THEIR REDEEMER IS STRONG

Passage: Jeremiah 50:21-46

Key verse: 34

NIV

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim
    and those who live in Pekod.(A)
Pursue, kill and completely destroy[a] them,”
declares the Lord.
    “Do everything I have commanded you.
22 The noise(B) of battle is in the land,
    the noise of great destruction!
23 How broken and shattered
    is the hammer(C) of the whole earth!(D)
How desolate(E) is Babylon
    among the nations!
24 I set a trap(F) for you, Babylon,
    and you were caught before you knew it;
you were found and captured(G)
    because you opposed(H) the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his arsenal
    and brought out the weapons(I) of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
    in the land of the Babylonians.(J)
26 Come against her from afar.(K)
    Break open her granaries;
    pile her up like heaps of grain.(L)
Completely destroy(M) her
    and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;(N)
    let them go down to the slaughter!(O)
Woe to them! For their day(P) has come,
    the time(Q) for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives(R) and refugees from Babylon
    declaring in Zion(S)
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,(T)
    vengeance for his temple.(U)

29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
    all those who draw the bow.(V)
Encamp all around her;
    let no one escape.(W)
Repay(X) her for her deeds;(Y)
    do to her as she has done.
For she has defied(Z) the Lord,
    the Holy One(AA) of Israel.
30 Therefore, her young men(AB) will fall in the streets;
    all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”
declares the Lord.
31 “See, I am against(AC) you, you arrogant one,”
    declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,
“for your day(AD) has come,
    the time for you to be punished.
32 The arrogant(AE) one will stumble and fall(AF)
    and no one will help her up;(AG)
I will kindle a fire(AH) in her towns
    that will consume all who are around her.”

33 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“The people of Israel are oppressed,(AI)
    and the people of Judah as well.
All their captors hold them fast,
    refusing to let them go.(AJ)
34 Yet their Redeemer(AK) is strong;
    the Lord Almighty(AL) is his name.
He will vigorously defend their cause(AM)
    so that he may bring rest(AN) to their land,
    but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

35 “A sword(AO) against the Babylonians!”(AP)
    declares the Lord—
“against those who live in Babylon
    and against her officials and wise(AQ) men!
36 A sword against her false prophets!
    They will become fools.
A sword against her warriors!(AR)
    They will be filled with terror.(AS)
37 A sword against her horses and chariots(AT)
    and all the foreigners in her ranks!
    They will become weaklings.(AU)
A sword against her treasures!(AV)
    They will be plundered.
38 A drought on[b] her waters!(AW)
    They will dry(AX) up.
For it is a land of idols,(AY)
    idols that will go mad with terror.

39 “So desert creatures(AZ) and hyenas will live there,
    and there the owl will dwell.
It will never again be inhabited
    or lived in from generation to generation.(BA)
40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah(BB)
    along with their neighboring towns,”
declares the Lord,
“so no one will live there;
    no people will dwell in it.(BC)

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north;(BD)
    a great nation and many kings
    are being stirred(BE) up from the ends of the earth.(BF)
42 They are armed with bows(BG) and spears;
    they are cruel(BH) and without mercy.(BI)
They sound like the roaring sea(BJ)
    as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
    to attack you, Daughter Babylon.(BK)
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them,
    and his hands hang limp.(BL)
Anguish has gripped him,
    pain like that of a woman in labor.(BM)
44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets(BN)
    to a rich pastureland,
I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant.
    Who is the chosen(BO) one I will appoint for this?
Who is like me and who can challenge me?(BP)
    And what shepherd can stand against me?”

45 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned against Babylon,
    what he has purposed(BQ) against the land of the Babylonians:(BR)
The young of the flock will be dragged away;
    their pasture will be appalled at their fate.
46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble;(BS)
    its cry(BT) will resound among the nations.

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Footnotes
  1. Jeremiah 50:21 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
  2. Jeremiah 50:38 Or A sword against
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

21 “Go up against the land of Merathaim,[a]
    and against the inhabitants of Pekod.[b]
Kill, (A)and devote them to destruction,[c]
declares the Lord,
    and do all that I have commanded you.
22 (B)The noise of battle is in the land,
    and great destruction!
23 (C)How the hammer of the whole earth
    is cut down and broken!
(D)How Babylon (E)has become
    a horror among the nations!
24 (F)I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
    and (G)you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
    because you opposed the Lord.
25 The Lord has opened his armory
    and brought out (H)the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
    in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come against her from every quarter;
    open her granaries;
(I)pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
    let nothing be left of her.
27 Kill all (J)her bulls;
    let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
    (K)the time of their punishment.

28 “A voice! They (L)flee and escape from the land of Babylon, (M)to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for (N)his temple.

29 (O)“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. (P)Encamp around her; let no one escape. (Q)Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has (R)proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. 30 (S)Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

31 “Behold, I am against you, O (T)proud one,
    declares the Lord God of hosts,
(U)for your day has come,
    the time when I will punish you.
32 (V)The proud one shall stumble and fall,
    with none to raise him up,
(W)and I will kindle a fire in his cities,
    and it will devour all that is around him.

33 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: (X)The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah with them. All who took them captive have held them fast; (Y)they refuse to let them go. 34 (Z)Their Redeemer is strong; (AA)the Lord of hosts is his name. (AB)He will surely plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, but unrest to the inhabitants of Babylon.

35 “A sword against the Chaldeans, declares the Lord,
    and against the inhabitants of Babylon,
    and against (AC)her officials and her (AD)wise men!
36 A sword against the diviners,
    that they may become fools!
A sword against her (AE)warriors,
    that they may be destroyed!
37 A sword against her horses and against her chariots,
    and against all (AF)the foreign troops in her midst,
    that (AG)they may become women!
(AH)A sword against all her treasures,
    that they may be plundered!
38 (AI)A drought against her waters,
    that they may be dried up!
(AJ)For it is a land of images,
    and they are mad over idols.

39 (AK)“Therefore wild beasts shall dwell with hyenas in Babylon,[d] and ostriches shall dwell in her. She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations. 40 (AL)As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, (AM)so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.

41 (AN)“Behold, a people comes from the north;
    a mighty nation and many kings
    are stirring from the farthest parts of the earth.
42 They lay hold of bow and spear;
    they are cruel and have no mercy.
The sound of them is like the roaring of the sea;
    they ride on horses,
arrayed as a man for battle
    against you, O daughter of Babylon!

43 “The king of Babylon heard the report of them,
    and his hands fell helpless;
anguish seized him,
    pain as of a woman in labor.

44 (AO)“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 (AP)can stand before me? 45 Therefore hear (AQ)the plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, (AR)and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: (AS)Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. 46 (AT)At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.”

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Footnotes
  1. Jeremiah 50:21 Merathaim means double rebellion
  2. Jeremiah 50:21 Pekod means punishment
  3. Jeremiah 50:21 That is, set apart (devote) as an offering to the Lord (for destruction)
  4. Jeremiah 50:39 Hebrew lacks in Babylon
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

The Lord commanded the destruction of Babylon. They would be subject to utter desolation. The Lord would cause them to be captured because they had opposed the Lord. He brought armies against them—the weapons of his wrath. In his sovereignty the Lord left no remnant. He took vengeance for his temple. The Lord had used Babylon as his instrument of judgment, but they became arrogant and defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

The Lord saw how his people were being oppressed, so he intervened. He is their Redeemer, and he is strong. He brought a sword against the Babylonians and drought upon their land. Armies from the north would defeat them and show no mercy. The fall of Babylon would cause all nations to tremble, but it would be for the redemption of his people. The Lord would defend their cause for his sake.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for remembering your people in their oppression. Bless me to depend on you as my redeemer.

One Word: The Lord is a strong redeemer