Chapter 24 described who was being taken into captivity. This section is subtitled, "The Duration".
Depending on whose doing the calculating, this is the third or fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign and the first year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign.
Jeremiah notes he has been doing the prophet thing for 23 years, since the 13th year of Josiah's reign. And they don't hear him. They haven't listened to any of the prophets sent by God.
He reiterate the message and the promises--both positive and unpleasant.
The Lord declares that he's going to send the families to the North with Nebuchadnezzar. And He will take their joy.
That's so sad. He specifies that He's taking the voice of the groom and the bride. What a clear and specific image of lost joy.
And He promises that it will be 70 years in Babylon.
As always, He does offer hope. At the end of the 70 years, He will punish Babylon and the Chaldeans. He promises specific consequences for them.
For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.” Jeremiah 25:15-16, NASB95
In the Bible, both Testaments, drinking from the cup is almost always God's wrath. This imagery in verse 15-16 is so vivid. Drinking God's wrath leading to staggering and going mad. This sometimes seems so fitting for these nations he's about to list, to whom Jeremiah made drink: Jerusalem (Judah), Egypt, Uz, the people of the Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, Arabia, Zimri, Media, and others. Far-flung countries across multiple continents.
Along with the drink, Jeremiah is to tell them to drink and be drunk because a sword is coming. They aren't allowed to refuse to drink.
And then, in verse 29, he promises that sword to the whole earth.
I think we've reached passed Jeremiah's time and to the end times when Jesus will be coming with a sword for the whole earth.
Which has layers of meaning because Jesus was the one who had to drink the cup of God's wrath FOR the whole world. Everyone's sin. An unfathomable cup of God's wrath for those who accept His sacrificial gift. And a sword for those who reject it. Verse 31 even specifies that this round judgement is for the whole world.
"He has entered into judgement with all flesh."
And a storm is coming.
He tells the leaders to wail and wallow in ashes because their day has come and their flocks will be destroyed,
The prophesy ends with these choice and descriptive words of the Lord:
“He has left His hiding place like the lion;
For their land has become a horror
Because of the fierceness of the oppressing sword
And because of His fierce anger.”
I truly feel bad for these people. I know they were terrible and had so many chances. But being human myself and knowing how poorly I would handle these horrors...I have compassion for them.
And then I remember, this isn't just about them- a people ion history. It's also all people in the future. Who will face the Lion. The Lion who sacrificed His own Son as a means of making a way home for the lost. And those who let the Son drink all of that wrath, and still won't submit to God...will be facing a very wrathful Lion.
I'm overwhelmed by that. Stunned to be quite honest. How do we pass along this message to a stubborn world who has heard it all before and dismisses us with a sneer. My heart suddenly hurts for the prideful, arrogant, and idolatrous people.
Lord- please give me the words for those You have called and who will still listen.
Repent and be saved.