Day 235.
Therefore hear the plan that the Lord has made against Babylon, and the purposes that he has formed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of their flock shall be dragged away; surely their fold shall be appalled at their fate. At the sound of the capture of Babylon the earth shall tremble, and her cry shall be heard among the nations.” (Jeremiah 50:45, 46 ESV)
The last few chapters of Jeremiah have been all about the judgment that God has given against the nations all around Israel, e.g. Egypt, Edom, Ammon, etc. these are all nations that cursed Israel in some way and have worshiped false gods. They too are punished. But, like Israel, they are left with hope with the foretelling of God’s restoration. The last nation prophesied about in this list is Babylon (here called the Chaldeans). The nation that was God’s means of judgment upon these other nations will not escape God’s wrath. They too will be judged and overtaken by a kingdom from the North. As it happened, Babylon was conquered by the Persians. What is interesting to note is that Israel is not alone in its exile and judgment and future restoration. God’s intent was never to save just Israel, but to save from every nation. Israel was meant to be a blessing to the nations, God’s show of his glory to the world. That has not stopped, by the way. The Church is now that kingdom on Earth, the true Israel, that is made up of exiles from all the nations that have been renewed and made into a “kingdom of priests” for the world.
