Jeremiah 50:35–37 “A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed. A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.”
The sword is representative of God’s judgment as declared by His word. God’s word is pictured in scripture as a sword that is effective in accomplishing His purposes.
Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….”
Revelation 19:11–15 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war….and his name is called The Word of God…. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
God’s judgment is pictured as acting against all the wicked in Babylon—men of royalty, men thought to possess wisdom, proud men, and mighty men. His judgment will render ineffective their horses, chariots and mercenaries; these hired soldiers will melt in fear before the judgment of God. His judgment will also result in the loss of all her treasures.
Jeremiah 50:38–40 “A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, 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. As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.”
God’s judgment will include a drought throughout the land of Babylon. God then declares that His judgment is also because of their worship of false gods—another testimony to her pride in rejecting the one true God.
The destruction of Babylon will culminate in it no longer existing as a nation. The land will be left to the wild beasts of the desert and the wild beasts of the islands. The Hebrew for “islands” makes reference to the howling sounds made by the creatures. God emphasizes the fact that Babylon will never again be inhabited by man after this judgment, so we know that it is yet future. Just to be clear, its destruction is compared to that of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities of the plains. Though Babylon has yet to rise to great significance once more on the world stage, it has been continually inhabited throughout history.
Isaiah declares this same truth in his prophecy against Babylon.
Isaiah 13:19–21 “And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.”
(to be continued…)
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