be bound and thrown into the abyss for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4) and the demons who posed as human men before the flood (see the commentary on Genesis Ca – The Sons of God Married the Daughters of Men) will be imprisoned in tartarus (see the commentary on Jude Ak – The Angels Did Not Keep Their Positions of Authority). The remaining demons will be confined to one of these four burning pits of sulfur for a thousand years. As I overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns, declares the LORD, so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it (50:40). This did not happen after King Darius captured Babylon in 539 BC (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon).

Look into the far eschatological future! An army made up of many nations is coming from the north. The roles are now reversed. Earlier, Babylon was the invading army from the north (6:22). Now what Babylon herself once did to Jerusalem will be done to Babylon in the future. Whereas one nation will come against Jerusalem, many nations will come against Babylon. There will be a great lead nation (see 51:11 and 28), but many [leaders] are being stirred up from the ends of the earth (50:41). These will be the sheep Gentiles of the world (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats).

They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy (not needed by Cyrus in 539 BC because his takeover was bloodless). There are so many soldiers attacking Babylon that they sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses. The transliteration horses (Hebrew: cuwc) comes from an unusual root, meaning simply to skip. The prophets would be unfamiliar with modern military warfare and described what they saw from their own frame of reference. Yochanan, for example, saw a demonic infestation that flew like locusts, ran like horses and stung like scorpions. He had a difficult time identifying just exactly what they were, so he named them something he was familiar with (see the commentary on Revelation Da – The Fifth Trumpet: Locusts Came Down Upon the Earth and Were Given Power Like That of Scorpions). They come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon. Once again, this is not what happened with Cyrus. In 539 the victim was Daughter Zion (6:22-23), but at the end of the Great Tribulation the victim will be Daughter Babylon (50:42). She now becomes the helpless, vulnerable flock. So the last will be first, and the first will be last (Matthew 20:16 and 19:30).

The king of Babylon, the antichrist, has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor. This attack will be sudden, like a lion coming up from Judah’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant (see the commentary on Revelation Ep – Woe! Woe, O Great City, In One Hour She Has Been Brought to Ruin). Who has chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like Me and who can challenge Me? Therefore, hear what ADONAI has planned against Babylon, what He has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate. Again, this did not happen in 539 BC. At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations (50:43-46).

Babylon’s Enemy and Isra’el’s Redeemer
50: 25-38

Babylon’s enemy and Isra’el’s redeemer DIG: How can we know for sure that some of these verses alternate back and forth between near historical prophecies and far eschatological prophecies? What will the effect be on the Jews (50:28 and 33-34)? How has God changed Babylon’s role at the end of the Babylonian Captivity? What does Jeremiah tell us about Isra’el’s ultimate Redeemer? On what basis is God required to redeem Isra’el? In what way did a sword hang over Isra’el’s false prophets? What will make them go mad?

REFLECT: How does the fact that YHVH is the Covenant Keeper, and a Kinsman Redeemer give you comfort in your struggles in this life? Explain.

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke through Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1 CJB): So this prophecy blends both the near and the far. That is, the near historical fall of Babylon in 539 BC by Cyrus the Great . . . and the far eschatological fall of Mystery Babylon at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Far eschatological prophecy: ADONAI has opened his store of arms and brought out the weapons of His wrath; for Adonai YHVH-Tzva’ot has work to do, His strange work (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Fn – Your Covenant of Death Will Be Annulled) in the land of the Babylonians (50:25 CJB), the capital of the antichrist.

Ha’Shem will give instructions to the enemies of Babylon: Attack her from every direction! Open her stores of grain! Pile her up like heaps of grain; cherem, devoted to destruction (to see link click Fb – The Destruction of Babylon and Restoration of Isra’el: three degrees of excommunication). Destroy her completely and leave nothing! This did not happen in 539 BC when Cyrus the Great captured Babylon without a fight (Dani’el 5). The Babylonian soldiers here are spoken of figuratively as sacrificial bulls, the strong ones of the nation (Isaiah 34:6-7). Kill all her bulls! Let them go down to be slaughtered! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished (50:26-27 CJB). This could only happen during the end of the Great Tribulation.

On the other hand, we see the flight of the Jews from Babylon to Bozrah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). Hear the sound of the fugitives, of those escaping from Babylon, coming to proclaim Tziyon the vengeance of ADONAI our God, vengeance over His Temple (50:28).

Call up archers [military forces] against Babylon, all whose bows are strung (see the commentary on Revelation Ej – They Will Make War Against the Lamb, But the Lamb Will Overcome Them). Besiege her from every side, let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds against Isra’el; as MYSTERY BABYLON has done (see the commentary on Revelation Dd – I Saw a Woman Holding a Golden Cup), do to her. For she insulted ADONAI the Holy One of Isra’el by spreading a false religious system throughout the world. This is why her young men will fall in her open places, why all her warriors will be silenced in death on that day at the end of the Great Tribulation, says ADONAI. Again, this did not happen when Cyrus captured Babylon without a fight in 539 BC (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon). There was no battle at that time. No warriors fell. I am against you, arrogant one [antichrist], says Adonai YHVH-Tzva’ot. For your day has come, the time for you to be punished. The arrogant one (Isaiah 14:13-14; 2 Thess 2:3-4), will stumble and fall, and no one will lift him up again. I will set his cities on fire, and it will devour everything around him (50:29-32 CJB). Again, this did not happen in 539 BC.

Thus says the LORD of heaven’s angelic armies:

Near historical prophecy: It is not unusual for either Jeremiah or Isaiah to alternate back and forth between near historical prophecies and far eschatological prophecies. The people of Isra’el are oppressed, and so are the people of Judah. Those who took them captive hold them fast; they refuse to let them go (50:33 CJB). But eventually the oppression of Isra’el will give way to the redemption of Isra’el. Clearly the role assigned to Babylon at the end of the Babylonian Captivity is very different from the role assigned to Babylon earlier in the days of Zedekiah.

Far eschatological prophecy: But their go’el, their kinsman redeemer is strong (see the commentary on Ruth Au – Naomi Evaluates the Meeting); ADONAI of heaven’s angelic armies is His name. This emphasizes YHVH in His role as the Covenant Keeper. He will thoroughly plead their cause, so that He can give rest to the Land but unrest to those who live in Babylon (50:34 CJB).

It was on the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant that God’s name required Him to redeem (Hebrew: ga’al) Isra’el from Egypt in the days of the exodus (Exodus 6:6 and 15:13). By the same token, because He is the LORD Almighty, because He is the Covenant Keeping God, it is for that very reason that He redeemed Isra’el from the hands of the Babylonians in the past (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Ah – Cyrus Decrees: Rebuild the Temple), just as He will redeem Isra’el from the hands of the antichrist in the future (see the commentary on Isaiah Kc – The Redemption of Jerusalem and Isra’el).

ADONAI says:

Near historical prophecy: A sword (cherev, sounds like hair-av) hangs over Babylon, and over those who live in Babylon, over her officials and wise men. This sword is aimed at a significant element of society – princes, wise men, false prophets, warriors, horses, chariots, foreigners, and treasures. A sword hangs over her false prophets! And in each case, there is to be a radical reversal. The false prophets will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror. A sword against her horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become weaklings. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered (50:35-37).

Far eschatological prophecy: A drought (chorev, sounds like hor-av) on her waters! They will dry up (see the commentary on Revelation Eg – I Saw Three Evil Spirits That Looked Like Frogs). The Euphrates didn’t dry up when Cyrus captured Babylon, her waters were diverted. For it is a land of idols (a contemptuous term for their gods), idols that will go mad with terror (50:38). They will go mad as a result of their own hand made idols.

The Destruction of Babylon
and the Restoration of Isra’el
50: 11-24

The destruction of Babylon and the restoration of Isra’el DIG: How do we know that the context of this message is in the far eschatological future? When did Babylon become a dry land, never to be inhabited again, but will be completely desolate? What will the effect be on Isra’el (50:4-8 and 17-20)? Why will it be crucial that Isra’el seek the LORD?

REFLECT: Just because God uses a nation or a person to carry out His plan, does that mean YHVH is pleased with them? Can you think of any other instances where ADONAI uses bad people to accomplish His will? What do these incidents tell you about Ha’Shem’s power and plan?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

This is the word ADONAI spoke [at the hand of] Yirmeyahu the prophet concerning far eschatological Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1):

The Destruction of Babylon: This was the sin of the capital city of the antichrist: Because you rejoice and are glad over Isra’el’s downfall, you who pillage My inheritance (Isra’el), because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions. The punishment will come in the far eschatological future when your mother (the city of Babylon) will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations – a wilderness, a dry land, a desert: This only happens during the Messianic Kingdom. Because of ADONAI’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate (see the commentary on Revelation, to see link click Er – Babylon Will Never Be Found Again). All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds (50:11-13). This did not happen when Cyrus the Great took over the kingdom (Dani’el 5:31). In fact, under Persian rule, Babylon flourished as a center of art and education.

When the armies of the antichrist out of Babylon attack the Jews in Jerusalem, the sheep Gentiles of the Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats) take the opportunity to destroy the capital city of the antichrist (see the commentary on Revelation Ej – They Will Make War Against the Lamb, But the Lamb Will Overcome Them). Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD (50:14).

Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. This is not a description of the fall of Babylon in 538 BC by Cyrus the Great. He captured Babylon without a fight (Dani’el 5). No towers fell. No walls were torn down (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon). This is the far eschatological future destruction of Babylon at the end of the Tribulation just before Messiah returns (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). Since this is the vengeance of ADONAI, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others. Her food supply will be halted: Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone (besides the Jews) flee to their own land (50:15-16).

The Restoration of Isra’el: First, there is a summary of Isra’el’s history of suffering. In figurative language, Isra’el is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. But at that time that sheep-to-lion relationship will change and the LORD will restore the sheep to their rightful pasture. Therefore this is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el says: I will punish (future tense) the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria (50:17-18). First the Assyrians crushed the northern kingdom of Isra’el in 722 BC (Second Kings 17:3-6), and were eventually punished. General Nebuchadnezzar defeated the last Assyrian king Ashur-uballit II in 610 BC. The Egyptians came to his aide; however, Pharaoh’s army was driven back by Nebuchadnezzar, the son of the Babylonian king. Once Egypt retreated, Assyria had no more allies and their dominance in the holy land was over. And even though Babylon fell to Cyrus 539 BC, the context here describes the far eschatological destruction of the rebuilt city of Babylon at the end of the Great Tribulation. Therefore, what the Babylonians did to the Assyrians will one day be done to them.

While Babylon will eventually be totally destroyed, God’s people Isra’el will eventually be totally restored. But I will bring Isra’el back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel (Galilee) and Bashan (present day Golan Heights); their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim (present day west bank of Jordan) and Gilead (present day east bank of Jordan) (50:19). This can only be fulfilled in the Messianic Kingdom.

In those days, at that time, declares ADONAI. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Holy Spirit) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the twenty-first of twenty-five times that Yirmeyahu uses one of these phrases. In those days, at that time a search will be made for Isra’el’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare (50:20). Some questions need to be asked. Does Isra’el have any guilt today? Yes! Does Isra’el have any sins today? Yes! So, the fulfillment of these passages could only take place in the far eschatological future in the closing days of the Great Tribulation when there will be a national regeneration of the remnant of Isra’el still alive at that time (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

Babylon’s Hammer of Power Destroyed: Attack the land of Merathaim, which is a description of Babylon. Merathaim is a word that means double rebellion or double bitterness. It is a play on words (which Yirmeyahu liked to do). In Hebrew: Mat (pronounced Mut) Marratim (roll the double r), means the land of the bitter river. This was an area at the head of the Persian Gulf where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. But here is where the play on words come in. The root mrh means to rebel or bitterness, and with the two rivers we get the meaning of double rebellion or double bitterness.³⁰³ And attack those who live in Pekod (50:21a). These were a people living in the southeastern part of Babylon, but the root pqd means punishment or to punish. Hence, the land of Pekod (paw-kod’) is the land of destruction.

Let’s focus on this desrcution for a moment. Judaism has three degrees of excommunication, though none is common today. The lightest, n’zifah, which is simply a rebuke, could be declared by one person and normally lasts seven days. An example of heziphah is found in First Timothy 5:1. The next, niddui, which means to cast out, usually requires three rabbis to declare; would last a minimum of thirty days and people were required to stay six feet from the rejected one. An example of this second type is found in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 and Titus 3:10. The most severe, cherem, means to be devoted to destruction. It was a ban of indefinite duration and meant the person would be put out of the Temple. The rest of the Jewish community considered someone under the cherem judgment to be dead and no communication, or any kind of relationship, could be carried on with that person whatsoever (In the Talmud see Mo’ed Katan 16a-17a, N’darim 7b, Pesachim 52a). For a family so poor as to allow their son to beg – begging charity was to be avoided as much as giving charity was to be practiced – being unsynagogued would have spelled utter disaster. This third type is found in First Corinthians 5:1-7 and Matthew 18:15-20. For messianic Jews today social ostracism by family and the Jewish community – that is being treated as if under the cherem judgment – sometimes occurs was when committing one’s life to Yeshua (Mattityahu 10:34-37 and Luke 14:26).³⁰⁴

The far eschatological Babylon will be devoted to destruction. In the context of holy war, everything captured in battle, the totality of the city, its inhabitants and their property belonged to YHVH, whose right it was to destroy it completely. And once it is destroyed, it becomes completely untouchable. That’s why when Achan took that which was devoted to destruction; he, his whole family and all his belongings became devoted to destruction (Joshua 7:22-25). What was true of Jericho (Joshua 6:18-19) will be true of Babylon (50:13). Pursue, kill and completely destroy them, declares the LORD, because they are devoted to destruction. Do everything I have commanded you. The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great cherem destruction (50:21b-22)!

How [shocked], broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth (see the commentary on Isaiah Dn – The LORD Has Broken the Rod of the Wicked)! Babylon will conquer the whole earth during the Great Tribulation. The antichrist will do it and set up his capital in the rebuilt city of Babylon, which will be the hammer, the destroyer of other nations around the world. But then, the hammer itself will be destroyed. The world will be shocked. How desolate is Babylon among the nations that it once conquered (50:23).

This message concludes with an ironic address to Babylon. She had set out traps for others, but she herself will be suddenly and unexpectedly entrapped and captured by them. I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. Then the reason for judgment is given: You were found and captured because you opposed ADONAI (50:24; also see 50:29).

Babylon Will Be Captured,
Bel Will Be Put to Shame,
And Marduk Filled With Terror
50: 1-10

Babylon will be captured, Bel put to shame, and Murduk filled with terror DIG: What feelings and actions do you think God wanted these verses to inspire in the exiled Jews in the near historical future? What did Jeremiah predict? What did Jeremiah predict would happen to Babylon in the far eschatological future when the Jews would flee Babylon to Bozrah, during the Great Tribulation in the time of the LORD’s wrath (Isaiah 63:1-6)?

REFLECT: What feelings and actions does ADONAI want to inspire in you? How easy or how hard is it for you to trust in Jesus when your world is crumbling around you? It’s easier said than done. How can you overcome your fear? How much time do you spend thinking about the return of the blessed Hope (Titus 2:13)?

These prophecies were made in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Jeremiah’s final prophecy against the Gentile nations concerns Babylon. Almost as much space is devoted to Babylon as to all the other nations combined. This gives us some indication of the tremendous importance of Babylon to the whole of western Asia at the close of the seventh and during the decades of the sixth century. This is the word ADONAI spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians (50:1). This verse is the superscription of the whole prophecy in Chapters 50 and 51.

Near historical prophecy: As long as Babylon ruled the world, fear silenced the tongue of the conquered nations. But when she was captured, there would be nothing to fear. Announce and proclaim among the nations who had suffered from Babylon’s aggressive expansion, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, in a moment, the Babylonian exile was over. Babylon will be captured and her gods will be put to shame. Bel was the principal god of the Babylonians (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Ig – Bel Bows Down, Nebo Stoops Low and They Go Off Together to Captivity). The name is generally supposed to be the Babylonian form of Ba’al (Numbers 22:41). Sacrifices offered to Bel consisted of adult cattle and their offspring together with incense.²⁹⁹

By the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule, Marduk had become the supreme god of the Mesopotamian pantheon. In Babylonian myth, Marduk was credited with killing Tiamat, a monster who threatened the other gods. From this encounter, Marduk created order out of chaos that included the creation of humankind. It was such symbolic and political power that stood in the face of the oracles that proclaimed the doom of Babylon.³⁰⁰ Even Marduk will be filled with terror. The gods of Babylon seemed beyond challenge, but they will completely fail to protect her devotees from disaster. Her images (Hebrew: gillulim) will be put to shame and her idols (Hebrew: ‘asabbim) filled with terror (50:2), a play on the word idols, that means balls of feces.

Therefore, this prophecy blends both the near and the far. That is, the near historical fall of Babylon in 539 BC by General Cyrus (the Great) is blended with the far eschatological fall of MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH (see the commentary Isaiah Dk – Babylon, the Jewel of Kingdoms, Will Be Overthrown) by Jesus Christ.

Far eschatological prophecy: An oracle in the prophetic perfect (meaning that it is just as assured as if it had already happened) announces that a nation from the north will attack her (see the commentary on Revelation Bh – The Northern Alliance and the Invasion of Isra’el). The source of the attack is not revealed at this time. But this did not happen to historical Babylon. When Cyrus attacked Babylon, it was from the east. An army is coming from the north (50:3a). The roles are now reversed. Earlier, Babylon was the invading army from the north (6:22). Now what Babylon herself once did to Jerusalem will be done to Babylon in the future. Whereas one nation will come against Tziyon, many nations will come against Babylon. There will be a great lead nation (singular see 51:11, 28), but many are being stirred up from the ends of the earth (50:41). The many will be the sheep Gentiles of the world (see the commentary on Revelation Fc – The Sheep and the Goats).

This one lead nation will lay waste her land. Cyrus the Great did not fulfill this because Babylon flourished for several centuries afterwards (see Ez – A Message Against Babylon). But eventually the results of Babylon’s judgment will be: None will live in it; both people and animals will flee away (50:3b). When will there be no people or animals in Babylon? During the Great Tribulation, for a thousand years, Babylon will be uninhabitable (see Ad –The Owl as a Symbol of Judgment).

On the one hand Jeremiah announces the destruction of Babylon, and on the other hand he announces the restoration of Isra’el. The final restoration of Isra’el in the Messianic Kingdom will come in conjunction with the destruction of Babylon (see the commentary on Revelation Ex – The Eight Stage Campaign of the Battle of Armageddon: 2. The Destruction of Babylon). Yeshua Messiah will return when He is invited back by the Jewish religious leaders, the shepherds of Isra’el, and there will be a national regeneration of the surviving Jewish remnant at the end of the Great Tribulation (see the commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

In those days, at that time, declares ADONAI. When Jeremiah (under the direction of the Ruach ha-Kodesh) uses the phrase in the days to come; the days are coming; in those days; in that day, at that time; or for the time will surely come, the context points either to the near historical future or the far eschatological future and which one should be used. This is the twentieth of twenty-five times that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh uses one of these phrases. In those days, at that time points to the far eschatological future national regeneration of Isra’el. The people of Isra’el and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God (50:4).

They will ask the way to Tziyon and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to ADONAI in an everlasting Covenant (see Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el) that will not be forgotten (50:5).

This will be a New Covenant to contrast her past condition. My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds (the leaders, kings, priests, and prophets) have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. It was the Jewish leadership that was to blame for the diaspora and wandering over the centuries. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place. Whoever found them devoured them, but claimed their innocence. Their enemies said: We are not guilty. Why do they say this? This is really important to understand. When anti-Semites persecute Jews they defend themselves by saying, “Well, we’re not really guilty . . . this is not really a sin . . . Genesis 12:3 really doesn’t apply . . . because Isra’el brought all this on herself by sinning against YHVH, their resting place of justice, the LORD, the hope of their ancestors (50:6-7). And of course some will say, “Well, the Jews are Christ killers.” But no one who persecutes the Jews can use Jewish unbelief as an excuse because Ha’Shem is going to hold all of them responsible. The fact of Jewish unbelief does not grant Gentiles the right of anti-Semitism or persecution.³⁰¹

Flee out of Babylon and go to Bozrah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). Leave the land of the Babylonians and be like the goats that lead the flock. There is a call for the Jews to flee Babylon prior to its final destruction (see the commentary on Revelation En – Come Out of Her, My People, So That You Will Not Share in Her Sins). Ha’Shem declares: For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north (also see Fe – Judgment Against Babylon). The foe that will destroy Babylon will be just as invincible as Babylon was against Judah. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return (shuwb) empty-handed (50:8-9). The picture is of a warrior skilled at his art and returning from every battle with booty. To such warriors Babylon would become spoil (Hebrew: salal) and their arrows would find their mark.³⁰²

The result is that Babylonia will be plundered (not by Cyrus); all who plunder her will have their fill, declares ADONAI (50:10). During Jeremiah’s day, it was the Jews who were devoured; but in the far eschatological future it will be the Babylonians themselves who will be devoured. Once again the principle of Genesis 12:3a holds true: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse.

A Message Against Babylon
50:1-46 and 51:1-64

DIG: Just as Jeremiah said in Chapter 25, the prophet holds out the cup of wrath to Babylon. For what sins will she drink the cup (chapter 50:2, 11, 15, 24, 29, 32, 36; chapter 51: 9, 24, 44, 47, 49, 52; Habakkuk 1:6-11)? Which sins seem most despicable to you? Who will Ha’Shem use to punish Babylon (50:3, 9, 41, 51:11, 14, 27-28, 53)? What does that tell you about what it will take to knock this evil empire out for good? What will be the effect on the Babylonians themselves (50:2-3, 9-16, 21-27, 30-32, 35-40,43-46; 51:1-4, 13-14, 20-23, 25-26, 29-33, 36-44, 52-58)? What will be the effect on all the nations of the world (50:2, 51:9, 27, 44 and 48)? How do you account for the different responses? Does Babylon point to anything else in prophecy beside itself (see Revelation 17-18)? If so, what future event might these chapters point to? Just because the LORD uses a nation or a person to carry out His plan, does that mean YHVH is pleased with them? Can you think of any other instances where God uses bad people to accomplish His will? What do these incidences tell you about ADONAI’s power and plan?

These prophecies came in 594-593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The exceptional length of this message as compared with the judgments pronounced upon other nations is explained by the prophet’s deeper interest in Babylon as his country’s conqueror. This explanation also accounts for the sharper and more vindictive tone. Jeremiah knew that Babylon was merely the agent designated by Ha’Shem for punishing his countrymen. Yet, as a patriot he could not but feel some hatred against the nation that destroyed his homeland; just as he had lamented his people’s fate in spite of having prophesied that it was just retribution for their sins. His hatred found expression in his joy at Babylon’s downfall, a joy further motivated by the conviction that it was well merited.

The Babylonians were the descendants of the semi-nomadic tribe of Kaldu (Akkadian) or Kasdim (Hebrew), and from it came the tribal name of the Chaldeans. The viewpoint of this prophecy is different than in the past where Babylon is pictured as being mighty and invincible. Now Babylon is viewed as being weak and vulnerable. Yirmeyahu’s main prophecies are repeated. For example, he mentions that the attack will come from the north four times (50:3, 9 and 41, 51:48); eleven times the prophet refers to an assault against Babylon; nine times he alludes to the destruction of Babylon, etc. God’s prophet repeats himself several times to make his point.

Near historical prophecy: Nebuchadnezzar died after a long rule from 605 BC to 562 BC (43 years), and when he died the hopes of a continued strong empire died with him. None of his successors came anywhere near his stature as a leader. For twenty three years, from 562 to 539 BC Babylon hung on. The reason she was able to do so for so long was because there was really no strong adversary on the horizon until 539 BC when Cyrus the Great captured Babylon (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Ia – The Deliverance by Cyrus the Great). His father, Cambyses I, was Persian and his mother, Mandane, was Median. In 549 BC Cyrus killed the Median king Astyages and founded the Medo-Persian Empire. The fact that monarchs used a personal name and a throne name was common in ancient times. This can be easily seen in the names of the Judean kings: Shallum (personal name) and Jehoahaz (throne name); Eliakim (personal name) and Jehoiakim (throne name); Mattaniah (personal name) and Zedekiah (throne name). This explains why the Bible lists Darius (personal name), rather than Cyrus (throne name) as conquering Babylon: Personal name versus throne name (Dani’el 5:30).

Cyrus united the Medes and the Persians into a unified nation and an unbeatable fighting force. Toward the end of September 539 BC, the armies of Cyrus, under the able command of Ogbaru, district governor of Gutium, attacked Opis on the Tigris River and defeated the Babylonians. This gave the Persians control of the vast canal system of Babylon. On October 10th, 539 BC Sippar was taken unopposed and Nabonidus, the feeble king of Babylon who had entrusted his kingship to Belshazzar, his corrupt son, fled for his life. Two days later, on October 12^th, Ogbaru’s troops were able to enter Babylon without a fight (Dani’el 5:1-30). The Greek historian Herodotus described how the Persians diverted (not dried up) the Euphrates River into a canal so that the water level dropped “to the height of the middle of a man’s thigh,” which thus rendered the flood defenses useless and enabled the invaders to march through the river bed and enter the city by night (Herodotus 1.191).

Cyrus was able to capture the city of Babylon without opposition. He is referred to in the TaNaKh as the LORD’s shepherd and the LORD’s anointed (see the commentary on Isaiah Ic – This is What the LORD says to Cyrus His Anointed), and was the only pagan ruler to be given those titles. In carrying out God’s will Cyrus allowed subjugated peoples, including the Jews, to return to their homelands. However, Jeremiah’s visions must have helped sustain the hope of the exiles through their decades of waiting.

In the end, the great empire was not the means of YHVH’s attack, but the object of YHVH’s attack. Babylon was no longer the shaper of the future, not the perpetual power with which to be reckoned, but only one more pretender to power who could not endure the ultimate power of God. At the end of the book of Jeremiah we are not left with ADONAI and Babylon, but only ADONAI.²⁹⁸

Isaiah and John deal with Babylon in other prophecies; hence, it is very important to understand the difference between a near historical prophecy and a far eschatological prophecy. The Babylon of the Great Tribulation will be a rebuilt city on the spot where ancient Babylon once stood, by the Euphrates River in the modern country of Iraq. The principles that we understand these to be far eschatological prophecies (Isaiah Chapters 13, 14, 46 and 47; Revelation Chapters 17 and 18) are first, that we take them literally, and secondly, that they have never been fulfilled and do not fit the Babylon of history.

Babylon was not destroyed. In fact, it became a major capital for the Persian Empire for two centuries. Alexander the Great, after conquering the Persians, made Babylon his primary capital. In fact, he died there. After Alexander’s death, four of his key generals divided his kingdom, with Seleucus taking over Syria, Babylonia and portions of India.

The city subsequently underwent a gradual decay, even though the ruins remained occupied. Early in the first century AD a colony of merchants from Palmyra brought brief prosperity, but they left about 75 AD. Documents on clay tablets indicate a school for priests continued at least until 100 AD. Trajan, the Roman emperor, visited the city in 115 AD.

As recently as the 1800s the village of Hillah, containing over 10,000 inhabitants, stood on the site of ancient Babylon. In the last 19^th Century, the German archaeologist Robert Koldewey conducted extensive studies at Babylon and the four Arab villages situated on the site. Babylon had been inhabited for some time even before his arrival. The great prophecies concerning the city of Babylon in Isaiah and Jeremiah have never been fulfilled.

As Joel Rosenberg writes in his blog (https://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/02/14/us-to-help-rebuild-city-of-babylon-in-iraq/February 14, 2009), “Largely overlooked by the Western news media over the past few weeks was an enormously significant story. The government of Iraq is moving forward with plans to protect the archaeological remains of the ancient City of Babylon, in preparation for building a modern city of Babylon. The project, originally started by the late Saddam Hussein, is aimed eventually at attracting scores of “cultural tourists” from all over the world to see the glories of Mesopotamia’s most famous city. What’s more, the Obama Administration contributed $700,000 towards ‘The Future of Babylon Project,’ through the State Department’s budget.” Officials hope Babylon can be revived and made ready for a rich future of tourism, with help from experts at the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the U.S. embassy,” reports Reuters. “The Future of Babylon’ project launched last month seeks to ‘map the current conditions of Babylon and develop a master plan for its conservation, study and tourism,’ the WMF says. ‘We don’t know how long it will take to reopen to tourists,’ said Mariam Omran Musa, head of a government inspection team based at the site. ‘It depends on funds. I hope that Babylon can be reborn in a better image.’”

For many, I know the rebuilding of Babylon seemed like a far-fetched idea in the Bible. For many more, it seemed like a far-fetched idea in 2006, as well. But skeptics and cynics take note: now that the insurgency is dying down, the Shia-led government of Iraq is actually moving forward with this historic and prophetic project. They say Babylon will be “reborn.” And they’re right. It will be. Stay tuned.

Iraqi soldiers walk past a replica of the Ishtar Gate of Ancient Babylon, 135 km (85 miles) south of Baghdad, January 13, 2009. (Reuters photo)

Therefore, this extended prophecy from 50:1 to 51:64 blends both the near and the far. It is not unusual for either Isaiah or Jeremiah to switch back and forth between the near historical fall of Babylon in 539 BC by Cyrus the Great . . . and the far eschatological fall of Mystery Babylon at the end of the Great Tribulation, sometimes rapidly.

Prophecy Against the Negev
The Parable of the Forest Fire
Ezeki’el 20: 45-49

Prophecy against the Negev DIG: What are the three different Hebrew words all translated south? When used symbolically, “fire” commonly refers to an invading enemy, and “forest” refers to a mass of people. What is God saying here? How do you feel about both the green and dry trees burning together? Why does ADONAI do that? Did the hearers of this prophecy heed this warning? Why or why not? How do you think Ezeki’el felt about it?

REFLECT: What was God’s purpose in this warning? In the New Covenant, what is the unquenchable or eternal fire (Luke 3:17; Matthew 25:41)? Do you ignore or concentrate on the bad news God has for our culture? On a scale of one to ten, how well do you accept unpleasant news? How do you react when someone you care about is suffering under God’s discipline? How will you survive YHVH’s “scorched earth” policy?

591 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Some time later, Ezekiel’s long prophecy of 20:1-44 was followed by a short parable.

The one main point of the parable of the forest fire is that Nebuchadnezzar was going to devastate the Negev by the fire of judgment that will spread to engulf all of Judah.

In this near historical prophecy against Judah, Ezeki’el describes Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion. The prophecy extended beyond 591 BC, but the sins and the problems he is speaking of are of that time. The word of ADONAI came to me (Ezeki’el 20:45). In the Hebrew text of Ezeki’el, this verse is the beginning of Chapter 21, where the connection is clear and the figure is explained in direct prophetic language.

Son of man, set your face toward the south (Ezeki’el 20:46a). In verse 46 there are three different Hebrew words all translated south. Here, the word south is teiman, which literally means that which lies on the right hand. On our maps the top of the map is north, but on their maps the top was eastward, so if you are facing east, that which lies on the right hand would be south.

Preach comes from the Hebrew verb nataph and can be translated as drip, drop, or speak, which is translated preach here. To drop a word is used of the message of the prophets. The picture is of a drop of water from a tilted pitcher (Deuteronomy 32:2; Amos 7:16 translated prophesy; Micah 2:6 and 11 translated prophesy). Preach against the south (Ezeki’el 20:46b). The Hebrew word translated south here is darom, which means to emit streams of light.

And drop a word against the forest of the southland (Ezeki’el 20:46c). The Hebrew word for south here is a proper noun, the Negev, specifically referring to the southern part of Isra’el, meaning the dry land (Joshua 15:21). The southland had always been invaded, as far as the Mesopotamian powers were concerned, from the north. The parable of the forest does not relate to Babylon, but to the land of Judah.

But as Ezekiel declared his parable, it quickly became clear to him that his audience did not understand its meaning. They complained that the prophet could only speak in parables, and, though they were not a particularly perceptive audience, the parable should have been clear to them. To speak of a forest fire in the Negev was crazy; everybody knew it as barren land in the south of Y’hudah. Therefore, with God’s permission, Ezekiel explained his parable.²⁹⁵ Say to the Negev forest, “Hear the word of ADONAI. Adonai ELOHIM says, “I will light a fire in you; it will devour every tree in you, green and dry alike, a figure for the righteous and the wicked; a blazing, unquenchable flame that will scorch every face from the Negev to the north.” To everyone who saw the devastating fire its source would be evident, it was God who had kindled the fire that would not be put out (Ezeki’el 20:48).

Whenever the word forest is used symbolically, it always speaks of a mass of people. So the prophecy is not against literal trees, but against the people of the Negev. Any resistance that the Judeans give to the Babylonian army, the unquenchable flame, will be futile. It would touch every life. From Dan in the north to the Negev in the south. What will be judgment for the godless will be refining for the godly. So it was when Babylon invaded the Land for the third time, bringing about the destruction of Judah in 586 BC. No power on earth could hinder the invasion; it was started by God and carried out through Him. Through the messages of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, however, no Israelite could doubt as to who brought about the catastrophe (to see link click Ae – The Problem of Holy War in the TaNaKh).²⁹⁶

Then Ezeki’el said: Oh, Adonai ELOHIM! They complain that I speak only in perplexing parables (Ezeki’el 20:49). Though he was prophesying Judah’s destruction, the exiles were only confused by his words. They were hard-hearted and refused to comprehend his message. There is never enough proof for unbelief.²⁹⁷

Rebellious Isra’el Renewed
Ezeki’el 20: 33-44

Rebellious Isra’el renewed DIG: What is the point of the comparisons in 20:30-32 and the irony in 20:39? How is Isra’el like (or unlike) her father’s? And the nations? What sins of this generation truly provoke the Lord? In what ways will the future judgment of ADONAI be reminiscent of the Exodus (see 20:33-38)? Who is God telling: Go and serve your idols? What will be different about the way the LORD treats this generation from the ones that have gone before (20:40-44)? What, ultimately, will result from the punishment of Ha’Shem? How will God’s particular way of restoring Isra’el show Him to be Adonai ELOHIM?

REFLECT: What do you learn from this passage about ADONAI’s character and His plan of salvation? About God’s permissive will and His perfect will? How do you think the LORD’s mercy and His wrath work together toward the same purpose? Do you see them working together for good in your particular generation? How so? Which could you use more of now: God’s “carrot” or His “stick?” Why?

The tenth of Ab, 591 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Speaking through Ezeki’el, God has dealt with the past, and He has dealt with the present, now He will deal with the far eschatological future. Sometime the future to the dispersion that he promised in the earlier verses of this chapter (to see link click Ew – Rebellious Isra’el Purged), he talks about a different future than the regathering. Isaiah and others had spoken of a worldwide regathering in faith with blessing (see the commentary on Isaiah De – God Is My Salvation, I Will Trust and Not Be Afraid). In other words, a regathering for the Messianic Kingdom. But the regathering Ezeki’el is speaking of here is a regathering in wrath and anger. A regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. The prophets spoke of two worldwide regatherings for the Jews. And the best way of distinguishing between the two is that there is first a worldwide regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment, specifically the judgment of the Great Tribulation, and then a second worldwide regathering in faith/trust/belief in preparation for blessing, specifically the blessing of the Messianic Kingdom. The regathering spoken of here is a regathering in preparation for judgment of the Great Tribulation.

Divine wrath: As surely as I live, declares Adonai ELOHIM, I will reign over you with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with outpoured wrath (Ezeki’el 20:33). In the past the mighty hand and the outstretched arm was used on behalf of Isra’el (Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 4:34, 5:15, 26:8; Second Kings 17:36). Now, however, it is against Isra’el. And the goal of the judgment was not annihilation, but to make Himself king over them. The goal is the messianic kingship (see the commentary on Isaiah Db – The Nine Missing Articles in Messiah’s Coming Temple). So ultimately, the means by which Ha’Shem will achieve His status as king over Isra’el will be by wrath and judgment.

Divine regathering: I will bring you from the Gentile nations and gather you in unbelief from the countries where you have been scattered by means of judgment, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and outpoured wrath. I then will bring you into the wilderness of the Gentile nations and judge you face to face (Ezeki’el 20:34-35). Ultimately, the place of gathering is the wilderness of the Gentile nations. But this location needs to be determined by parallel passages. In Matthew 24:15-16 Jesus refers to the wilderness of the Gentiles as the mountains. In Revelation 12:6, 13-14 it is referred to as the wilderness. In Isaiah 33:16 this place is also a refuge in the mountain fortress. Specifically, Micah 2:12 CJB tells us: I will assemble all of you, Ya’akov; I will gather the remnant of Isra’el, I will put them together like sheep in a pen, like a herd in its pasture – it will hum with the sounds of people, known as Bozrah (see the commentary on Isaiah Kg – The Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Bozrah). This is the judgment of the Great Tribulation. The Jews will not only be regathered by judgment, but also for judgment.

Then Ezeki’el, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, draws a comparison to the exodus. Moshe brought the whole nation out of Egypt. And ADONAI’s purpose in the wilderness was to accomplish two things. First, to receive the Torah, and secondly, to build a Tabernacle through which the Torah could be maintained. With those two things accomplished, which took one year, they were to proceed into the Promised Land. But when they came to Kadesh Barnea in the Negev at the border of the Land. But before going in Moshe sent in twelve spies, and then they returned ten said there is no way we will be able to take it. They dissuaded the people and there was a massive rebellion. As a result, God pronounced a judgment upon that generation of Isra’el. Those who came out of Egypt would not enter the Promised Land of Isra’el. They would wander for forty years until all those twenty years and older, except for Joshua and Caleb, would die in the desert. So forty years later there was a new nation. Not a nation born of slaves born in Egypt, but a nation born free in the wilderness that was able to enter the Land under Joshua.

What God did at that time He will do again in the future after the regathering at Bozrah. As I judged your ancestors in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will judge you during the Great Tribulation, declares Adonai ELOHIM (Ezeki’el 20:36). Zechariah 13:8-9 tells us that two-thirds of the Jews will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call out and I will answer them; I will say, “They are My people” and they will say, “ADONAI is my God.”

Ha’Shem then states the purpose of this judgment: I will take note of you as you pass under My rod of judgment, and I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant. As the selected sheep are dedicated to the Temple, so the Israelites who pass under God’s rod (Leviticus 27:32) will be set apart for the purposes of YHVH once again, and under the New Covenant whereby Isra’el will be a holy nation (see Eo – The Days are Coming, declares the LORD, When I Will Make a New Covenant with the People of Isra’el). I will purge two-thirds of those who revolt and rebel against Me. Then Ezeki’el ends with a summary statement of all that he has said so far. Although I will bring them out of the wilderness of the Gentile nations where they are living, yet two-thirds will not enter the Messianic Kingdom. Then you will know that I am the LORD (Ezeki’el 20:37-38). Therefore, just as the rebels were purged in the wilderness while the others entered the Promised Land under Joshua, so here, two-thirds of the rebels will be purged in the Great Tribulation and one-third will enter the Millennial Kingdom under the Kosher King.²⁹³

A parenthetical warning to Ezeki’el’s generation: This contrasts the present generation from the future generation of verses 33-38. As for you, people of Isra’el, this is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you! Have your fill. See what that gets you (Ezeki’el 20:25)! But afterward you will surely listen to Me and no longer profane My holy name with your gifts and idols (Ezeki’el 20:39).

God’s far eschatological provision of the Messianic Kingdom: For on My holy mountain of Tziyon, the high mountain of Isra’el, declares Adonai ELOHIM, there in the Land all the people of Isra’el will serve Me, and there I will accept them. The prophet mentioned this high mountain previously (Ezeki’el 17:23). This mountain doesn’t exist today. It will come into existence when the topography of the earth is changed during the millennium. A new mountain will emerge from that transformation to become the highest mountain in the world. On the northern part of this mountain will be the millennial Temple and on the southern part will be millennial Jerusalem. What Ezeki’el says here, he will elaborate in much greater detail in Chapters 40-48 (see Gs – God Shows a Vision of the Millennial Temple).

The worship during Ezeki’el’s day, contaminated with idolatry, will be discarded; and the true worship, acceptable to God, will come into its own when the scattered house of Isra’el is saved. Not only will this high mountain be the place where Messiah will rule, it will also be the place where the millennial worship will be conducted. There I will require your offerings and your choice gifts, along with all your holy sacrifices (Ezeki’el 20:40). There will be a sacrificial system in the Kingdom. It will be a memorial like communion is in the Church today: Do this in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19). It will not be a reiteration of the Mosaic system since it is now gone forever. But it will be different, sometimes even contradicting the TaNaKh, because it will be based upon new millennial law.

Isra’el is to be regathered in faith. Here ADONAI makes three promises. First, they are regenerated: I will accept you. All Isra’el will be saved (Romans 11:26). Second, they are regathered: as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the countries where you have been scattered. And third, they are sanctified: I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the [Gentile] nations (Ezeki’el 20:41). After having God’s name profaned because of the captivity of His people in the eyes of the Gentile nations of the world, the restoration of Isra’el will serve to make the divine name holy in their sight.

Then you will know that I am the LORD, to the fullest extent when the final restoration of Isra’el comes, when I bring you into the Land of Isra’el, the Land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors (Ezeki’el 20:42). It will be evident beyond all doubt that the mighty hand of God had restored them to their Land, and the Israelites will have to acknowledge that He, and none other, is YHVH.

There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done (Ezeki’el 20:43). They will see their sin in all its stark reality for what it really is: suicide of the soul. And they will repent. They recognize their past sins and they turn away from those sins. But the reason that God will do all these things is the same reason that He had preserved Isra’el in the past. The preservation of the LORD’s name. You will know that I am ADONAI, when I deal with you for My name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Isra’el, declares ADONAI (Ezeki’el 20:41-44). Because He is the Covenant Keeper, Isra’el’s final restoration is guaranteed.²⁹⁴

Rebellious Isra’el Purged
Ezeki’el 20: 1-32

Rebellious Isra’el purged DIG: When the Israelites were in Egypt, how did God reveal Himself to them? How did they rebel? What was the result? Why didn’t ADONAI destroy them there? Why didn’t Ha’Shem destroy them in the wilderness? How did they treat Him? Why did God relent pouring out His wrath on them? Were the children of that wilderness generation any different than their parents? How did God treat them? Why? What does it mean that those who keep or obey God’s rulings will live (Exodus 19:6; Leviticus 18:2-5)? In practical terms, what does it mean to desecrate Shabbat (Ezeki’el 20:15-16, 23-24)?

REFLECT: Why do you think God is so concerned for His name or reputation? How is God’s name dragged through the mud every time His children rebel? If a later generation of believers only had stories of your experience with ADONAI to go by, would they say your life story enhances or detracts from God’s reputation? How so? Do you think ELOHIM minds as much now, as He did then, if we do not keep the Sabbath? Why?

The tenth of Ab, 591 BC during the seventh year of Zedekia’s reign

1. The setting: In the seventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, in the fifth month on the tenth day, less than a year after the Temple vision (to see link click Eu – Idolatry in the Temple), some of the elders of Isra’el came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down in front of me (Ezeki’el 20:1). It was the exact same day that the Temple would be set on fire only five years later. An ominous coincidence! On the ninth day of Av, toward evening, after sundown, or the beginning of a new day, the Holy Temple was set on fire by Nebuchadnezzar and destroyed. The fire burned for twenty-four hours. That is why Jeremiah 52:12 says the tenth of Av.

This was the third time the elders of Isra’el had come to inquire of YHVH. They had asked for Ezekiel to prophesy in 8:1 and 14:1. But why had they come this time? In 591 BC Pharaoh Psammetichus II just had a great victory in the Sudan. And because of his victory, he was considering marching into Palestine to reclaim Egyptian sovereignty from the Babylonians. Zedekiah began thinking about rebelling against Babylon and becoming an ally with Egypt. More than likely, the questions that the elders of Isra’el came with were these. Will Egypt be victorious over Babylon as she was over the Sudan? What should Zedekiah do?

Then the word of ADONAI came to me. Not to answer those specific questions, but to point out their problem. As the word of God comes to him, Ezeki’el is going to review Isra’el’s past history to show how consistently the Jewish leadership and the people always disobeyed God. And the present situation will be no different. In Chapter 21 Ezeki’el will warn the Jews to prepare for the final judgment of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, bringing more exiles from Zion and in Chapter 24 he will conclude with a parable and two signs to illustrate the things he has been talking about.

Divine judgment: Son of man, speak to the elders of Isra’el and say to them, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM asks: Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live, says Adonai ELOHIM, I will not let you inquire of Me.” Instead, Ha’Shem will pass judgment on the elders and He asks Ezeki’el to voice these charges. Will you judge them? This is repeated again to make it emphatic. Will you judge them, son of man? Then God gave the prophet the theme for the entire section: Confront them with the detestable practices of their ancestors (Ezeki’el 20:2-4).²⁸⁷

Divine mercy: And say to them: This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: On the day I chose Isra’el (Deuteronomy 7:6-11), I swore with uplifted hand to the descendants of Jacob and revealed Myself to them in Egypt. With uplifted hand I said to them, “I am ADONAI your God” (Exodus 20:5).

God’s provision: On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of Egypt into a Land I had searched out for them, a Land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands. And I said to them, “Each of you, get rid of the vile images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the LORD your God who alone is to be worshiped” (Ezeki’el 20:6-7). The implication is that the Israelites followed some of the religious practices of their Egyptian neighbors (Leviticus 17:7; Joshua 24:14; Ezeki’el 23:3; Amos 5:25-27).

2. The people’s rebellion in Egypt: But they rebelled against Me and would not listen to Me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set their eyes on nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt (Ezeki’el 20:8a). While the Israelites were in Egypt the pure faith inherited from the patriarchs was contaminated by the local pagan ideas and practices. The Israelites added false ideas such as this one recorded in the Midrash Rabba, Exodus IV, 3, the wicked among the Israelites perished and were buried during the plague of darkness, so that the Egyptians should not say that God had inflicted an epidemic on His people.

Divine judgment: So I said I would pour out My wrath on them and spend My anger against them in Egypt (Ezeki’el 20:8b). On the strict principle of justice, the Israelites should have perished in Egypt. Only for the sake of the honor of His name, did God spare and redeem them from bondage.

Divine mercy: But for the sake of My name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep My name from being profaned in the eyes of the [Gentile] nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed Myself to the Israelites (Ezeki’el 20:9). Ha’Shem did not carry through with His rightful judgment, however, for mercy triumphed over judgment. When ADONAI could find no basis in them for extending to them His mercy and grace, He did it solely for His name’s sake, that is, for His own glory.²⁸⁸

God’s provision in the wilderness: Therefore I led them out of Egypt (see the commentary on Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land) and brought them into the wilderness. I gave them My decrees and made known to them My rulings on Mt Sinai (see my commentary on Exodus Dh – Moses and the Torah), by which the person who obeys them will live (Ezeki’el 20:10-11). Obedience to the divine decrees, both those relating to the duties of mankind towards ADONAI and also those dealing with other people, was supposed to lead to social and national happiness and stability (see the commentary on Exodus Da – The Dispensation of the Torah). But today (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), the Torah continues to provide a blueprint for living a righteous life (Romans 3:20 and 28).

Also I gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us (Exodus 31:17). The purpose was so they would know that I, ADONAI, am the one who makes them holy (Ezeki’el 20:12). Shabbat was more than a day of rest. Its observance by the Israelites was a consistent acknowledgement of YHVH as the Creator of the universe. The plural Sabbaths includes festivals that are given in the Torah (Leviticus 23:24 and 39).

While not all covenants carried with them a physical sign, some did. For example the sign of God’s covenant with Noah is the rainbow (see the commentary on Genesis Da – Never Again Will There Be a Flood to Destroy the Earth). The sign of YHVH’s covenant with Abraham was circumcision (see the commentary on Genesis El – God’s Covenant of Circumcision with Abraham). The sign of ADONAI’s covenant with Moshe was the Sabbath (see the commentary on Exodus Dn – Remember the Sabbath by Keeping It Holy). Of the Ten Commandments, only nine are found in the B’rit Chadashah. The one missing is the Sabbath because the commandments of Moses is no longer in effect, therefore the sign is no longer in effect. That’s why there is no obligation to keep Shabbat today.²⁸⁹

3. The rebellion of the first generation in the wilderness: Yet the people of Isra’el rebelled against Me in the wilderness. During their wilderness wanderings they worshiped the golden calf (see the commentary on Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident), left manna until morning (see the commentary on Exodus Cs – That Evening Quail Came and Covered the Camp), tested God at Rephidim (see the commentary on Exodus Cu – Strike the Rock and Water Will Come Out of It), and committed other acts of disobedience (Number 11-16; Psalm 106:13-27). They did not follow My decrees but rejected My rulings of the Torah – by which the person who obeys them will live – and they utterly desecrated My Sabbaths (Exodus 16:27-30; Numbers 15:32-36).

Divine judgment: The tragic account of rebellion continued, so YHVH said He would pour out His wrath on them and destroy them in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:13).

Divine mercy: But for the sake of My name I did what would keep it from being profaned in the [Gentile] nations in whose sight I had brought them out (Numbers 14:11-19; Deuteronomy 1:26-33). Yet with divine mercy there was divine discipline. YHVH said: With uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the Land I had given them – a Land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands – because they rejected My rulings, and did not live by My rulings and desecrated My Sabbaths (Numbers 14:20-35; Deuteronomy 1:34-35). The root cause for God’s discipline was that the hearts of the generation that came out of Egypt were devoted to their idols (Ezeki’el 20:15-16).

God’s provision for the first generation in the wilderness: However, I spared them from complete destruction; I did not completely finish them off in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:17 CJB). Even though the generation that left Egypt perished in the wilderness, their children entered the Promised Land.²⁹⁰

4. The rebellion of the second generation in the wilderness: I said to their children, the generation that was born in the wilderness, “Do not follow the practices that your fathers had adopted while living in Egypt or defile yourselves with their idols. I am ADONAI your God; live by My laws, observe my rulings, and obey them, and keep My sabbaths holy; and they will be a sign between Me and you, so that you will know that I am ADONAI your God. The younger generation was not only exhorted to avoid the sins of their fathers, but to accept the way of God as that alone in which they should walk, if they were to enjoy a secure national experience. But sin for sin their children were photocopies of their fathers, and they too rebelled against Me by worshiping Ba’al at Peor (Numbers 25:1-9; Psalm 106:28-33). They did not live by My statutes or observe My rulings, to obey them, which, if a person does, he or she will have life by them; and they profaned My Shabbats. (Ezeki’el 20:18-21a).

Divine judgment: Then I said I would pour out My fury on them and spend My anger on them in the wilderness (Ezeki’el 20:21b CJB).

Divine mercy: Nevertheless, I withdrew My hand and allowed concern for My reputation to keep Me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the [Gentile] nations who had seen when I brought them out. Yet with divine mercy there was divine discipline. Also with uplifted hand I swore to them in the wilderness that I would disperse them among the [Gentile] nations and scatter them through the countries, because they had not obeyed My rulings but had rejected My statutes and profaned My Shabbats, and their eyes had turned toward their fathers’ idols (Ezeki’el 20:22-24 CJB). All such threats were conditional, and the meaning is that the wicked spirit that was seen in the wilderness, if continued when the nation was established in the Land, would lead to captivity and dispersion. However, the second generation was clearly warned of the possibility of a worldwide dispersion (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28-30; Ps 106:26-27).

The provision for the second generation in the wilderness: I also gave them statutes that did them no good because of the people’s stubborn hearts that choose to follow their own devices rather than the statues of God. The point here is that YHVH gave Isra’el over to perverse ways and to follow the statutes of the Gentile nations around them. This would ultimately bring on their demise and they would see the wisdom in God’s ways (Psalm 81:12; Isaiah 63:17; Ezeki’el 20:39). And I let them become defiled by going their own way – the sacrifice of every firstborn. Ha’Shem had ordained that the firstborn should be consecrated to Him (see the commentary on Exodus Cd – Consecrate To Me Every Firstborn Male). But they rejected this decree (Leviticus 18:21; Deuteronomy 18:10), so God allowed them to turn an act of consecration into an act of pollution when they sacrificed their own children to Molech. The result was that God might fill them with horror so they would know that He is God (Ezk 20:25-26 CJB).²⁹¹

5. Rebellion in the promised land: In addition to their wickedness in Egypt and the wilderness, they continued their sinning when they were in the Promised Land. Therefore, son of man, speak to the people of Isra’el and say to them, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed Me by breaking faith with Me in still another way. The word blasphemed signifies committing a cardinal sin and is interpreted in the Talmud as idolatry (Kerith. 7b). For after I had brought them into the Land, which I had raised My hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered their sacrifices there. Upon entering the Promised Land, they adopted the forms of worship practiced by the Canaanites. They made offerings that provoked My anger, there they set out sweet aromas, incense burnt upon an altar for the worship of an idol, and there they poured out their drink offerings. When I asked them, “What is this high place you go to?” They gave it the name Bamah (Ezeki’el 20:27-29). This is a play on words in the Hebrew text. Ezeki’el apparently gives the word bamah, meaning high place, a contemptuous origin that comes from the Hebrew root words ba (go) and mah (what). And it was still called Bamah in Ezeki’el’s day.

Divine judgment: ADONAI now deals with the present generation and completes the reasoning that began in Ezekiel 20:1-4 by asking certain accusing questions. Therefore, say to the elders of Isra’el, “This is what Adonai ELOHIM says: Will you defile yourselves the way your ancestors did and lust after their vile images? The Hebrew requires a positive response. When you offer your gifts – the sacrifice of your children in the fire – you continue to defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. Again the answer is yes. Such defilement created a barrier between them and God, which made it impossible for them to understand YHVH and His message through the prophet for their future. Am I to let you inquire of Me, you Israelites? No. As surely as I live, declares Adonai ELOHIM, I will not let you inquire of Me (Ezeki’el 20:30-31).

“You say, ‘We want to be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone.’ But what you have in mind will never happen, you cannot be like the Gentiles” (Ezeki’el 20:32). God may permit other countries to worship wood and stone, but He has a covenant relationship with Isra’el. So when Isra’el does this she will be under divine judgment, the judgment of an adulteress.²⁹²

The LORD’s mercy and provision for Isra’el will come to an end because of their stubborn, unrepentant hearts continuing to sin, and this will result in the fall of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon.

Isra’el’s History of Rebellion
Ezeki’el 20: 1-49

The tenth of Ab, 591 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The scene in 20:1-49 is a reply to some of the elders who came to the prophet to inquire about the ultimate fate of Jerusalem and perhaps also to request that he might invoke God’s mercy to annul His decree regarding the impending destruction of Judah. On divine authority Ezeki’el replies that the tragic fate of Jerusalem was irrevocable, for the same stubbornness and disobedience to the Torah that characterized their ancestors in Egypt, the wilderness and the Land were still prevalent among their fellow citizens.

Idolatry in the Temple
Ezeki’el 8: 1-18

Idolatry in the Temple DIG: Where is Ezeki’el when the vision begins? To what city is he taken? By whom? In each of Ezeki’el’s four visions, or four scenes, he is shown a part of the Temple. What about each scene is “more detestable” than the one before? What evil does he sense, as if for the first time? What is the prior history of the provocative idol (Second Kings 21:7, 23:6; Second Chronicles 33:15)? Given that Tammuz is a Babylonian fertility god, and that smelling branches is a form of nature worship, why do you think God was displeased with the actions as Ezeki’el saw them? What do these actions reveal about what some Israelites really believed?

REFLECT: The idol that made YHVH jealous kept reappearing in the Temple. What idol has the tendency to reappear in your heart? What can you do to keep it out? The actions Ezeki’el saw were typical of Judah’s neighbors. Which actions of the people around you do you tend to imitate if you aren’t careful? If ADONAI were allowed to look through “a hole in the wall” of your heart and mind, what would He see there? What can you do about anything there that displeases the LORD?

The month of Elul, or September 17, 592 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

Scene One: In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah in Babylon were sitting before me (Ezeki’el 8:1a). The rabbis teach that this was the beginning of the synagogue. It had been one year and two months since Ezeki’el was first called to prophesy. YHVH had been silent for all that time, so Ezeki’el had been silent for a year and two months. When Ezeki’el spoke, it was because God was speaking, when Ezeki’el was silent, it is because God was silent. That’s the way it would be for the first seven-and-a-half years of his prophetic ministry until he heard the report of Jerusalem’s fall. Ezeki’el had been told to lie on one side or the other for 430 days so as to put the sins of the house of Isra’el and the house of Judah on himself (Ezeki’el 4:4-8). Therefore, this vision of the idolatry in the Temple and the departure of the Sh’khinah glory came to him near the end of the time he was lying on his side in bed. The four symbolic actions in view of the people (Ezeki’el Chapters 4 and 5) created the necessary attention to show the exiles that they would not be returning to Y’hudah any time soon; Jerusalem was destined for destruction. The elders of Judah were then at his bedside listening to what he had to say.

At that time, the hand of Adonai ELOHIM fell on Ezekiel and the Sh’khinah glory suddenly reappeared in the same form he saw at his calling (to see link click Er – Ezeki’el’s First Vision). I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be His waist down He was like fire, and from there up His appearance was as bright as glowing metal, the visible manifestation of God’s presence (Ezeki’el 8:1b-2).

He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The noun for hair is tsitsith used of the fringe in the corner of the garment (Numbers 15:38). The Ruach ha-Kodesh lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God He took me to Jerusalem. He was transported in spirit, not body, to the City of David, to the Temple itself to see the idolatry that was going on there. That he did not actually leave Babylon is clear from Ezekiel 11:24. He was carried back to Babylon in spirit after the visions were completed (Ezeki’el 11:22-25). What followed was not a description of deeds done sometime in Isra’el’s ancient past, but a retrospective survey of Y’hudah’s spiritual depravity. Ezekiel saw conditions as they existed in his day at that very hour (Ezk 8:2-3a).

The prophet was taken to the entrance of the north gate of the inner court wall of the Temple, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. It appears Ezeki’el was set down in the outer court in front of the north gate leading to the inner court. And there before me was the Sh’khinah glory of the God of Isra’el, as in the vision I had seen in the plain. Then the Holy Spirit said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.” So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy (Ezeki’el 8:3b-5). It was probably an idol of the goddess Asherah set up by Manasseh (Second Kings 21:7). The idol was destroyed by Josiah (Second Kings 23:6), but evidently set up again after his death. It was called the idol of jealousy because it provoked Ha’Shem to jealousy (Ezeki’el 5:13, 16:38 and 42; 36:6; 38:19; Exodus 20:5).

The reason that idols are not to be worshiped is that ADONAI is a jealous or zealous God (Exodus 20:4-6), and their idolatry is looked upon as spiritual adultery. The Hebrew term qanna’ combines the two concepts of jealousy and zeal (not envy or suspicion).²⁸¹ So zeal, or zealousness, meaning a passionate devotion to, would be a better term to use than jealous, which has negative, even petty connotations. So idolatry would cause God’s zeal to burn like a husband’s zealousness would burn against an unfaithful wife (Hosea 2:2-5). Because God and Isra’el are viewed as married, Isra’el is viewed as the wife of ADONAI (Deuteronomy 5:1-3, 6:10-15, 7:6-11; Isaiah 54:1-8, 62:4-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezeki’el 16:8; Hosea 2:14-23). For that very reason, the Israelites should not have worshiped other gods. God has a right to be zealous over what is rightfully His. So this was not a petty jealousy, but a righteous zealousness.²⁸²

A sweeping contrast is seen between the idol that provokes to jealousy and the glory of the God of Isra’el; the God who had chosen her in love, who should have been worshiped instead of the idol in the Temple. The north gate was also called the gate of the altar because animals were brought through that gate to be sacrificed on the bronze altar (Leviticus 1:11). At the gate of the altar, in the place where acceptable sacrifices should have been brought in, Ezeki’el saw the idol that provokes to jealousy. The worshipers were probably prostrating themselves before it. As grievous as their actions were, the prophet was told that they were performing even greater abominations, such as ultimately would drive the visible presence of the LORD from their midst (Ezeki’el 10 and 11). Previous sins had expelled the northern kingdom of Isra’el from their land; now YHVH warned those in the southern kingdom of Judah that He also would no longer tolerate their spiritual adultery.²⁸³

The Sh’khinah came to live with Isra’el when the Tabernacle was finished (see the commentary on Exodus Hh – The Glory of the LORD Filled the Tabernacle), and until this time had dwelt in the Most Holy Place (see the commentary on Exodus Fs – The Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place: Christ at the Throne of Grace). Later, the Shekinah was transferred to the Temple after Solomon built it. And said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are doing – the utterly detestable things the Israelites are doing here, things that will drive me far from My Sanctuary? It was bad enough that idolatry was being practiced on every high hill and under every green tree throughout the Land, but to bring it into the very Temple compound itself was the last straw. So here the prophet got his first hint at what he was about to see, the departure of the Sh’khinah glory from the Temple. As bad as that might be, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh told Ezeki’el, “You will see things that are even more detestable” (Ezeki’el 8:6).

Scene Two: Then He brought me to the entrance to the court and was shown the worship of Egyptian gods. I looked, and saw a hole in the wall. He said to me, “Son of man, now dig into the wall.” So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there. And He said to me, “Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here.” So I went and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls were essentially Egyptian deities, all kinds of crawling things and unclean animals and all the idols of Isra’el (Ezeki’el 8:7-10). Most of them considered unclean under Isra’el’s dietary laws. The Hebrew word that Ezekiel uses for idols here is gillul, meaning pellets of dung. He uses it 38 times beginning in 6:4. That’s what he thinks about those gods.

The scene reminds us of the Egyptian burial chambers, the walls of which were covered with brilliantly painted images of deities in animal form, including Anubis, the jackal-headed god who weighed the souls of the dead. Egyptian influence was pervasive in Judah after the death of Josiah, beginning with his successors Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, who ruled as an Egyptian puppet. But even after the crushing defeat of the Egyptians at Carchemish in 605 BC, there was a strong pro-Egyptian party at the court of the Jewish king who looked for Egypt to back Judah against the new Babylonian conquerors. And, in fact, an Egyptian army succeeded in temporarily raising the siege of Jerusalem, thus giving rise to the hope of deliverance that proved to be short-lived (see Fm – Jeremiah in Prison).²⁸⁴

In front of them stood seventy of Judah’s leading citizens, and Jaazaniah, the fourth son of Shaphan (apparently their leader) was standing among them. Shaphan was a faithful scribe who read to the king Josiah the newly discovered book of Deuteronomy (2 Kings 22:3; Yirmeyahu 29:3, 36:10, 39:14). Shaphan had three other sons who were just as faithful as Jeremiah himself. They were among the few who were pro-Jeremiah. But here, Jaazaniah was the one black sheep in the family.

Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising. They were secretly worshiping false idols right within the Temple compound. He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of Y’hudah are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? Thus, the spiritual adultery being practiced by those leading laity leaders was probably aimed at enlisting the support of Egyptian deities, which of course also implied the loss of confidence in the God of Isra’el and His power to act on their behalf.

They said: ADONAI does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the Land. They hide their abominable practices from the public eye, but have no scruples about violating the Torah of God, believing that He is not interested in the affairs of mankind. Moreover, the evils that had taken place against Judah proved that He had abandoned His people and the Land. They would not take responsibility for their own sin. Their reasoning that if God had not left the Land, surely He would have saved them from the Babylonian invaders. The prophet stood observing the strange scene taking place within the supposedly sacred Temple compound. As he stood there, the divine voice again said: You will see them doing things that are even more detestable (Ezeki’el 8:11-13). It was as if the Ruach was saying, “Look at what they’re doing . . . and they think they can’t be seen. And if you think this is bad, wait until you see what happens next!”

Scene Three: Again Ezeki’el was transported, and the Holy Spirit brought him to the inner court and the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw Jewish women sitting there, mourning the god Tammuz. The worship of Tammuz was nature worship. Among the Sumerians and Babylonians he was known as Dumuzi, who was the faithful son of Ishtar. Among the Greeks he was known as Adonis. He is the god of spring vegetation, who died in the winter and descended into the underworld. During that time his followers would weep, mourning his death, which included cultic prostitution. In the spring, however, Tammuz would emerge victorious from the underworld and bring with him the life-giving rains. He was the god of regeneration. The Israelites worshiped the false god of regeneration and worshiped the One True God of regeneration. The worship of the true Giver of rain had been replaced by the debased worship of a pagan deity. The worship of the Creator was replaced by the worship of the cycles of creation that YHVH had established.²⁸⁵ He said to me, “Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this” (Ezeki’el 8:14-15).

Scene Four: Then the Spirit transported Ezeki’el to the inner court of ADONAI’s house. This was an area that only the priests could go, but since he was a priest (Ezeki’el 1:3), he was able to enter. The way the Temple was constructed, if you looked out of the gate you would be facing east. As you walked into the Holy Place and further into the Most Holy Place you would be facing west. But the pagans, who worshiped the sun, built their temples facing east. The uniqueness of the Temple of the LORD was that it was facing west, in the opposite direction.

And there at the entrance to the Temple, between the portico and the [bronze] altar where the sacrifices were offered, were about twenty-five men. They represented the twenty-four Levitical priestly courses (First Chronicles 24:4-5) with the high priest at their head, which made twenty-five key priests. The apostasy of the laity and of the women had already been noted; now it is revealed in the ranks of the priesthood. Like priest . . . like people. But these priests were facing the east! With their backs toward the Temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east (Ezeki’el 8:16). That meant they had turned their backs on ADONAI and were bowing down in submission and worship to the sun. This directly violated God’s command (Deuteronomy 4:19). Worst of all, these were the priests of the people!

Five years later, and only one year before the destruction of the Temple, YHVH spoke through His prophet Jeremiah, saying: The Israelites have turned their backs on Me and not their faces; though I taught them persistently through My Torah, but they would not listen or respond to discipline. They set up their vile images in the house that bears My Name and defiled it (Jeremiah 32:33-4). The stage was set for judgment.

The announcement of judgment: Then the Ruach Ha’Kodesh said to Ezeki’el, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Because their worship of the LORD had deteriorated, that led to unintended consequences. YHVH would not allow the rebellion to continue. The Land was filled with violence and God was continually angered. Look at them putting the branch to their nose. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the TaNaKh) translates this verse as mocking God. It was recognized as an obscene gesture toward Ha’Shem. Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. It will be judgment without mercy. Although they shout in my ears, by that point, I will not listen to them” (Ezeki’el 8:17-18).²⁸⁶ Their prayers will bring back nothing but the echoes of their own words.

The False Prophet Hańaniah
Jeremiah’s Seventh Symbolic Action
28: 1-17

The false prophet Hańaniah DIG: When does Hańaniah predict that the yoke of Babylon will fall? Do you hear sincerity or sarcasm? Optimism or opportunism? Likewise, what tone in Yirmeyahu’s voice do you hear in 28:6? Why is it easier to be a prophet of doom than a prophet of peace (28:7-9)? What does Hańaniah do to illustrate his prophecy? How long had Yirmeyahu been wearing it? Why do you think he leaves rather than arguing his case? What does the new message to Hańaniah mean? How does Jeremiah show he is a true prophet of God?

REFLECT: As with alleged prophets for ancient Isra’el, today’s political advisors also give opposing advice, often to protect their vested interests. How do you know whom to believe? What political opinion have you recently changed? Why? Is it often easier to say something positive (as Hańaniah did) rather than the truth (as Jeremiah did)? Are you optimistic or pessimistic about future prospects where you live? What shapes your outlook? What role does your faith play in that?

In the fifth month Ab or August in 593 BC during the eleven-year reign of Zedekiah

The one main point to the seventh symbolic action (what might be called a parable in action)
is that Yirmeyahu’s prophecy was true. King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians
would indeed conquer Y’hudah, Yerushalayim and the Temple.

In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Y’hudah, the counterfeit prophet Hańaniah (whose name means YHVH has been gracious) son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon (one of the priestly cities further north of Anathoth), said to me in the Temple in the presence of the priests and all the people (28:1). The rabbis teach that Hańaniah’s false prophecy arose from a groundless deduction. Having heard Yirmeyahu prophesy the downfall of Elam (to see link click Eh – A Message Concerning Elam), a satellite of Babylon, he wrongly concluded that the prophecy would also apply with even greater force to Babylon. Nothing is known of him beyond what is recorded here. He seems to have been the prophetic model. He used all the right language, including the messenger formula (Thus says ADONAI), and the use of the divine name ADONAI-Tzva’ot, and also performed symbolic acts (28:10).

Hańaniah’s False Prophecy: This what Hańaniah wrote in the prophetic perfect referring to the future (1) “I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. (2) Within two years I will bring back (shuwb) to this place all the articles of ADONAI’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. (3) I will also bring back (shuwb) to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,” declares the LORD, “for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon” (28:2-4). Blinded by his false pride, Hańaniah was blinded by the real facts.

Jeremiah’s Response: Then the prophet Yirmeyahu replied to the prophet Hańaniah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the Temple. Jeremiah said: Amen! May ADONAI do so! May the LORD fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Temple and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. It was as if Jeremiah was saying, “I wish that was so, but don’t forget this.” However, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people (28:5-7).

Jeremiah appealed to the test of the prophets. Hananiah’s words could only be tested through the passage of time. It was though Yirmeyahu anticipated Gamaliel, who counselled: If this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You will only find yourselves fighting against God (Acts 5:38-39). Jeremiah continued: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. This was exactly Jeremiah’s message. The only proof of a prophet’s truthfulness would be the fulfillment of his words (Deuteronomy 18:14-22). But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true (28:8-9).

Jeremiah was still wearing his yoke of a crossbar and straps (see Eq – Judah to Serve Nebuchadnezzar: Jeremiah’s Sixth Symbolic Action). But Hańaniah was convinced that he was right. The false prophet went up to Yirmeyahu, took the yoke off of his neck and broke it. Then he said before all the people, “This is what ADONAI says: In the same way I will break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon off the neck of all the nations within two years (28:10-11a). At this, the prophet Jeremiah went on his way, probably feeling it would be necessary to let future events justify his prophecy (28:11b). Yirmeyahu didn’t need to say anything here, because the next two years would prove who was the true prophet and who was the false prophet. But more than that, God had not told Yirmeyahu anything to say, and the prophet never spoke on his own.

ADONAI’s Response: Unfortunately, it was far easier to break a symbolic yoke than it was to override YHVH’s tough verdict or to break the reality of Babylon’s power. Shortly after the false prophet Hańaniah had broken the yoke off the neck of God’s messenger, the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah to verify his message. When Hańaniah broke the wooden yoke, he was only imposing a heavier yoke upon all the people. Go and tell Hańaniah, “This is what ADONAI-Tzva’ot says: You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals” (28:12-14). All this contradicts Hańaniah’s phony, self-serving prophecy.

The close of Yirmeyahu’s words to Hańaniah involves a play on words. Then Ha’Shem raised the ante and speaking through Jeremiah said to the fake prophet, “Listen, Hańaniah! The LORD did not send you to prophesy, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, you are a false prophet. This is what ADONAI says: I am about to send you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the LORD (28:15-16). And rebellion against ADONAI’s anointed is rebellion against ADONAI. The Torah declared: But a prophet who presumes to speak in My name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death (Deut 18:20, also see 13:15).

Two months later, in the seventh month of that same year, Tisri, or October (28:1), Hańaniah the counterfeit prophet died (28:17). He who predicted deliverance in two years, died in two months (Second Kings 1:17, 7:19-20, 8:10-15). There is no record of how he died; remarkably, God is not made the subject of his death.

The phenomenon of false prophecy did not come to an end with Hańaniah. False prophets plagued later prophets (Ezekiel 13; Zechariah 13:2-6). Comparable issues regarding the truth of prophecy were anticipated by Jesus and experienced by the messianic community at the festival of Shavu’ot (Acts 2:1-41). They included the development of various criteria, especially in view of the confession regarding Messiah and matters relating to the end times (Mt 7:15-16, 24:11 and 24; Mark 13:22; Lk 6:26; Acts 13:6; First Thess 5:3; 1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1; Rev 16:13, 19:20, 20:10). So it has been in every age since. There have always been those who have claimed to speak a word from God, like Harold Camping of Family Radio in America who predicted the end of the world three times in 1988, 1994 and finally on October 21, 2011! The faithful believers of every age have had to struggle with issues of discernment since Jeremiah’s confrontation with the false prophet Hańaniah.²⁸⁰