YHWH's Vengeance On Babylon And The Vindication Of Israel/Judah (Jeremiah 51:1-14).
The proclamation of the certainty of YHWH's coming judgment on Babylon, and on all that it stands for, continues. While it may be necessary to pay tribute to it for a while, it is with the knowledge that God will judge it in the end. The same is true in all centuries. It is true today. Today Babylon controls the world, and we as Christians have to pay it tribute, but that does not mean that we should conform to its ways. We may be in Babylon, but we should not be of Babylon. Rather we are to flee from it, recognising that it will be brought into judgment, and that our citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20).
“Thus says YHWH,
This phrase probably introduces a new prophecy, the prophet thereby emphasising that he is not just declaring his own ideas, but is bringing a true message from God..
Behold, I will raise up (or ‘stir up') against Babylon,
And against those who dwell in Leb-kamai,
The spirit of a destroyer (or ‘a destroying wind') - ruach).
And I will send to Babylon strangers (or ‘winnowers'),
Who will winnow her,
And they will empty her land,
For in the day of trouble,
They shall be against her round about.”
The word ruach can mean ‘wind', when speaking of nature, or ‘spirit', when speaking of attitude of mind (see Jeremiah 51:11). It may well be that here both meanings are combined. The destroying spirit may be seen as present in the foreigners, sent by YHWH and moving them to act as they do (Jeremiah 51:11), or the destroying wind could be seen as YHWH's activity in doing the winnowing (the removing of the chaff from the grain by it being tossed up into the wind with a winnowing-fork. See Psalms 1:4; Psalms 35:5; Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5). Either way the idea is that Babylon will be ravaged by foreigners in ‘the day of trouble', who will bring on her a sifting which will destroy her. This may include the idea that the good grain, those who are ready and willing to flee Babylon (prominent in what follows), will come out of the situation still whole, while the chaff which is what Babylon essentially is, will be ‘blown away'. And it is emphasised that this will be at the hand of invading forces (‘they will be against her round about').
The word for strangers (zrym) could with different vowel points signify ‘winnowers' and would seem to suggest a play on words so common to Hebrew writers. The following verb ‘winnow' (zrh) is based on the same stem.
‘Leb-kamai' may be seen as an athbash for ‘Chaldea' i.e. Babylon. An 'athbash is a cryptogram, regularly used in ancient days, whereby the last letter of the alphabet was put in the place of the first latter, the second last letter put in the place of the second letter, and so on. (In English that would mean that we would put ‘z' instead of ‘a', ‘y' instead of ‘b' and so on. In Hebrew tau instead of aleph, shin instead of beth and so on). But we must remember that in ancient Hebrew only consonants were used (with rare exceptions). Thus lbqmy becomes cshdym. Clearly its use here was not cryptographic as it is made plain in the parallel that Babylon is meant. This may suggest that the usage was rather openly derogatory of Babylon, with Leb-kamai having become a regularly used insulting epitaph.
“Against the one who bends (i.e. is an archer) let the archer (bender) bend his bow,
And against the one who lifts himself up in his coat of mail,
And do not you spare her young men,
Destroy you utterly all her host,
And they will fall down slain in the land of the Chaldeans,
And thrust through in her streets.”
For the first line the Hebrew is very repetitive. 'l ydrk ydrk hdrk. In Hebrew an archer is ‘a bender (of the bow)'. Thus both the trained Babylonian archer, and the fully-armoured Babylonian soldier, will have the bows of the enemy bent against them. Nor are the young men to be spared. Indeed there is to be widespread death (‘all her host') as men fall down slain, and are thrust through in the streets of her cities. This would necessarily occur as resistance was made to a powerful invader in a day when fighting and bloodshed was commonplace. Note that this ‘in the land of the Chaldeans' not necessarily in the city of Babylon itself.
“For Israel is not forsaken (literally ‘widowed'),
Nor Judah, of his God, of YHWH of hosts,
Though their land is full of guilt,
Against the Holy One of Israel.”
The reason why Babylon is being treated in this way is revealed. It is because YHWH has been so much aware of what they have done to His people, and that even though His people too were undeserving. For He wants His people to know that He has not forgotten them or forsaken them, even though their land is full of guilt against ‘the Holy One of Israel'. He has not ceased to be their husband (compare Hosea 2-3). Thus what is to happen to Babylon is partly due to His faithfulness to His people. He has not overlooked what Babylon has done to them.
The contrast with ‘the Holy One of Israel', the One uniquely separate from all others as ‘Wholly Other' (totally unlike all others in Being and essence and purity), suggests that the main guilt in mind was with regard to idolatry. They had chosen to worship what was of this world (‘the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and of fourfooted beasts and of creeping things -' - Romans 1:23), rather than the One Who was not of this world, resulting in their own physical and moral debasement. And the signs of their guilt were everywhere, the land was full of them. But it would also include the fact that they were ignoring the requirements of the covenant in other ways as well, as Jeremiah has previously made clear. All breaches of the covenant brought them into a position of guilt, and they were, at the time at which Jeremiah was prophesying, making huge breaches in that covenant.
“Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life,
Be not cut off in her iniquity,
For it is the time of YHWH's vengeance,
He will render to her a recompense.”
All who are in Babylon are called on to flee for their lives so that they will not share in her guilt. Babylon was no longer the place to be. The message is addressed to all sojourners in Babylon who are called on to return to their own countries (see Jeremiah 51:9). But following on Jeremiah 51:5 we may see this as especially an injunction to His erring people. They especially are not to cling to Babylon, for YHWH's vengeance is coming on Babylon, and it is about to receive what is due to it at His hand.
Babylon was a centre to which men had flocked from all countries as they had sought wealth, pleasure and lascivious living within its walls. It was a hotbed of all that appealed to man's lowest nature, and men loved it. Indeed many Israelites also would be reluctant to leave such things behind. But they are being reminded here that if they continue to associate themselves with Babylon they will share in its guilt and in the consequences of YHWH's vengeance.
It is a warning to us all today. We too must choose between the degradation of Babylon and the purity of the Holy One of Israel. We must flee from Babylon. ‘Love not the world, nor the things that are in the world, for if any one loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away and all its desires, but he who does the will God abides for ever' (1 John 2:15-17). For Babylon will perish, and all that it clings to, and only what is of God will endure.
“Babylon has been a golden cup in YHWH's hand,
Which made all the earth drunk,
The nations have drunk of her wine,
Therefore the nations are mad.”
For Babylon is like a golden cup, abounding in wealth, showy, and extravagant, full of intoxicating drink. And it has forced all the known world to drink of that cup, as it has ravaged and pillaged the nations, resulting in their behaving madly, partaking in her idolatry and her evil ways. But we are here reminded that Babylon has not just gone on its way randomly. For that cup is in YHWH's hand. Nothing is outside His control, not even Babylon. And through that cup YHWH has brought judgment on the nations. For as we have seen described in the previous Chapter s He has had His purposes to fulfil against those other nations. And they have drunk of the cup of Babylon and are beside themselves at what has come upon them. Once more we are faced with the paradox of sovereignty and freedom. Babylon carried out its activities in accordance with its own evil desire, and the way it went about it was its own choice. It was not God Who made it do evil. It was Babylon's inhumanity. But behind all, overruling history, was God, as He sought to bring about His purposes for all nations.
Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed,
Wail for her,
Take balm for her pain,
If so be she may be healed.
We would have healed Babylon,
But she is not healed,
Forsake her,
And let us go every one into his own country,
For her judgment reaches to heaven,
And is lifted up even to the skies.”
In a striking display of compassion Jeremiah calls on Israel/Judah, not to exult in Babylon's downfall, but to weep for her and even to take some balm to her in order to aid in her healing. But this is only in order to emphasise the doubt as to whether she can be healed. For Israel's reply comes back, saying, ‘We would have healed Babylon but she is not healed'. Babylon was never willing to receive the truth, even when in extremity.
It is of great interest in this regard to note that Scripture depicts both Assyria and Babylon as having had their moments of revelation to which had they responded permanently they might have been healed. Jonah went to Nineveh which experienced a short term revival (Jonah 3:5-10), and Nebuchadrezzar had a unique experience of God Most High, the King of Heaven and responded in humility and worship (Daniel 4:34-37). Both were given the opportunity to be healed. But both in the end failed to respond to that healing. So Israel makes clear here that they have sought to heal Babylon by going there with Biblical truth, but that it has proved fruitless. In consequence the only thing left is to forsake her, and for everyone sojourning there to return to their home countries, because Babylon's situation is hopeless. Her judgment is heaven sent.
‘For her judgment reaches to heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.' There may well here be a reference to the tower Babel which also reached up to heaven bringing judgment on itself (Genesis 11:1-9). The point is that Babel (Babylon) has not changed, and is still calling down judgment on herself. That is why she cannot be healed.
YHWH has brought forth our righteousnesses,
Come, and let us declare in Zion the work of YHWH our God.”
In view of Jeremiah 50:4-6; Jeremiah 50:17-20; Jeremiah 50:28 we may see this as referring to the return of exiles from the many places to which they had been taken (Isaiah 11:11-12), including Babylonia (Jeremiah 50:28). There in those places many Israelites had been honed and moulded by YHWH so that they had begun to produce righteous behaviour (‘righteousnesses - plural noun), both religiously and morally. He had ‘brought forth their righteousnesses'. Therefore they were now determined to return to their land and declare in Zion what God had done for them as He had purified His people. They would declare ‘the work of YHWH our God' upon themselves, in partial fulfilment of Jeremiah 31:31-34. For throughout all history God is continually working to bring out a remnant for Himself.
“Make sharp the arrows,
Hold firm (literally ‘fill') the shields,
YHWH has stirred up,
The spirit of the kings of the Medes,
Because his purpose is against Babylon,
To destroy it,
For it is the vengeance of YHWH
The vengeance of his temple.”
In a series of three short stanzas Jeremiah declares the certainty of God's judgment on Babylon. Firstly he names those who will carry out God's purpose, ‘the kings of the Medes'. Chief among these was Cyrus, king of Persia, whose mother was a Mede and who had close association with the Median royal family. He had subjugated Media with its kings. We note that it was ‘Darius the Mede' (which may have been another name for Cyrus) who would ‘receive the kingship' and rule in Babylon (Daniel 5:31). Media was a country north-west of Persia and north of Babylon. Their ‘spirit' has been stirred up by YHWH, in order that they might carry out His will in obtaining vengeance for what Babylon had done to His Temple, something which had been an insult to YHWH as the Temple accoutrements were ignominiously carried off to Babylon. Babylon had destroyed the Temple. Now the God of the Temple would destroy Babylon. We can compare how YHWH was avenged on the Philistines when they carries off the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 5). God is not mocked in the end.
‘Fill the shields' might have in mind the full length size of the Persian shield into which a man could fit his body. Or it could refer to the means by which the shield was held as the man ‘filled' it with his arm. As with sharpening the arrows it was basically indicating preparation for battle.
“Set up a standard (or ‘signal') against the walls of Babylon,
Make the watch strong,
Set the watchmen,
Prepare the ambushes,
For YHWH has both purposed and done,
What he spoke concerning the inhabitants of Babylon.”
The instructions to the invaders now continue. They are to go about the investment of Babylon efficiently and zealously. They are to set up their standards surrounding Babylon, or alternately the signals that direct the attack; they are to establish a good watch, preventing surprise attack or escape; and they are to prepare ambushes in case of sallies out of the city. And this was because God was carrying out His purpose against Babylon. Pre-eminent in Jeremiah's thought is that in the end, whatever man's part in it might be, all is determined by YHWH, for He has ‘spoken against the inhabitants of Babylon'.
“O you who dwell on many waters,
Abundant in treasures,
Your end is come,
The measure of your covetousness (or ‘the time for you to be cut off'),
YHWH of hosts has sworn by himself,
(saying), Surely I will fill you with men,
As with the young locusts,
And they will lift up a shout against you.”
As well as being used for irrigation the River Euphrates would have been used as a means of arranging defences against attack, by causing it to flow round Babylon. This being so Babylon would look like a city ‘on many waters'. This could be seen as supported by the words on an inscription of Nebuchadrezzar's, ‘I made water to flow all around in this immense dyke of earth --.' Alternately the thought may simply be of Babylon's prosperity as a result of benefiting from the Euphrates, thereby paralleling the ‘abundant in treasures' and indicating that it was prosperous both agriculturally and materially. Paradoxically it was the diversion of the river that enabled the attackers to take the city by surprise.
The end that is coming on them reveals the depth of their greed. They had coveted the wealth of the nations, now they were receiving judgment in accordance with the measure of their greed. It was not just God against whom Babylon had done a disservice. They had robbed the nations. Thus they had brought on themselves men's retribution as well as God's, and would find themselves infested with men arriving like a swarm of locusts. But central is either the thought that God is judging them because of their attitude of heart which contradicted the tenth ‘word' of the covenant (‘you shall not covet'), or that the measure of their cutting off (i.e. its time) had now come.
They had desired what the nations had, and had filled Babylon's treasure houses with it, but they had not reckoned on the nations following this up by invading Babylon, filling the city with their ‘men' arriving like a swarm of locusts. This was not, however, just man's doing. It was what YHWH had purposed. Indeed He had sworn by Himself (the highest possible form of oath - see Jeremiah 49:13; Amos 6:8; Hebrews 6:13) that He would do it. Babylon's prosperity was a constant reminder to God of how they had obtained it. Now the time for payment had come.
‘The lifting up of a shout' may indicate the battlecries as they took over the city, or the cry of triumph that followed (or indeed both).