In our Blog we have previously worked our way chapter-by-chapter through the amazing prophecy of Jeremiah (cf. 2014, 8/9-9/16). For the next few posts we would like to make some addendums to our thoughts on Jeremiah.
· 1:5: Jeremiah is “a prophet to the nations.” Why is this important? Several of the prophets of Israel made prophecies to the various nations around Israel/Judah (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos). Two had another nation as the subject: Obadiah spoke of Edom and Nahum of Ninevah. Jonah took God’s word to Ninevah. So, of course, Jeremiah wasn’t the only one to talk about the nations.
All the OT prophets directed their messages to Israel. It was meant for God’s people (in Jeremiah’s case it was Judah) to hear, even what was said to the nations. But there is this difference. The other prophets declared prophecies concerning the other nations. Jeremiah’s message to the nations was a call to repentance, just as he called Judah to repentance. All the surrounding nations were told to submit to the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah sent messages to the nations through emissaries that came to Jerusalem. When the Babylonians finally took Jerusalem, the Babylonians knew about Jeremiah, and that he had tried to get Judah give themselves up to Babylon. Jer. 1:10 is not said to other prophets: I have set you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.
This is very consistent with Jeremiah’s actual ministry. In Jer. 25:15-27 Jeremiah gives the cup of the LORD, not just to Judah, but to the nations, and the nations are listed in some detail in the passage. Again, in 27:2-7 Jeremiah makes yokes and puts them on messengers from various nations that came to Jerusalem. Jer. 46:1 introduces the last section of the book (Ch. 46-51) as “the word of the LORD which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the nations.”
While Jer. 51 predicts the ultimate demise of Babylon, the book begins with a call to Babylon to come against Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and to be the LORD’s tool of judgment against His people. Jeremiah’s ministry makes it clear that what the Babylonian are doing, and what the surrounding nations need to do, all comes from the LORD, the God of Israel.
One final thought on this comes from 2:17-19, 36-37. Jeremiah’s message to Judah includes a strong statement that the nations on whom Judah depends (Egypt and Assyria) will not be able to save her from God’s promised judgment. Even though the nations that bless Israel will be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3), God rules all the nations. No other nation will receive the credit for saving His people. This is always something to consider today. Israel’s dependence on the United States has been obvious in the post Oct. 7, 2023 battles.
No comments:
Post a Comment