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Jeremiah 51 Devotional

Remembering Zion From Far Away

“For Israel and Judah have not been abandoned by their God, the LORD of Hosts, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel.””Jeremiah 51:5 (BSB)

Babylon seemed unshakable, rich in treasure beside many waters (51:13). God had used it like a gold cup and a war club in his hand (51:7, 20-23). Now he announces its sudden fall, which no height can prevent (51:53). And though their land was full of guilt, Israel and Judah have not been abandoned by their God (51:5).

God's people living there are repeatedly called to flee and save their lives (51:6, 45). They must not delay, and from that distant land they must keep the LORD and Jerusalem in mind (51:50). Jeremiah's letter had told the exiles to seek Babylon's welfare (29:7). Both words stand. They were to do real good there without mistaking it for home. The chapter ends with a scroll tied to a stone and sunk in the Euphrates, a picture of Babylon's fate (51:63-64). Revelation repeats the call to come out of a doomed city (Revelation 18:4). You can serve faithfully where you are with your heart set on God and the home he has promised.

To think about: Where are you tempted to treat your current place as your true home, and how can you keep your heart set on God there?

About Jeremiah 51: Judgment on Babylon and the Sunken Scroll

The LORD announces Babylon’s sudden ruin, picturing the empire as a golden cup He once used to judge the nations and urging His people to escape. He contrasts Himself as Creator with lifeless idols and vows to avenge Zion, and Jeremiah sends Seraiah to read a scroll in Babylon and sink it in the Euphrates.

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