According to Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary, the above verses provide us a specific year for this prophecy. King Nebuchadnezzar mounted the throne January 21, 604 BC. He had previously entered Judea during the reign of his father Nabopolassar but was not yet king then.
“And the Lord has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear.” Jeremiah 25:4
God sent Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Ezekiel to the people of that era. Jeremiah wrote, “This is the twenty-third year in which the Word of the Lord has come to me; and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.” He and his fellow prophets worked hard and long for people. Their poor following was not due to a lack of effort on their part. No, the Lord sent them to prophesy amidst extremely contradictory people.
In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul encouraged his young protégé Timothy, “Preach the Word! Be ready in and out of season. Reprove, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching.”
“They said, ‘Repent now everyone of his evil way and his evil doings, and dwell in the land that the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever.’” Jeremiah 25:5
The Lord speaks a similar message to us as Jeremiah’s in Hebrews 12:25, “See that you refuse not Him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaks from heaven.”
“Do not go after other gods to serve them and worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands; and I will not harm you.” Jeremiah 25:6
Idolatry is like the riverhead from which sin flows. When we love someone, we try to do our best for them. As we abide in Christ, His Spirit is flowing in and through us, but as we take our eyes, thoughts and actions from Him, lesser things become more important to us.
“Yet you have not listened to Me, says the Lord, that you might provoke Me to anger with the works of your hands to your own hurt.” Jeremiah 25:7
Have you ever been talking to someone who says, “Yes, yes,” but if asked what was said, they cannot repeat it. They heard a voice, but did not pay attention to what was said to them.
I remember as a boy if I liked what my father said, my ears worked fine but if not, I was deaf. I had selective hearing. My father’s remedy for my hearing loss was painful consequences. After he described the consequences to me, my hearing suddenly improved.
James 4:8, 10 exhorts us. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
The reward for listening to God is God. Being close with Him! Double-mindedness is like being a cojoined twin. Which head gets to rule the body, the one who listens to God or the one who listens only to itself? The Lord says, “Humble yourself.” Be singularly focused on glorifying God!
“Therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: because you have not heard My words, behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, says the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations.” Jeremiah 25:8-9
Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord. He guides it wherever He pleases.” Revelation 17:17 speaks of God putting war in the hearts of kings to “fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.” This is God’s judgment on those who forsake Him. Romans 1:28 says, “Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” Betrayal of God yields betrayal of others and of self.
“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 lamp.” Jeremiah 25:10
God took away their mirth, their marriages, their millstones by which they made bread and He took away their lamps by which they navigated safely in the darkness.
Revelation 18:22-24 repeats this judgment to the people living in the last days, saying, “The voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in you; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in you; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in you; and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in you; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in you: for your merchants were the princes of the earth; for with your sorcery were all the nations deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.”
The evil they had perpetrated was great and the consequence for it was great!
“And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years.” Jeremiah 25:11
Israel’s exact number of non-observed Sabbath-Years was 490. Every seventh year, Israel was to not plant crops. They were to give the land a year of rest. God promised to meet their needs during that rest year. They did not do this from the time of Saul until the time of their captivity, a period of 490 years. 490 ÷7 = 70. So, the land was owed 70 years of rest. Daniel’s “70 weeks” (years) are based on Jeremiah’s prophecy. (Leviticus 26:34-35; 2 Chronicles 36:21; Daniel 9:2)
In Matthew 18:21, Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus answered Peter in the next verse, saying, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” 490 is the amount of years for which God forgave Israel for breaking the Sabbath covenant with Him.
“Then it will come to pass, when 70 years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, says the Lord; and I will make it a perpetual desolation.” Jeremiah 25:12
Although used by God due to their swift nature to punish wrong-doing, God was not validating Babylon as His new representative to replace of Israel. Daniel exhorted Babylon’s ruler, saying, “O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.” Nebuchadnezzar did not listen to Daniel’s advice. A year later, he was boasting, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!’” He behaved like an insane animal for a time, until the Lord gave him back His mind. (Daniel 4)
“So I will bring on that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied concerning all the nations.” Jeremiah 25:13
It was during 604 BC, the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign and the fourth year of King Jehoiakim’s reign (Jeremiah 36:1-2), that God directed Jeremiah to write a book of all that he had prophesied about Judah and the nations. Jeremiah inserted his name into the book at God’s command. His prophecies for the nations recorded in chapters 46-51 chapters must have already been proclaimed. God promises to fulfill them.
God’s Word is internationally inclusive. Jesus Christ gave John the Apostle prophecies for the seven churches of Asia, for Israel, for the nations in the Book of Revelation. Revelation 10:11 says, “You must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”
“For many nations and great kings shall be served by them also; and I will repay them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands.” Jeremiah 25:14
The Babylonian captors became the captives of other nations.
“For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me: ‘Take this wine cup of fury from My hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you, to drink it. And they will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them. Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations drink, to whom the Lord had sent me: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and its princes, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;” Jeremiah 25:15-18
“The wine cup was not literally given by Jeremiah to the representatives of the different nations but only in symbolical vision.” (Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary)
Jerusalem shall drink from the wine cup of God’s fury. “Jerusalem — put first: for ‘judgment begins at the house of God.’ They being most guilty whose religious privileges are greatest!” (Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary)
1 Peter 4:17 says, “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the Gospel of God?”
“Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes, and all his people;” Jeremiah 25:19
Egypt shall drink from the wine cup of God’s fury. “Pharaoh — put next after Jerusalem because the Jews had relied most on him, and Egypt and Judea stood on a common footing. (Jeremiah 46:2, 25 - Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary)
“All the mixed multitude, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (namely, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod).” Jeremiah 25:20
The kings of the Philistine shall drink from the wine cup of God’s fury. These nations provided soldiers for Egypt. “Mercenary foreign troops serving under Pharaoh-Hophra from the area between the Mediterranean Sea and Idumea.” (Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary)
“Edom, Moab, and the people of Ammon; all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastlands which are across the sea; Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who are in the farthest corners; all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed multitude who dwell in the desert; all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes; all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another; and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. Also, the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.” Jeremiah 25:21-26
Edom, Moab, Ammon shall drink from the wine cup of God’s fury. The people of Edom are descendants of Jacob’s son Esau. The people of Moab and Ammon are descendants of Lot. The people of Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon today) shall drink from the cup of God’s fury.
Dedan, Tema, Buz, Arabia and nomadic tribes shall drink from the wine cup of God’s fury. Dedan is an ancient oasis and city-state in northwest Saudi Arabia. Dedan was a grandson of Abraham’s concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:2). Tema “Tayma” is an oasis city in northwestern Saudi Arabia. A significant stop on ancient trade routes! Tema was a grandson of Abraham. Esau was his father. Teman was one of twelve chiefs in Edom – 1 Chronicles 1:53. Buz is located in Saudi Arabia.
Zimri, Elam, Medes and all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth shall drink wine from the cup of God’s fury. These people mainly dwelt in Persia (modern day Iran), but also included people beyond them. Zimri later came to be called Susa.
Babylon shall drink wine from the cup of God’s fury. Jeremiah 25:26 mentions the King of Sheshach drinking from the cup last. The name Sheshach stems from the Babylonian goddess, Shach. The term “Shace” was applied to a festival in Babylon alluded to in Jeremiah 51:39, 57. (Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary)
“Therefore, you shall say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: drink, be drunk, and vomit! Fall and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, thus says the Lord of hosts: you shall certainly drink!” Jeremiah 25:27-28
The nations shall not want to drink from the wine of God’s fury, but the Lord’s Word to them is “You shall certainly drink!” They can choose their sin, but not its consequence.
The fact that God calls Himself “the God of Israel” in this context indicates that He still intends to be their God throughout their captivity.
“For behold, I begin to bring calamity on the city, which is called by My Name, and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth,’ says the Lord of hosts.” Jeremiah 25:29
Yes, God disciplines His children when we sin. God is not a nepotist. Nepotism is the practice among those with power or influence to grant unmerited perks and privileges to their children, relatives, friends and associates. God began the purification process with His own people.
“Therefore, prophesy against them all these words, and say to them: the Lord will roar from on high and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.” Jeremiah 25:30
God uses the imagery of a lion roaring against his flock. His roar would first be heard in the pasture of Judah where His sheep were, and from there resound to all people of the earth.
He will shout against the people of the earth as those who tread grapes. A similar metaphor appears in Revelation 14:15-16, 19 where there is one seated on a cloud with a sickle. He swings his sickle over the earth, and the grapes of the whole earth are harvested. The grapes are cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. The Lord compares His judgments on sin to the blade of a sickle. A sickle is a large tool useful for cutting down tall grass. Usually, small precisive shears are used for snipping grapes. The shout is against evil doers. The sickle sweeps the vines and grapes from the earth into the great winepress of God’s wrath.
This passage is parallel to Isaiah 5:3-6: “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will lay it waste.”
“A noise will come to the ends of the earth—for the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 25:31
Instead of pleading for people to be saved, the Lord turns His pleas into cries for justice against them. God is gracious, but He is not unjust to allow evil to escalate to the point of no return. He sent the flood on the people in Noah’s day. He sent the fire on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day. He sent Israel into captivity in Jeremiah’s day. And He shall bring trials on people during the last days before He returns.
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: behold, disaster shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth.” Jeremiah 25:32
Like a tornado or hurricane which begins in a moment and then spins far and wide, so God’s judgments shall begin and pass “from nation to nation” until all has been fulfilled.
“And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground. Wail, shepherds, and cry! Roll about in the ashes, you leaders of the flock! For the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are fulfilled; you shall fall like a precious vessel.” Jeremiah 25:33-34
It is likely that in some places no one shall remain to lament, gather or bury the dead. Thus, their bodies litter the earth. The mention of falling vessels is reminiscent of the message that Jeremiah gave the political and religious leaders of Jerusalem when he took them out to the valley of shattered vessels. In essence God is saying, you were once vessels of honor, but because you rejected Me, you are now shattered vessels.
The words “you shall fall like a precious vessel” connects this passage to Psalm 2:8-9 and Revelation 2:26-27. In Psalm 2:8-9, the Lord says, “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” In Revelation 2:26-27, Jesus says, “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels—as I also have received from My Father.” The concept here is that one who walks with Christ will shatter the spiritual strongholds over people so that a new day can begin.
“And the shepherds will have no way to flee, nor the leaders of the flock to escape.” Jeremiah 25
Earlier, the Lord said that the nations will not want to drink from the wine of God’s fury, but the Lord’s Word to them is “You shall certainly drink!” Here, He tells Israel’s spiritual and political leaders that they shall not escape the consequences of their evil doings.
“A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and a wailing of the leaders to the flock will be heard. For the Lord has plundered their pasture, and the peaceful dwellings are cut down because of the fierce anger of the Lord. He has left His lair like the lion; for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of His fierce anger.” Jeremiah 25:36-38
How would you like to come face to face with a fierce hungry lion while tending to your business? The Lord introduced His shepherds to the cruelty of the Babylonians. And as if their anger were not enough, He too was going to turn against them.
The wine from the cup of God’s fury is not a pleasant drink. It causes people to stagger. The word for ‘stagger’ in Hebrew suggests that something poisonous is in the cup. The Lord says in Jeremiah 25:27, “Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise up no more because of the sword I will send among you.”
In Psalms 75:8, God says, “In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; He pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.” In Isaiah 51:17, God says, “Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who drank from the Lord’s cup of wrath. You have drunk down the cup that makes men stagger.”
A cup of strong wine is symbolic of divine judgment. In Revelation 14:10-11, the Apostle John speaks of the wine of God’s wrath which leads to torment.
In Isaiah 51:22 a miracle happens. One minute the sons of Jerusalem are drunk, but in the next moment, the Lord says, “See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; the cup of My wrath. You will never drink it again.” We are delivered from the wine of God’s fury when we believe in and profess His Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ drank the cup of God’s wrath. In Matthew 26:38, while in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said to His disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow because He knew how terrible God’s wrath is. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup from Me!” If the Son of God did not want to drink from this cup, do you want to drink from it?
Jesus Christ had to drink the cup to satisfy God’s wrath against sin. God is righteous. He is holy. He always follows the rules. He does not tolerate sin. So that is why Christ took our sin upon Himself. Christ drank the bitter cup of God’s wrath that we deserved. When He died on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished.” (John 19:30)
Because Christ drank the cup of wrath in our place, we who believe in Him and profess Him as our Lord and Savior need not drink it. Thanks to Christ, God can say to us, “You will never drink this cup of My wrath again.” (Isaiah 51:22)
What did Jesus offer His disciples before going to the Garden of Gethsemane? “He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matthew 26:27-28)
Christ endured the wine press of God’s wrath, so that we can enjoy the wine of God’s love. Christ bled. We drink. The best drink!
Imagine rivers of God’s love. There is enough for everyone to drink forever.
Hebrews 9:28 says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring SALVATION to those who are waiting for Him.” Christ is our BLESSED HOPE! Praise the Lord!
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