Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"Hear the counsel of the LORD"
Text: Jeremiah 50:45
THE COUNSEL OF THE LORD
“‘Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan
Against the dwelling place of the strong;
But I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me?
Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd
Who will withstand Me?’
Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Babylon,
And His purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out.
Surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them.
At the noise of the taking of Babylon
The earth trembles,
And the cry is heard among the nations.”
Jeremiah 50:44-46
1. “Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the floodplain of the Jordan
against the dwelling place of the strong; but I will make them suddenly run away from her.
And who is a chosen man that I may appoint over her?
For who is like Me? Who will arraign Me?
And who is that shepherd who will withstand Me?”
a) The enemy is described as a lion.
i) The lion can spring a surprise on the prey.
ii) To the surprise of Babylon, the enemy can come from the Jordan.
iii) The Medo-Persian empire had many allies,
including nations in the Middle East.
b) The Babylonians would flee from “the lion”.
c) The supreme omnipotence of God is stated rhetorically.
i) For who is like Me?
ii) Who will arraign Me?
iii) And who is that shepherd who will withstand Me?
2. “Therefore hear the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Babylon,
and His purposes that He has proposed against the land of the Chaldeans:
Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out;
surely He will make their dwelling place desolate with them”
a) The counsel of the LORD against Babylon is declared.
b) His counsel is also His purpose against the Chaldeans.
i) “The least of the flock” is a reference to
the lowest in the social strata of the Babylonians.
ii) They would be the only ones left to look after what sheep or goats
that may be left behind.
iii) Babylon would become desolate and only the very poor will eke out a living in the devastated land.
3. “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembles,
and the cry is heard among the nations”
a) The fall of Babylon would be so great the earth trembles when it falls.
b) The cry of Babylon would be so loud that many nations would hear their lament.