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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1712)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>J E R E M I A H.</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. L.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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In this chapter, and that which follows, we have the judgment of
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Babylon, which is put last of Jeremiah's prophecies against the
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Gentiles because it was last accomplished; and when the cup of God's
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fury went round
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+25:17">
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<I>ch.</I>25:17</A>)
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the king of Sheshach, Babylon, drank last. Babylon was employed as the
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rod in God's hand for the chastising of all the other nations, and now
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at length that rod shall be thrown into the fire. The destruction of
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Babylon by Cyrus was foretold, long before it came to its height, by
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Isaiah, and now again, when it has come to its height, by Jeremiah;
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for, though at this time he saw that kingdom flourishing "like a green
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bay-tree," yet at the same time he foresaw it withered and cut down.
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And as Isaiah's prophecies of the destruction of Babylon and the
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deliverance of Israel out of it seem designed to typify the evangelical
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triumphs of all believers over the powers of darkness, and the great
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salvation wrought out by our Lord Jesus Christ, so Jeremiah's
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prophecies of the same events seem designed to point at the apocalyptic
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triumphs of the gospel church in the latter days over the New-Testament
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Babylon, many passages in the Revelation being borrowed hence. The
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kingdom of Babylon being much larger and stronger than any of the
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kingdoms here prophesied against, its fall was the more considerable in
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itself; and, it having been more oppressive to the people of God than
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any of the other, the prophet is very copious upon this subject, for
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the comfort of the captives; and what was foretold in general often
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before
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+25:12,27:7"><I>ch.</I> xxv. 12 and xxvii. 7</A>)
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is here more particularly described, and with a great deal of prophetic
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heat as well as light. The terrible judgments God had in store for
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Babylon, and the glorious blessings he had in store for his people that
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were captives there, are intermixed and counterchanged in the prophecy
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of this chapter; for Babylon was destroyed to make way for the turning
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again of the captivity of God's people. Here is,
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I. The ruin of Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:1-3,9-16,21-32,35-46">ver. 1-3, 9-16, 21-32, and 35-46</A>.
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II. The redemption of God's people,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:4-8,17-20,33,34">ver. 4-8, 17-20, and 33, 34</A>.
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And these being set the one against the other, it is easy to say which
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one would choose to take one's lot with, the persecuting Babylonians,
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who, though now in pomp, are reserved for so great a ruin, or the
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persecuted Israelites, who, though now in thraldom, are reserved for so
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great a glory.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="Jer50_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Babylon.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 The word that the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> spake against Babylon <I>and</I> against
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the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
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2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a
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standard; publish, <I>and</I> conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel
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is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are
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confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
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3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her,
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which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein:
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they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
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4 In those days, and in that time, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, the children
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of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together,
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going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> their God.
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5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward,
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<I>saying,</I> Come, and let us join ourselves to the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> in a
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perpetual covenant <I>that</I> shall not be forgotten.
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6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused
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them to go astray, they have turned them away <I>on</I> the mountains:
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they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their
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restingplace.
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7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries
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said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>,
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the habitation of justice, even the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, the hope of their
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fathers.
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8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the
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land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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I. Here is a word spoken against Babylon by him whose works all agree
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with his word and none of whose words fall to the ground. The king of
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Babylon had been very kind of Jeremiah, and yet he must foretel the
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ruin of that kingdom; for God's prophets must not be governed by favour
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or affection. Whoever are our friends, if, notwithstanding, they are
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God's enemies, we dare not speak peace to them.
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1. The destruction of Babylon is here spoken of as a thing done,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>.
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let it be published to the nations as a piece of news, true news, and
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great news, and news they are all concerned in; let them hang out the
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flag, as is usual on days of triumph, to give notice of it; let all the
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world take notice of it: <I>Babylon is taken.</I> Let God have the
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honour of it, let his people have the comfort of it, and therefore do
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not conceal it. Take care that it be known, that <I>the Lord may be
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known by those judgments which he executes,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+9:16">Ps. ix. 16</A>.
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2. It is spoken of as a thing done thoroughly. For,
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(1.) The very idols of Babylon, which the people would protect with all
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possible care, and from which they expected protection, shall be
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destroyed. Bel and Merodach were their two principal deities; they
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shall be <I>confounded,</I> and the images of them <I>broken to
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pieces.</I>
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(2.) The country shall be laid waste
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>)
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out <I>of the north,</I> from Media, which lay north of Babylon, and
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from Assyria, through which Cyrus made his descent upon Babylon; thence
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the nation shall come that shall make <I>her land desolate.</I> Their
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land was north of the countries that they destroyed, who were therefore
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threatened with evil from the north (<I>Omne malum ab aquilone--Every
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evil comes from the north</I>); but God will find out nations yet
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further north to come upon them. The pomp and power of old Rome were
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brought down by northern nations, the Goths and Vandals.</P>
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<P>
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II. Here is a word spoken for the people of God, and for their comfort,
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both <I>the children of Israel</I> and <I>of Judah;</I> for many there
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were of the ten tribes that associated with those of the two tribes in
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their return out of Babylon. Now here,</P>
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<P>
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1. It is promised that they shall return to their God first and then to
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their own land; and the promise of their conversion and reformation is
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that which makes way for all the other promises,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:4,5"><I>v.</I> 4, 5</A>.
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(1.) They shall <I>lament after the Lord</I> (as the whole house of
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Israel did in Samuel's time,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+7:2">1 Sam. vii. 2</A>);
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they shall <I>go weeping.</I> These tears flow not from the sorrow of
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the world as those when they went into captivity, but from godly
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sorrow; they are tears of repentance for sin, tears of joy for the
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goodness of God, in the dawning of the day of their deliverance, which,
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for aught that appears, does more towards the bringing of them to mourn
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for sin than all the calamities of their captivity; that prevails to
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<I>lead them to repentance</I> when the other did not prevail to drive
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them to it. Note, It is a good sign that God is coming towards a
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people in ways of mercy when they begin to be tenderly affected under
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his hand.
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(2.) They shall <I>enquire after the Lord;</I> they shall not sink
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under their sorrows, but bestir themselves to find out comfort where it
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is to be had: <I>They shall go weeping to seek the Lord their God.</I>
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Those that seek the Lord must <I>seek him sorrowing,</I> as Christ's
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parents sought him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+2:48">Luke ii. 48</A>.
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And those that sorrow must seek the Lord, and then their sorrow shall
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soon be turned into joy, for he will be found of those that so seek
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him. They shall <I>seek the Lord as their God,</I> and shall now have
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no more to do with idols. When they shall hear that the idols of
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Babylon are <I>confounded and broken</I> it will be seasonable for them
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to enquire after their own God and to return to him who lives for ever.
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<I>Therefore</I> men are deceived in false gods, that they may depend
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on the true God only.
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(3.) They shall think of returning to their own country again; they
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shall think of it not only as a mercy, but as a duty, because there
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only is the <I>holy hill of Zion,</I> on which once stood <I>the house
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of the Lord their God</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>):
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<I>They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward.</I>
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Zion was the city of their solemnities; they often thought of it in the
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depth of their captivity
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+137:1">Ps. cxxxvii. 1</A>);
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but, now that the ruin of Babylon gave them some hopes of a release,
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they talk of nothing else but of going back to Zion. Their hearts were
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upon it before, and now they <I>set their faces thitherward.</I> They
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long to be there; they set out for Zion, and resolve not to take up
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short of it. The journey is long and they know not the road, but they
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will <I>ask the way,</I> for they will press forward till they come to
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Zion; and, as they are determined not to turn back, so they are in care
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not to miss the way. This represents the return of poor souls to God.
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Heaven is the Zion they aim at as their end; on this they have set
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their hearts; towards this they have <I>set their faces,</I> and
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therefore they <I>ask the way</I> thither. They do not ask the way to
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heaven and set their faces towards the world; nor set their faces
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towards heaven and go on at a venture without asking the way. But in
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all true converts there are both a sincere desire to attain the end and
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a constant care to keep in the way; and a blessed sight it is to see
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people thus asking the way to heaven with their faces thitherward.
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(4.) They shall renew their covenant to walk with God more closely for
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the future: <I>Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a
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perpetual covenant.</I> They had broken covenant with God, had in
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effect separated themselves from him, but now they resolve to <I>join
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themselves</I> to him again, by engaging themselves afresh to be his.
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Thus, when backsliders return, they must <I>do their first works,</I>
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must renew the covenant they first made; and it must be a <I>perpetual
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covenant,</I> that must never be broken; and, in order to that, must
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never be forgotten; for a due remembrance of it will be the means of a
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due observance of it.</P>
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<P>
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2. Their present case is lamented as very sad, and as having been long
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so: "<I>My people</I>" (for he owns them as his now that they are
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returning to him) "<I>have been lost sheep</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>);
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they have <I>gone from mountain to hill,</I> have been hurried from
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place to place, and could find no pasture; <I>they have forgotten their
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resting-place</I> in their own country and cannot find their way to
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it." And that which aggravated their misery was,
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(1.) That they were <I>led astray by their own shepherds,</I> their own
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princes and priests; they turned them from their duty, and so provoked
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God to turn them out of their own land. It is bad with a people when
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their leaders cause them to err, when those that should direct them,
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and when those that should secure and advance their interests are the
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betrayers of them.
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(2.) That in their wanderings they lay exposed to the beasts of prey,
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who thought they were entitled to them, as waifs and strays that had no
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owner
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>);
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it is with them as with wandering sheep, <I>all that found them have
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devoured them</I> and made a prey of them; and when they did them the
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greatest injuries they laughed at them, telling them it was what their
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own prophets had many a time told them they deserved; that was far from
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justifying those who did them wrong, yet they bantered them with this
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excuse, <I>We offend not, because they have sinned against the
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Lord;</I> but they could not pretend that they had sinned against them.
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And see what notion they had of the Lord they had sinned against, not
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as the only true and living God, but only as <I>the habitation of
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justice and the hope of their fathers;</I> they had put a contempt upon
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the temple and upon the tradition of their ancestors, and therefore
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deserved to suffer these hard things. And yet it was indeed an
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aggravation of their sin, and justified God, though it did not justify
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their adversaries in what was done to them, that they had <I>forsaken
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the habitation of justice</I> and him that was <I>the hope of their
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fathers.</I></P>
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<P>
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3. They are called upon to hasten away, as soon as ever the door of
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liberty was opened to them
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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"<I>Remove,</I> not only out of the borders, but <I>out of the midst of
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Babylon;</I> though you be ever so well seated there, think not to
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settle there, but hasten to Zion, and <I>be as the he-goats before the
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flocks;</I> strive which shall be foremost, which shall lead in so good
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a work:" a he-goat is <I>comely in going</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+30:31">Prov. xxx. 31</A>)
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because he goes first. It is a graceful thing to be forward in a good
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work and to set others a good example.</P>
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<A NAME="Jer50_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="Jer50_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Babylon.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an
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assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall
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set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be
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taken: their arrows <I>shall be</I> as of a mighty expert man; none
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shall return in vain.
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10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be
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satisfied, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers
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of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at
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grass, and bellow as bulls;
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12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you
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shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations <I>shall
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be</I> a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
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13 Because of the wrath of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> it shall not be inhabited,
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but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon
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shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
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14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye
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that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath
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sinned against the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her
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foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it <I>is</I>
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the vengeance of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>: take vengeance upon her; as she hath
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done, do unto her.
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16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the
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sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword
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they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee
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every one to his own land.
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17 Israel <I>is</I> a scattered sheep; the lions have driven <I>him</I>
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away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this
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Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
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18 Therefore thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of hosts, the God of Israel;
|
|
Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have
|
|
punished the king of Assyria.
|
|
19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he
|
|
shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied
|
|
upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
|
|
20 In those days, and in that time, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, the
|
|
iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and <I>there shall be</I>
|
|
none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I
|
|
will pardon them whom I reserve.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
God is here by his prophet, as afterwards in his providence, proceeding
|
|
in his controversy with Babylon. Observe,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. The commission and charge given to the instruments that were to be
|
|
employed in destroying Babylon. The army that is to do it is called
|
|
<I>an assembly of great nations</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),
|
|
|
|
the Medes and Persians, and all their allies and auxiliaries; it is
|
|
called <I>an assembly,</I> because regularly formed by the divine will
|
|
and counsel to do this execution. God will <I>raise them up</I> to do
|
|
it, will incline them to and fir them for this service, and then he
|
|
will <I>cause them to come up,</I> for all their motions are under his
|
|
conduct and direction: he shall give the word of command, shall order
|
|
them to <I>put themselves in array against Babylon</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
|
|
|
|
and then <I>they shall put themselves in array</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),
|
|
|
|
for what God appoints to be done shall be done; and <I>thence she shall
|
|
be</I> quickly <I>taken;</I> from their first sitting down before it
|
|
they shall be still gaining ground against it till it be taken. God
|
|
shall bid them <I>shoot at her and spare no arrows</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
|
|
|
|
and then <I>their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man,</I> that
|
|
has both skill and strength, a good eye and a good hand
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>);
|
|
|
|
<I>none shall return in vain.</I> When God gives commission he will
|
|
give success. Nay, they are bidden not only to <I>shoot at her</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>),
|
|
|
|
but to <I>shout against her</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>)
|
|
|
|
with a triumphant shout, as those that are already sure of victory.
|
|
Those whom God directs to shoot may do so with shouting, for they are
|
|
sure not to miss the mark.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The desolation and destruction itself that shall be brought upon
|
|
Babylon. This is here set forth in a great variety of expressions.
|
|
|
|
1. The wealth of Babylon shall be a rich and easy prey to the
|
|
conquerors
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Chaldea shall be a spoil</I> to all her destroyers, who shall enrich
|
|
themselves by plundering her, and, which is strange, <I>all that spoil
|
|
her shall be satisfied;</I> they shall have so much that even they
|
|
themselves shall say that they have enough.
|
|
|
|
2. The country of Babylon shall be depopulated and lie uninhabited:
|
|
<I>It shall be wholly desolate</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>)
|
|
|
|
to such a degree that <I>every one who goes by</I> shall triumph in her
|
|
fall, and, instead of condoling with them, shall <I>hiss at all her
|
|
plagues,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
3. Their ancestors shall be ashamed of their cowardice, in fleeing from
|
|
the first onset
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>),
|
|
|
|
or, <I>Your mother,</I> Babylon itself, the mother-city, <I>shall be
|
|
confounded,</I> when she sees herself deserted by those that should
|
|
have been her guards. Thus the former ages of Christians may justly be
|
|
confounded and ashamed to see how unlike them the latter ages are, and
|
|
how wretchedly they have degenerated; and no sin brings a surer and
|
|
sorer ruin upon persons, or people, than apostasy.
|
|
|
|
4. The great admirers of Babylon shall see it rendered very despicable:
|
|
the last of kingdoms, the very tail of the nations, <I>shall it be, a
|
|
wilderness, a dry land, a desert,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>.
|
|
|
|
The country that was populous shall be dispeopled, that was enriched
|
|
with a fertile soil shall become barren.
|
|
|
|
5. The great city, the head of it, shall be quite ruined. <I>Her
|
|
foundations have fallen,</I> and therefore <I>her walls are thrown
|
|
down;</I> for how can the walls stand when divine vengeance is at the
|
|
door and shakes the very foundations? It is the vengeance of the Lord,
|
|
which nothing can contend with either in law or battle.
|
|
|
|
6. There shall not be left in Babylon so much as <I>the poor of the
|
|
land, for vine-dressers and husbandmen,</I> as there was in Israel
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The sower shall be cut off from Babylon, and he that handles the
|
|
sickle;</I> the country shall be so emptied of people that there shall
|
|
be none to till the ground and gather in the fruits of it. Harvest
|
|
shall come, and there shall be no reapers; seed-time shall come, but
|
|
there shall be no sower; God will do his part, but there shall be no
|
|
men to do theirs.
|
|
|
|
7. All their auxiliary forces, which they have hired into their
|
|
service, shall desert them, as mercenary men often do upon the approach
|
|
of danger
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>For fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his
|
|
people.</I> This was threatened before concerning Egypt,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+46:16"><I>ch.</I> xlvi. 16</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The procuring provoking cause of this destruction. It comes from
|
|
God's displeasure; it is <I>because of the wrath of the Lord</I> that
|
|
Babylon <I>shall be wholly desolate</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>),
|
|
|
|
and his wrath is righteous, for
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>)
|
|
|
|
<I>she hath sinned against the Lord,</I> therefore <I>spare no
|
|
arrows.</I> Note, It is sin that makes men a mark for the arrows of
|
|
God's judgments. An abundance of idolatry and immorality was to be
|
|
found in Babylon, yet those are not mentioned as the reason of God's
|
|
displeasure against them, but the injuries they had done to the people
|
|
of God, from a principle of enmity to them as his people. They have
|
|
been <I>the destroyers of God's heritage</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>);
|
|
|
|
herein indeed God made use of them for the necessary correction of his
|
|
people, and yet it is laid to their charge as a heinous crime, because
|
|
they designed nothing but their utter destruction.
|
|
|
|
1. What they did against Jerusalem they did with pleasure
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>You were glad, you rejoice.</I> God does not afflict his people
|
|
willingly, and therefore takes it very ill if the instruments he
|
|
employs afflict them willingly. When Titus Vespasian destroyed
|
|
Jerusalem he wept over it, but these Chaldeans triumphed over it.
|
|
|
|
2. The spoils of Jerusalem they made use of to feed their own luxury:
|
|
"<I>You have grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;</I>
|
|
your having conquered Jerusalem has made you very wanton and proud,
|
|
easy to yourselves and formidable to all about you, and therefore you
|
|
must <I>be a spoil.</I>" Those that have thus swallowed down riches
|
|
must vomit them up again. Therefore they have <I>given their hand</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>);
|
|
|
|
they have surrendered themselves to the conqueror, have tamely yielded
|
|
so that now you may <I>take vengeance on her,</I> now you may make
|
|
reprisals and <I>do unto her as she hath done.</I>
|
|
|
|
3. They aimed at nothing less than the utter ruin of God's Israel:
|
|
<I>Israel is a scattered sheep,</I> as before
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>),
|
|
|
|
that is not only barked at and worried by dogs, but even lions, the
|
|
most potent adversaries, have roared upon him and <I>driven him
|
|
away,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
One king of Assyria carried the ten tribes quite away and devoured
|
|
them; another invaded Judah, and plundered and impoverished it, tore
|
|
the fleece and flesh of this poor sheep; and now at last this
|
|
Nebuchadnezzar, that is the terror and plague of all his neighbours,
|
|
has taken advantage of the low condition to which he is reduced, and he
|
|
has fallen upon him and <I>broken his bones,</I> has quite ruined him,
|
|
and therefore the king of Babylon must be punished as the king of
|
|
Assyria was,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>.
|
|
|
|
Note, Those who pursue and prosecute the sins of their predecessors
|
|
must expect to be pursued and prosecuted by their plagues; if they do
|
|
as they did, let them fare as they fared.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. The mercy promised to the Israel of God, which shall not only
|
|
accompany, but accrue from, the destruction of Babylon.
|
|
|
|
1. God will return their captivity; they shall be released out of their
|
|
bondage, and <I>brought again to their own habitation</I> as sheep that
|
|
were scattered to their own fold
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
They still retained a title to the land of Canaan; it is their
|
|
habitation still. The discontinuance of their possession was not the
|
|
destruction of their right. But now they shall recover the enjoyment of
|
|
it again.
|
|
|
|
2. He will restore their prosperity; they shall not only live, but live
|
|
comfortably, in their own land again; they shall <I>feed upon Carmel
|
|
and Bashan,</I> the richest and most fruitful parts of the country.
|
|
These sheep shall be gathered from the deserts to which they were
|
|
dispersed, and put again into good pasture, which their soul shall be
|
|
satisfied with though they shall come hungry to it, having been so long
|
|
stinted, and straitened, and kept short, yet they shall find enough to
|
|
satiate them and shall have hearts to be satiated with it. They
|
|
<I>enquired the way to Zion</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>),
|
|
|
|
where God was to be served and worshipped. This was what they chiefly
|
|
aimed at in their return; but God will not only bring them thither, but
|
|
bring them also to Carmel and Bashan, where they shall abundantly feed
|
|
themselves. Note, Those that return to God and their duty shall find
|
|
true satisfaction of soul in so doing; and those that <I>seek first the
|
|
kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof,</I> that aim to make
|
|
their habitation in Zion, the holy hill, shall have <I>other things
|
|
added to them,</I> even all the comforts of <I>Ephraim and Gilead,</I>
|
|
the fruitful hills.
|
|
|
|
3. God will pardon their iniquity; this is the root of all the rest
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>In those days the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there
|
|
shall be none.</I> Not only the punishments of their iniquity shall be
|
|
taken off, but the offence which it gave to God shall be forgotten, and
|
|
he will be reconciled to them. Their sin shall be before him as if it
|
|
had never been; it shall be blotted out as a cloud, crossed out as a
|
|
debt, shall be cast behind his back; nay, it shall be cast into the
|
|
depth of the sea, shall be no longer sealed up among God's treasures,
|
|
nor in any danger of appearing again or rising up against them. This
|
|
denotes how fully God forgives sin; he <I>remembers it no more.</I>
|
|
Note, Deliverances out of trouble are then comforts indeed when they
|
|
are the fruits of the forgiveness of sin,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+38:17">Isa. xxxviii. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
Judah and Israel were so fully forgiven when they were brought back out
|
|
of Babylon that they are said to have <I>received of the Lord's hand
|
|
double for all their sins,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+40:1">Isa. xl. 1</A>.
|
|
|
|
This may include also a thorough reformation of their hearts and lives,
|
|
as well as a full remission of their sins. If any seek for idols or
|
|
any idolatrous customs among them, after their return, <I>there shall
|
|
be none,</I> they <I>shall not find them;</I> their dross shall be
|
|
purely purged away, and by that it shall appear that their guilt is so;
|
|
<I>for I will pardon those whom I reserve; I will be propitious to
|
|
them</I> (so the word is) and that must be through him who is the great
|
|
propitiation. Note, Those whose sins God pardons he reserves for
|
|
something very great; for <I>whom he justifies them he</I>
|
|
glorifies.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_30"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_32"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Babylon.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, <I>even</I> against it, and
|
|
against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after
|
|
them, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and do according to all that I have
|
|
commanded thee.
|
|
22 A sound of battle <I>is</I> in the land, and of great
|
|
destruction.
|
|
23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!
|
|
how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
|
|
24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O
|
|
Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also
|
|
caught, because thou hast striven against the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
25 The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the
|
|
weapons of his indignation: for this <I>is</I> the work of the Lord
|
|
G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT> of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
|
|
26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her
|
|
storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let
|
|
nothing of her be left.
|
|
27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter:
|
|
woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their
|
|
visitation.
|
|
28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of
|
|
Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> our God,
|
|
the vengeance of his temple.
|
|
29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend
|
|
the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape:
|
|
recompense her according to her work; according to all that she
|
|
hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>,
|
|
against the Holy One of Israel.
|
|
30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all
|
|
her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
31 Behold, I <I>am</I> against thee, <I>O thou</I> most proud, saith the
|
|
Lord G<FONT SIZE=-1><B>OD</B></FONT> of hosts: for thy day is come, the time <I>that</I> I will
|
|
visit thee.
|
|
32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall
|
|
raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it
|
|
shall devour all round about him.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here,
|
|
|
|
1. The forces are mustered and commissioned to destroy Babylon, and
|
|
every thing is got ready for a descent upon that potent kingdom: <I>Go
|
|
up against</I> that <I>land</I> by <I>Merathaim,</I> the country of the
|
|
Mardi, that lay part in Assyria and part in Armenia; and go among
|
|
<I>the inhabitants of Pekod,</I> another country (mentioned
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Eze+23:23">Ezek. xxiii. 23</A>)
|
|
|
|
which Cyrus took in his way to Babylon. The forces of Cyrus are called
|
|
to go up against Babylon
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>),
|
|
|
|
to <I>come against her from the utmost border.</I> Let all come
|
|
together, for there will be both work and pay enough for them all,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
|
|
|
|
Distance of place must not be their hindrance from engaging in this
|
|
work. <I>The archers</I> particularly must be <I>called together
|
|
against Babylon,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>.
|
|
|
|
Thus <I>the Lord hath opened his armoury</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>his treasury</I> (so the word is), <I>and hath brought forth the
|
|
weapons of his indignation,</I> as great princes fetch out of their
|
|
magazines and stores all necessary provisions for their armies when
|
|
they undertake any great expedition. Media and Persia are now God's
|
|
armoury; thence he fetches the weapons of his wrath, Cyrus and his
|
|
great officers and armies, whom he will make use of for the destruction
|
|
of Babylon. Note, Great men are but instruments which the great God
|
|
makes use of to serve his own purposes. He has variety of instruments,
|
|
has them at command, has armouries ready to be opened according as the
|
|
occasion is. <I>This is the work of the Lord God of hosts.</I> Note,
|
|
When God has work to do he will make it appear that he is <I>God of
|
|
hosts,</I> and will not want instruments to do it with.
|
|
|
|
2. Instructions are given them what to do. In general, <I>Do according
|
|
to all that I have commanded thee,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
It was said of Cyrus
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+44:28">Isa. xliv. 28</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>He shall perform all my pleasure,</I> in his expedition against
|
|
Babylon. They must <I>waste and utterly destroy after them;</I> when
|
|
they have destroyed once they must go over them again, or destroy their
|
|
posterity that should come after them. They must <I>open her
|
|
store-houses</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>),
|
|
|
|
rifle her treasures, and turn her artillery against herself. They must
|
|
<I>cast her up as heaps;</I> let all the wealth and pomp of Babylon be
|
|
shovelled up in a heap of ruins and rubbish. <I>Tread her down as
|
|
heaps</I> (so the margin reads it) <I>and destroy her utterly.</I> See
|
|
how little account the great God makes of those things which men so
|
|
much value and value themselves so much upon. Their princes and great
|
|
men, who are fat and bulky, shall fall by the sword, not as men of war
|
|
in the field of battle, which we call a bed of honour, but as beasts by
|
|
the butcher's hand
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>Slay all her bullocks,</I> all her mighty men; <I>let them go
|
|
down</I> sottishly and insensibly, as an ox <I>to the slaughter. Woe
|
|
unto them!</I> their case is the more sad for the little sense they
|
|
have of it. <I>Their day has come</I> to fall, <I>the time</I> when
|
|
they must be reckoned with, and they are not aware of it.
|
|
|
|
3. Assurances are given them of success. Let them do what God commands,
|
|
and they shall accomplish what he threatens. A <I>great
|
|
destruction</I> shall be made,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Babylon</I> shall <I>become a desolation</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>);
|
|
|
|
<I>her young men and all her men of war shall be cut off in that
|
|
day</I> which should have been her defence,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:30"><I>v.</I> 30</A>.
|
|
|
|
God is <I>against</I> her
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>);
|
|
|
|
he has <I>laid a snare for</I> her
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>);
|
|
|
|
he has formed this enterprise against her, that she should be surprised
|
|
as a bird taken in a snare. Cyrus shall no doubt prevail, for he fights
|
|
under God. God <I>will kindle a fire</I> in the cities of Babylon
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:32"><I>v.</I> 32</A>);
|
|
|
|
and who can stand before him when he is angry, or quench the fire that
|
|
he has kindled?
|
|
|
|
4. Reasons are given for these severe dealings with Babylon. Those
|
|
that are employed in this war may, if they please, know the grounds of
|
|
it, and be satisfied in the justice of it, which it is fit all should
|
|
be that are called to such work.
|
|
|
|
(1.) Babylon has been very troublesome, vexatious, and injurious, to
|
|
all its neighbours; it has been <I>the hammer of the whole earth</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>),
|
|
|
|
beating, beating down, and beating to pieces, all the nations far and
|
|
near. It has done so long enough; it is time now that it be <I>cut
|
|
asunder and broken.</I> Note, He that is the god of nations will sooner
|
|
or later assert the injured rights of nations against those that
|
|
unjustly and violently invade them. The God of the whole earth will
|
|
break <I>the hammer of the whole earth.</I>
|
|
|
|
(2.) Babylon has bidden defiance to God himself: <I>Thou has striven
|
|
against the Lord</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>hast joined issue with him</I> (so the word signifies) as in law or
|
|
battle, hast openly opposed him, set up rivals with him, raised
|
|
rebellion against him; therefore <I>thou art</I> now <I>found, and
|
|
caught,</I> as in a snare. Note, Those that strive against the Lord
|
|
will soon find themselves over-matched.
|
|
|
|
(3.) Babylon ruined Jerusalem, the holy city, and the holy house there,
|
|
and must now be called to an account for that. This is the manifesto
|
|
published in Zion, in the day of Babylon's visitation; it is <I>the
|
|
vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>.
|
|
|
|
The burning of the temple, and the carrying away of its vessels, were
|
|
articles in the charge against Babylon on which greater stress was laid
|
|
than upon its being <I>the hammer of the whole earth;</I> for Zion was
|
|
<I>the joy</I> and glory <I>of the whole earth.</I> Note, Whatever
|
|
wrong is done to God's church (his temple in the world) it will
|
|
certainly be reckoned for; and no vengeance will be sorer nor heavier
|
|
than <I>the vengeance of the temple.</I>
|
|
|
|
(4.) Babylon has been very haughty and insolent, and therefore must
|
|
have a fall; for it is the glory of God to <I>look upon those that are
|
|
proud and to abase them,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+40:11">Job xl. 11</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>I am against thee, O thou most proud!</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>
|
|
|
|
and again
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
<I>Thou pride</I> (so the word is), as proud as pride itself. Note, the
|
|
pride of men's hearts sets God against them and ripens them apace for
|
|
ruin; for God <I>resists the proud</I> and will bring them down. <I>The
|
|
most proud shall stumble and fall;</I> they shall fall not so much by
|
|
others' thrusting them down as by their own stumbling; for they hold
|
|
their heads so high that they never look under their feet, to choose
|
|
their way and avoid stumbling-blocks, but walk at all adventures.
|
|
Babylon's pride must unavoidably be her ruin; for <I>she has been proud
|
|
against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>),
|
|
|
|
has insulted him in insulting over his people; she has made him her
|
|
enemy, and therefore, when she has <I>fallen, none shall raise her
|
|
up,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
Who can help those up whom God will throw down?</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_37"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_38"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_39"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_40"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_41"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_42"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_43"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_44"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_45"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="Jer50_46"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec4"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>The Judgment of Babylon.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 595.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>33 Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of hosts; The children of Israel and the
|
|
children of Judah <I>were</I> oppressed together: and all that took
|
|
them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
|
|
34 Their Redeemer <I>is</I> strong; the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> of hosts <I>is</I> his name:
|
|
he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to
|
|
the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
|
|
35 A sword <I>is</I> upon the Chaldeans, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and upon
|
|
the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her
|
|
wise <I>men.</I>
|
|
36 A sword <I>is</I> upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword
|
|
<I>is</I> upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
|
|
37 A sword <I>is</I> upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and
|
|
upon all the mingled people that <I>are</I> in the midst of her; and
|
|
they shall become as women: a sword <I>is</I> upon her treasures; and
|
|
they shall be robbed.
|
|
38 A drought <I>is</I> upon her waters; and they shall be dried up:
|
|
for it <I>is</I> the land of graven images, and they are mad upon
|
|
<I>their</I> idols.
|
|
39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts
|
|
of the islands shall dwell <I>there,</I> and the owls shall dwell
|
|
therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither
|
|
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
|
|
40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour
|
|
<I>cities</I> thereof, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; <I>so</I> shall no man abide there,
|
|
neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
|
|
41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great
|
|
nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the
|
|
earth.
|
|
42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they <I>are</I> cruel, and
|
|
will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and
|
|
they shall ride upon horses, <I>every one</I> put in array, like a man
|
|
to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
|
|
43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his
|
|
hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, <I>and</I> pangs as of a
|
|
woman in travail.
|
|
44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of
|
|
Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them
|
|
suddenly run away from her: and who <I>is</I> a chosen <I>man, that</I> I
|
|
may appoint over her? for who <I>is</I> like me? and who will appoint
|
|
me the time? and who <I>is</I> that shepherd that will stand before
|
|
me?
|
|
45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, that he hath
|
|
taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed
|
|
against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock
|
|
shall draw them out: surely he shall make <I>their</I> habitation
|
|
desolate with them.
|
|
46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved,
|
|
and the cry is heard among the nations.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We have in these verses,</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. Israel's sufferings, and their deliverance out of those sufferings.
|
|
God takes notice of the bondage of his people in Babylon, as he did of
|
|
their bondage in Egypt; he has <I>surely seen</I> it, and has <I>heard
|
|
their cry. Israel and Judah were oppressed together,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>.
|
|
|
|
Those that remained of the captives of the ten tribes, upon the uniting
|
|
of the kingdoms of Assyria and Chaldea, seem to have come and mingled
|
|
with t hose of the two tribes, and to have mingled tears with them, so
|
|
that they were <I>oppressed together.</I> They were humble suppliants
|
|
for their liberty, and that was all; they could not attempt any thing
|
|
towards it, for <I>all that took them captives held them fast,</I> and
|
|
were much too hard for them. But this is their comfort in distress,
|
|
that, though they are weak, <I>their Redeemer is strong</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>),
|
|
|
|
<I>their Avenger</I> (so the word signifies), he that has a right to
|
|
them, and will claim his right and make good his claim. He is stronger
|
|
than their enemies that hold them fast; he can overpower all the force
|
|
that is against them, and put strength into his own people though they
|
|
are very weak. <I>The Lord of hosts is his name,</I> and he will answer
|
|
to his name, and make it to appear that he is what his people call him,
|
|
and will be that to them for which they depend upon him. Note, It is
|
|
the unspeakable comfort of the people of God that, though they have
|
|
hosts against them, they have <I>the Lord of hosts</I> for them and
|
|
<I>he shall thoroughly plead their cause,</I> pleading he shall plead
|
|
it, plead it with jealousy, plead it effectually, plead it and carry
|
|
it, <I>that he may give rest to the land,</I> and to his people's land,
|
|
rest from all their enemies round about. This is applicable to all
|
|
believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of
|
|
their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Let them know that
|
|
<I>their Redeemer is strong;</I> he is able to keep what they commit to
|
|
him, and he will plead their cause. Sin shall not have dominion over
|
|
them; he will <I>make them free,</I> and they shall be <I>free
|
|
indeed;</I> he will give them <I>rest,</I> that <I>rest which remains
|
|
for the people of God.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. Babylon's sin, and their punishment for that sin.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. The sins they are here charged with are idolatry and persecution.
|
|
|
|
(1.) They oppressed the people of God; they <I>held them fast,</I> and
|
|
would not <I>let them go.</I> They <I>opened not the house of his
|
|
prisoners,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+14:17">Isa. xiv. 17</A>.
|
|
|
|
This was God's quarrel with them, as of old with Pharaoh; it cost him
|
|
dear, and yet they would not take warning. <I>The inhabitants of
|
|
Babylon</I> must be <I>disquieted</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>)
|
|
|
|
because they have disquieted God's people, whose honour and comfort he
|
|
is jealous for, and therefore will <I>recompense tribulation to those
|
|
that trouble them,</I> as well as <I>rest to those that are
|
|
troubled,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Th+1:6,7">2 Thess. i. 6, 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) They wronged God himself, and robbed him, giving that glory to
|
|
others which is due to him alone; for
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:38"><I>v.</I> 38</A>)
|
|
|
|
<I>it is the land of graven images.</I> All parts of the country
|
|
abounded with idols, and they were mad upon them, were in love with
|
|
them and doted on them, cared not what cost and pains they were at in
|
|
the worship of them, were unwearied in paying their respects to them;
|
|
and in all this they were wretchedly infatuated and acted like men out
|
|
of their wits; they were carried on in their idolatry without reason or
|
|
discretion, like men in a perfect fury. The word here used for idols
|
|
properly signifies <I>terrors--Enim,</I> the name given to giants that
|
|
were formidable, because they made the images of their gods to look
|
|
frightful, to strike a terror upon fools and children. Their idols were
|
|
scarecrows, yet they doted on them. Babylon was <I>the mother of
|
|
harlots</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:5">Rev. xvii. 5</A>),
|
|
|
|
the source of idolatry. Note, It is the maddest thing in the world to
|
|
make a god of any creature; and those who are proud against the Lord,
|
|
the true God, are justly given up to strong delusions, to be mad upon
|
|
idols that cannot profit. But this madness is wickedness, for which
|
|
sinners will be certainly and severely reckoned with.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. The judgments of God upon them for these sins are such as will quite
|
|
lay them waste and ruin them.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
(1.) All that should be their defence and support shall be cut off by
|
|
the sword. The Chaldeans had long been God's sword, wherewith he had
|
|
done execution upon the sinful nations round about: but now, they being
|
|
as bad as any of them, or worse, <I>a sword</I> is brought upon them,
|
|
even <I>upon the inhabitants of Babylon</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:35"><I>v.</I> 35</A>),
|
|
|
|
a sword of war; and, as it is in God's hand, sent and directed by him,
|
|
it is a sword of justice. It shall be,
|
|
|
|
[1.] <I>Upon their princes;</I> they shall fall by it, and their
|
|
dignity, wealth, and power, shall not secure them.
|
|
|
|
[2.] <I>Upon their wise men,</I> their philosophers, their statesmen,
|
|
and privy-counsellors; their learning and policy shall neither secure
|
|
them nor stand the public in any stead.
|
|
|
|
[3.] <I>Upon</I> their soothsayers and astrologers, here called <I>the
|
|
liars</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:36"><I>v.</I> 36</A>),
|
|
|
|
for they cheated with their prognostications of peace and prosperity;
|
|
the sword upon them shall make them dote, so that they shall talk like
|
|
fools, and be as men that have lost all their wits. Note, God has a
|
|
sword that can reach the soul and affect the mind, and bring men under
|
|
spiritual plagues.
|
|
|
|
[4.] <I>Upon their mighty men.</I> A sword shall be upon their spirits;
|
|
if they are not slain, yet <I>they shall be dismayed,</I> and shall be
|
|
no longer <I>mighty men;</I> for what stead will their hands stand them
|
|
in when their hearts fail them?
|
|
|
|
[5.] Upon their militia
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>):
|
|
|
|
<I>The sword shall be upon their horses and chariots;</I> the invaders
|
|
shall make themselves masters of all their warlike stores, shall seize
|
|
their horses and chariots for themselves, or destroy them. The troops
|
|
of other nations that were in their service shall be quite
|
|
disheartened: <I>The mingled people shall become as</I> weak and
|
|
timorous as <I>women.</I>
|
|
|
|
[6.] Upon their exchequer: The <I>sword</I> shall be <I>upon her
|
|
treasures,</I> which are the sinews of war, <I>and they shall be
|
|
robbed,</I> and made use of by the enemy against them. See what
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universal destruction the sword makes when it comes with
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commission.</P>
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<P>
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(2.) The country shall be made desolate
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:38"><I>v.</I> 38</A>):
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<I>The waters shall be dried up,</I> the water that secures the city.
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Cyrus drew the river Euphrates into so many channels as made it
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|
passable for his army, so that they got with ease to the walls of
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Babylon, which, if was thought, that river had rendered inaccessible.
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"The water likewise that made the country fruitful shall <I>be dried
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|
up,</I> so that it shall be turned into barrenness, and shall be no
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|
more inhabited by the children of men, but by <I>the wild beasts of the
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desert,</I>"
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:39"><I>v.</I> 39</A>.
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This was foretold concerning Babylon,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+13:19-21">Isa. xiii. 19-21</A>.
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It shall become like <I>Sodom and Gomorrah,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:40"><I>v.</I> 40</A>.
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The same was foretold concerning Edom,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:18"><I>ch.</I> xlix. 18</A>.
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As the Chaldeans had laid Edom waste, so they shall themselves be laid
|
|
waste.</P>
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<P>
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(3.) The king and kingdom shall be put into the utmost confusion and
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|
consternation by the enemies' invading them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:41-43"><I>v.</I> 41-43</A>.
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All the expressions here used to denote the formidable power of the
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invaders, the terrors wherewith they should array themselves, and the
|
|
great fright which both court and country should be put into thereby,
|
|
we met with before
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+6:22-24"><I>ch.</I> vi. 22-24</A>)
|
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|
concerning the Chaldeans' invading the land of Judah. The battle which
|
|
is there said to be <I>against thee, O daughter of Zion!</I> is here
|
|
said to be <I>against thee, O daughter of Babylon!</I> to intimate that
|
|
they should be paid in their own coin. God can find out such as shall
|
|
be for terror and destruction to those that are for terror and
|
|
destruction to others; and those who have dealt cruelly, and have shown
|
|
no mercy, may expect to be cruelly dealt with, and to find no mercy.
|
|
Only there is one difference between these passages; there it is said,
|
|
<I>We have heard the fame thereof and our hands wax feeble;</I> here it
|
|
is said, <I>The king of Babylon has heard the report and his hands
|
|
waxed feeble,</I> which intimates that that proud and daring prince
|
|
shall, in the day of his distress, be as weak and dispirited as the
|
|
meanest Israelites were in the day of their distress.</P>
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|
<P>
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(4.) That they shall be as much hurt as frightened, for the invader
|
|
shall <I>come up like a lion</I> to tear and destroy
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:44"><I>v.</I> 44</A>)
|
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|
and shall make them and their <I>habitation desolate</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:45"><I>v.</I> 45</A>),
|
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|
|
and the desolation shall be so astonishing that all the nations about
|
|
shall be terrified by it,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+50:46"><I>v.</I> 46</A>.
|
|
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|
These three verses we had before
|
|
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+49:19-21"><I>ch.</I> xlix. 19-21</A>)
|
|
|
|
in the prophecy of the destruction of Edom, which was accomplished by
|
|
the Chaldeans, and they are here repeated, <I>mutatis mutandis--with a
|
|
few necessary alterations,</I> in the prophecy of the destruction of
|
|
Babylon, which was to be accomplished upon the Chaldeans, to show that
|
|
though the distributions of Providence may appear unequal for a time
|
|
its retributions will be equal at last; when thou shalt make <I>an end
|
|
to spoil thou shalt be spoiled,</I>
|
|
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+33:1,Re+13:10">Isa. xxxiii. 1; Rev. xiii. 10</A>.</P>
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