Chapter 25

The pattern established in previous chapters, of Jeremiah preaching a message of doom on the hard-hearted people of Judah, continues here.

Verses 1 – 7 tell us of how Jeremiah (in company with many other prophets) has been preaching God’s warning to the people of Judah – only to be disappointed when they do not listen, when they do nothing.

In verses 8 – 11, Jeremiah expands on this by proclaiming the consequences that will occur – that Babylon will successfully invade and conquer the people of Judah, and that Judah will be taken captive.

Verses 12 – 14, however, tell us something new – that God will eventually put the Babylonians on trial for their own sins. So God’s wrath isn’t JUST reserved for the people of Judah – his anger burns against all who do evil, wherever they are. But He is particularly angry at Judah because JUDAH SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER.

We finish off by looking at God’s plans for the various nations around, including (but not limited to) Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Arabia and the like. Short version: God is rather cross.

So how do we make sense of this chapter?

I think the best thing to draw out of it is the position of the Nations in God’s economy. The key thing is something we need to ensure we understand. It is this:

God sees all peoples’ sufferings as important. Therefore, He wants to put a stop to it. And as far as God is concerned, the problem behind the problem is SIN.

We are coming up on Easter Sunday at the time I write this, and that celebration stands as a stark and solemn reminder of how seriously God takes sin. It is a fact that God sees sin as sufficiently awful that He chose to die painfully rather than live with it. We often say that God can do anything, and He can. But generally He chooses to separate Himself from sin as widely as possible. The cross is a case in point – when God’s beloved Son is facing His worst ever moments, God Himself chooses to turn away!

The consequences for sin are extreme. Some people ask if God is being harsh by punishing people for it. I say otherwise – God isn’t harsh, because He’d far rather we didn’t receive eternal separation from Him. God wants to be connected with all His people.

Needless to say, He won’t be connected to everyone. Some will reject Him, but we need to recognize that this is not us – and as a consequence, we are now responsible for sharing the good news of Jesus on to as many people who will listen.