Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"I will kindle a fire in his cities"
Text: Jeremiah 50:32
THE PROBLEM OF ARROGANCE
One of the bigger problems that God dealt with was the arrogance of the Babylonians. This was mentioned time and again.
“‘Behold, I am against you,
O most haughty one!’ says the Lord GOD of hosts;
‘For your day has come,
The time that I will punish you.
The most proud shall stumble and fall,
And no one will raise him up;
I will kindle a fire in his cities,
And it will devour all around him.'”
Jeremiah 50:31-32
1. “‘Behold, I am against you, O most haughty one!’ says the Lord GOD of hosts;
‘For your day has come, the time that I will punish you'”
a) The LORD made it clear to the Babylonians that He was against them.
b) The LORD God of hosts addressed Babylon as: “(The) most haughty one!”
i) The Babylonians became haughty as their empire grew.
ii) They became arrogant as they defeated enemy after enemy.
iii) They became prideful as they destroyed the famous Temple of the LORD.
iv) They felt that they were be invincible and that they could
never be defeated.
c) The LORD warned that He will punish them for their haughty spirit.
i) They despised people.
ii) They exalted themselves.
iii) They despised the LORD in their hearts.
2. “The most proud shall stumble and fall, and no one will raise him up;
I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it will devour all around him”
a) The punishment that would be meted out was declared.
b) Some details of the divine punishment were made known:
i) The most proud (the arrogant ones) would stumble and fall.
ii) They would have no one to raise them up.
iii) The cities of Babylon would be set on fire.
iv) The conflagration would devour all their grand cities.