The Epitaph of Babylon

Jeremiah 51:49-64

If we were to title this the epitaph of Babylon, it would be on the spot, for God is calling His people back to Jerusalem.  But God is going to bring pay back to the Babylonians for what they did to His temple and Jerusalem.  Jeremiah is making it very clear that it matters not what Babylon does, it could ascend to the heavens but God is their advisor, and it matters not.  And this is the plan, and her warriors will be captured, their weapons destroyed, her princes will become drunk, along with her governors, officials, and soldiers.

As we read verses 59-64, we get a clear understanding that Babylon’s epitaph was written long before it happened.  “The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah, the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, ‘Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.  And some versions say the words of Jeremiah ended here, but it matters not for Jeremiah was only saying what God had told him to say, and it is evident God is in total charge.

It is clear to this writer that Psalm 139:16 says that our great and mighty God had seen our actions, yes, what we would choose, right or wrong before we were formed before one day happened.  “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”  Or as told in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps.” 

For every life, there are two plans and two planners, but because of God’s great love, He allows us the freedom to choose.  Jesus tells us who the planners are, the old thief and his plan is to steal, kill and destroy.  The other planner is the Lord Jesus, and this is His plan, in His words; “I came that you may have life and have it abundantly.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God's Timing

 Jeremiah 51:33-48

What happens when Zion complains against Babylon’s treatment of its land and its people to the LORD?  Questions that we must ponder; when did they enter this complaint, was it at the beginning of the seventy years of captivation or the middle or was it just days before the Lord tells them He is going to plead their case?  If you're part of the American church that has a doctrine of “Name it and Claim it” you have a mindset of it had to be one short prayer, and God shows up to do your bidding, and that’s just garbage!  

But this is encouraging, God heard and responded, and He was on time for He always will be.  And the Lord is going to plead their case, and even today the same Lord is pleading your case before His Father.  Babylon’s waters are going to dry up, I not sure what all that means but maybe the Euphrates and Tigris rivers were going to be rerouted.  But this I do know that’s no big deal for our great and mighty God.  God declared that Babylon would become a heap of rubble and a den for jackals.  And Babylon will be given a feast, following which she will fall asleep forever. 

The Lord declares that Babylon will become a horror among the nations, in that she is desolate, dry and arid land, a land where no one lives.  And what about her little god Bel and her high walls 12 feet thick and with a lane 23 feet wide between it and the inner wall, which was 21 feet thick.  The walls had towers that rose from the walls every 60 feet, and outside the walls, a moat-like ditch was bricked and filled with water from the Euphrates River.

It seems clear to my mind that in that day this was a very secure place, a place where one might put their faith, and it is misplaced faith, and that always brings one into judgment with a holy God.  How about you, have you put your confidence in what looks secured, something that will guard and fortify?  The something may be your skills, your mind, your ability to make money, or it might be in the military, or even your family?  But the wall came down, and Bel did not show up to save the people of Babylon, and now all they believed in has fallen.

God’s message then and now, “Go out of the midst of her, my people!
Let every one save his life from the fierce anger of the Lord!  Let not your heart faint, and be not fearful at the report heard in the land, when a report comes in one year and afterward a report in another year, and violence is in the land, and ruler is against ruler.  “Therefore, behold, the days are coming when I will punish the images of Babylon; her whole land shall be put to shame, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.”

After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his sons had feuds and revolts and killed off each other; this is what God was referring to.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God always has a battle club

 Jeremiah 51:20-32

We have all heard or been told, “Payday is coming” or one will always reap what they have sown.  Why do we say such things and what is the origin of such statements?  If you look in Galatians 6:7-8, “Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”  What if we understood fully that payday always comes, if not in this life that is just a mist, but in eternal life?  Would mankind be different, and I’m sure you are not going to like the answer, no? 

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has been God’s battle club, in fact, God calls him his servant, but he has become arrogant, full of pride and like many who God has blessed, they began to believe the press clippings and take credit in their heart.  Many a pastor and church blessed by God have become prideful and in their heart have foolishly said it was their act or actions and have not given glory to the King of glory, and God's hand is removed.  That is what has happened to the Babylon King.

But God always has a battle club, and it may be a man of God like Gideon, and do you remember the account in Judges 6?  For seven years God’s battle club was the Midianites against Israel, the people of God.  Why would God do such a harsh thing?  The answer is found in Judges 6:1, “The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.”   Their club was not as large as Nebuchadnezzar’s or Cyrus’s, but it was sufficient for the job they had been called to do. 

I’m sure you have read the story of Gideon, while he is hiding in the wine press trashing grain the angel of the Lord comes to him and proclaims; “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”  Now, did we miss something, valor is courage, bravery, heroism, and such a man is fearless, but Gideon does not fit that, does he?  And what is Gideon’s reply to the angel of the Lord,  ^“And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” And this was the reply; “And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”  And we watched Gideon doing as God told him and God used Gideon to bring glory to Himself.  Often a man of God lets the Lord use him, but it is those press clippings we must watch out for!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God is in Charge - Now and Then

Jeremiah 29:11-19

Have you ever known anyone that has this attitude, my God loves so perfectly that He would never allow harm to anyone and especially someone who is morally right like me?  That may be your theology and if it is, let’s take a moment to expose it to words that Jesus spoke; “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  Often, if we looked to the Scripture, and not to the god we want, the one that does what we want, for that god has no authority, no power, and is not worthy of your worship.  We would find the true God who does love us.

So look at what the God of the Bible is doing in bringing judgment to Babylon. “Sharpen the arrows!  Fill the quivers!  The Lord has put it into the mind of the kings of the Medes because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the Lord’s vengeance, vengeance for His temple.  Raise up a signal flag against the walls of Babylon; fortify the watch post; set the watchmen in place; prepare the ambush. For the Lord has both planned and accomplished what He has threatened against those who live in Babylon. You who reside by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come, your life thread is cut.” (Jeremiah 51:11-13)  It is clear that God is in charge, it is His battle and those attacking Babylon do not know they are under God’s command.  Babylon’s waters are where the Euphrates and Tigris rivers meet and were symbolic of her strength.

What an amazing God we serve, listen to what He has to say about Himself: The Lord of hosts has sworn by himself: “Surely I will fill you with men, as many as locusts, and they shall raise the shout of victory over you.  “It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.  When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth.  He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.”  How can we not stand in astonishment of our Creator, yes, in adoration and fear?

The answer is yes LORD we are as you called us stupid and ignorant of your character and holiness, today as in the time of Jeremiah.  Read Jeremiah 51:17-19, “Everyone is stupid and ignorant.  Every goldsmith is put to shame by his carved image, for his cast images are a lie; there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work to be mocked.  At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed.  Jacob’s Portion is not like these because He is the One who formed all things.  Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; Yahweh of Hosts is His name.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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Leave Babylon

April 10, 2017

 Jeremiah 51:1-10

The judgment message of Babylon ends in chapter 51 with a very long section, but Babylon reappears in the Revelation, chapter 18.  Many have tried to compare the USA and Babylon, and there is an area where one could do that.  It is this writer's opinion that Babylon was never good and did not have a history of prayer to the only true God, and it did not have roots in looking to the Creator for guidance.

But let us attempt to explore this very long chapter about God’s judgment of Babylon, and it begins with this statement: “Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon . . .” Media is north of Babylon, and around 549 B.C. it came under Persian rule and joined Cyrus in the defeat of the Babylonian Empire.  In the same manner that God had used King Nebuchadnezzar and called him His servant, so will He use Cyrus and the Medes and the Persians to bring judgment to Babylon.

The message to the Mede’s and the Persian’s army was to move fast and take no prisoners, and the message to the people of God, leave Babylon!  Now you recall it was about seventy years ago Jeremiah had instructed the people to build homes and settle in, to have families and give their daughters and sons in marriage.  But now it’s time to leave, go back and begin once more, and for many Babylon was the only home they had known.  It is so important for each of us to get the message, we find in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”   

When God tells us to move after a long time in a place, job, or church it often does not feel right.  In our case, after 23 years in a church where we taught the young couples whom we loved, on a trip to the Billy Graham Cove, Jan and I got a clear message from a person we are kin to and we were surprised they were there.  Yes, my cousins, Walt and Libby were at the same conference, and Walt asked how our ministry was going?  I shared with him and he walked away for about five minutes and came back and said, Bob, you need to leave that church.  Walt is a retired pastor and a man who walks close to the LORD, and it was clear that before giving me any word he talked with our Father.  It never felt right, but as we prayed, it became apparent that we were to leave and yet we did not know why.   It was weeks later that God arranged for us to attend Cross Roads in the Woodlands and we knew that was home.  What we learned once more is it matters not how one feels, but it does matter if you are willing to go when the LORD says go.

Babylon was referred to as the gold cup in the Lord’s hand, she was the tool God used to bring nations into judgment, and now her pride and arrogance and her lack of acknowledging the God of all creation has brought God's wrath to her door.  And now God’s chosen people are leaving to return home and they have this message; let us tell what the Lord our God has accomplished.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A form of Bondage

 Jeremiah 59:33-46

America for many years was under a form of bondage by the King of England and many today have little or no understanding of that fact.  But in the year of 1775 America began a revolution that lasted eight long years and the greatest army and navy of that time were overcome by a very small group of people who were willing to die for freedom.  How did they do it, much is recorded of the leaders of this revolution and a common thread wove them together?  They believed God wanted them to be free to worship and live; not under a state controlled church, but as free people to choose, and to have a voice in their government.

With that stated above, you understand how impossible it is for this writer to understand oppression or bondage.  America has no understanding of slavery, do we?  Sure we do, and it has happened to each of us, and for 27 years I was in bondage to sin, it was my master, and I was a lover of self, a lover of stuff and a person who did not submit to God’s authority over my life.  Now, this must be stated, I saw myself as free, as a good man and not a rebel, even as a Christian who gave a tenth of his income to the church.  I never thought of harming anyone or even wronging someone else, and I sure did not view myself in bondage to sin.

The Apostle Paul proclaimed in Roman 3:23,“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  So all of us have experienced bondage to sin and are still experiencing sins control over us.  Israel and Judah were no different than us; they fall under that “all” and sin brought seventy years of physical bondage to a nation that was not kind to most of them.  But God, yes God was not sleeping and now He is allowing His sword, the nations from the North to come and bring death and destruction to Babylon.  The destruction is so complete in that God has withdrawn the rains and the water has dried up, and the wells no longer have water and it becomes like a desert area.  The mighty warriors of Babylon are full of fear, and they are killed along with most of its people, but Israel and Judah are free, and Babylon destroyed.

God often tells us that He is in charge, that he has total authority over His Creation, as He has done in verse 44. “Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?”   Yes, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  But God, who loves all of us from the greatest by world standards to the very least by this world’s standards, has made a way of escape.  Return to Romans 3:23-26, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Yes, we all stand guilty before a Holy God in His court, and yet He declares not guilty to all whom by faith has believed in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  Jesus redeemed “all” by His blood.  Do you recall Hebrews 9:22? “Indeed, under the law, almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” 

So if you find yourself in the bondage of sin, choose today to ask the Father to forgive you and put the faith God will give you in what is finished, and that will bring you into a freedom from the control of sin.  It will not make you sinless, but as the children of Israel, you will choose each day whom will you serve.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God’s attributes

 Jeremiah 50:28-32

Many a preacher who goes by the title of Christian seems to have left out many of God’s attributes and only dwell on His love, mercy, faithfulness, righteousness, and that He is Holy.  But they seem to have left out He is all knowing, ever-present, sovereign, absolute Truth, Just, and changes not. 

Now listen up, it is important for each of us to have a full understanding of as much of God as we can grasp, and we need to have an understanding of these attributes that many have left out of their messages.  It is clear that none and that means none have a full understanding of our Creator, for He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, One God in Three, always in perfect unity who will not share His glory, He alone is to be the source of worship.  And therein lies the pothole in our highway called life.  We all have desired to be lord of the ring, captain of our ship, and many believe God is a lot like us, wrong, wrong, and please hear this entirely wrong! 

And as stated in yesterdays paper was Babylon’s sin, they became sure no one was watching and chose to do evil and became prideful and arrogant with no desire to seek God, for they, like so many today have replaced God with stuff and pleasure.  Now judgment has come, and God’s vengeance is on display as found in verses 14-15 of this chapter.  We have all said, it seems their sins have found them out, or what is done in the darkness will always be exposed to the light.  Why?  Because God, who does not change, is all knowing, just and ever-present, keeps clear records of our sins.

And the Babylonians, much like you and me, forgot what God had said, and did not remember these words, nor did the people of Judah, but God is a promise keeper.  So let’s revisit Jeremiah 16:17-18, “For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from me, nor is their iniquity concealed from my eyes. But first I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable idols, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.”  God promised to restore Israel even before Babylon’s army had taken them captive, and because our God is all knowing He could make a promise of what He would do to the nation of Babylon.

This great country once feared is going to be destroyed because of its defiance and arrogance against the Holy One of Israel.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice