A Thought Provoked By The Prophet Jeremiah

And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets,…They said, Turn ye again now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that the LORD hath given unto you and your fathers for ever and ever; And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt. Yet ye have not hearkened unto me, saith the LORD; that ye might provoke me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Because ye have not heard my words, Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations roundabout, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the King of Babylon seventy years.

Jeremiah 25:4a,5-11

It is clear from the writings of Jeremiah and other prophets that the reason God brought Nebuchadnezzar and other oppressors into the land was because of his people’s failure to be faithful to Him, their failure to obey His teaching and commandments. They worshiped gods who were no gods; they practiced evil in the wicked worship that they did observe; their morality was often immoral; and they rejected the dire warnings that God sent them through His servants the prophets.

We can imagine some of their responses to the men who were preaching God’s word: “You don’t still believe that old Bible stuff do you? Your sermons are such a downer. We are God’s people and are sure He would not allow such punishment to come to our great land. The morality of the Torah is eight hundred to a thousand years old, c’mon get with it. Catch up to the present.”

Yet, the warning that Jeremiah gives here from God, is that Nebuchdrezzar will come because of your sins, so wise up and change your ways. If you don’t there won’t be any more laughter in Jerusalem, the weddings will be gone, the manufacturing and business will be gone, there will be no lights in the windows at night, and the land will be a desolation. The very nation of people itself shall be carried away into Babylon for seventy years.

They refused to turn from their sins and wickedness, and as a result the prophet’s sermons were proved to be true.

Though we don’t like to hear it, this is a lesson for modern-day societies who have turned from following the faith and morality of the Bible. If such tragedy and destruction could happen to the people who are the apple of God’s eye, it could certainly happen to the lands we love today. The message for Christian civilization at this time in history is the same as it was then: And go not after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, and provoke me not to anger with the works of your hands; and I will do you no hurt.