Sat.’s Devo - Jeremiah’s Last Words

Read: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19 Jeremiah is taken forward to the time when Babylon is being destroyed. Babylon is alive and well in America and she is loud. She has taken every mountain of society: government, education, finance and business, entertainment, medicine, family and religion. The Lord who gives just punishment will repay her for all the chaos and deception she has dealt out. *** Babylon’s kingdom was in the process of being leveled to the ground. Jeremiah wrote this all down and sent it with the staff officer of Babylon when they came and took Zedekiah to Babylon. He told the staff officer when he got to Babylon he was to read aloud everything he had written on the scroll. It said that Babylon would be destroyed completely. When he finished reading it, he was to tie the scroll to a rock and throw it into the Euphrates River and say, “In the same manner Babylon and her people will sink, never to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.” ***Chapter 52 is the story of everything Jeremiah had prophesied for years. Zedekiah had rebelled against Babylon and stopped paying them tribute in the ninth year of his reign. Babylon came to Jerusalem and built siege ramps and besieged her for two years. When they finally broke through the walls, Zedekiah tried to escape but was caught by the Babylonians. He was taken to the king and tried. They killed his sons and all his officials, then gouged out his eyes and took him to Babylon. *** The Babylonians tore down the walls of Jerusalem and took everyone except the poorest of the people which were allowed to stay and care for the land. They took anything of worth from the Temple and the city. All of the city officials and army officials were taken to Babylon and put to death. They took 3,023 people captive in the 7th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, 832 more in the 18th year and 745 more in his 23rd year. In the 37th year of Jehoiachin’s exile, Evil-meredach became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin and released him from prison. He gave him the higher place of honor than all of his other exiled kings. He gave him new clothes and allowed him to dine in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. *** In Titus, Paul tells them to submit to their leaders and do what is good. Don’t slander, quarrel, or waste their time on useless discussions that cause division. Instead, remember where they came from and what they were like before they knew Christ. They are not the same person now. Now they should pursue kindness with humility and unity with love for one another. *** Lord, thank you for your Word that stands forever as the truth. We watch in eager expectation of the fall of Babylon in our day. Thank you for the powerful army that you have. May your kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.