Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"The men of war are terrified"
Text: Jeremiah 51:32
THE TERROR THAT BABYLON FELT
When the Babylonians were becoming a world empire, they were feared by all nations. They were unmatched in courage, in strength and war strategies. But with the passing of the years, the Babylonians became indolent. They were more concerned about enjoying their wealth and power than they were about ruling their empire.
“The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,
They have remained in their strongholds;
Their might has failed,
They became like women;
They have burned her dwelling places,
The bars of her gate are broken.
One runner will run to meet another,
And one messenger to meet another,
To show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides;
The passages are blocked,
The reeds they have burned with fire,
And the men of war are terrified.”
Jeremiah 51:30-32
1. “The mighty men of Babylon have ceased fighting,
they have remained in their strongholds; their might has failed, they became like women;
they have burned her dwelling places, the bars of her gate are broken”
a) The mighty men of Babylon had become weak.
b) They sought to find refuge in their strongholds.
c) They could not fight their enemies led by the Medes and Persians.
d) The war that saw Babylon attacked:
i) Their warriors were hiding in their strongholds (fortresses).
ii) They did not dare to fight their enemies.
iii) They had become like women.
iv) The bars of their city gates had been broken.
v) Their dwellings were set on fire.
vi) But they were unable to face their enemies courageously.
2. “One runner will run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another,
to show the king of Babylon that his city is taken on all sides”
a) The king of Babylon had sent out spies.
b) These messengers came back with bad news.
c) The city of Babylon was falling apart on all sides.
d) Area after area was being captured by the Medes and Persians.
3. “The passages are blocked, the reeds they have burned with fire,
and the men of war are terrified”
a) All land escape routes were blocked.
b) The water escape routes could not be used too
(Reeds are associated with bodies of water).
c) The men of war who were once feared were now cowering in terror.