Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The vengeance of His temple"
Text: Jeremiah 50:28
DECLARATION OF THE LORD’S VENGEANCE
Babylon had done much evil on the way to become a world empire. One of the things they did was to desecrate and destroy the Temple of the LORD. They would be held accountable for their many misdeeds.
“Come against her from the farthest border;
Open her storehouses;
Cast her up as heaps of ruins,
And destroy her utterly;
Let nothing of her be left.
Slay all her bulls,
Let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them!
For their day has come, the time of their punishment.
The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon
Declares in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God,
The vengeance of His temple.”
Jeremiah 50:26-28
1. “Come against her from the farthest border; open her storehouses;
cast her up as heaps of ruins, and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left”
a) An invitation to the enemies of Babylon.
Babylon had made many enemies, far and wide!
b) Babylon is to be plundered
i) As they had plundered other nations.
ii) Their storehouses were to be opened up to the looters.
iii) The many rich cities would be cast out as heaps of ruins.
iv) Babylon would be utterly destroyed.
2. “Slay all her bulls, let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them! For their day has come, the time of their punishment”
a) The Babylonians were wealthy.
b) They owned many bulls (as a sign of wealth).
c) But many of the conquered lands were starving.
d) The bulls would be captured and slaughtered for food.
e) The wealth of the powerful lords would be depleted.
f) This was their hour of judgment and punishment.
3. “The voice of those who flee and escape from the land of Babylon declares in Zion
the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of His temple”
a) This would be a reference to those who had escaped and fled from Babylon.
b) The remnant would return to Jerusalem (Zion) and they would declare:
i) Babylon’s destruction is God’s vengeance.
ii) This was their retribution because they had desecrated and destroyed
God’s temple in Jerusalem.