In Jeremiah 25:17, Jeremiah was seen to do what the Lord told him to do. He took the cup as instructed by God and made the nations drink. Jerusalem and all its cities and her kings and princes God would be judged. Verse 18 indicated that they would be made to drink the cup of the wine of God’s wrath. Not only did Jerusalem drink of this bitter cup, but according to verses 19-26, other nations such as Egypt which extend as far as the south, and Elam and Media located in the east would have to drink of the cup. The nations that would partake of the bitter cup were enumerated in verses 19-26. The last on the list would be the king of Shechach. “Shechach” was in fact a name cryptic name referring to Babylon.
There
was no way those nations could refuse to drink the cup. There was no escaping
for any of them which had been listed. They all had to drink the cup. For the
sword of God’s wrath had come among them. The implication is that if God could bear
to judge Jerusalem His people, the nations would not be allowed to go unpunished.
So beginning from Jerusalem to the last on the list of nations enumerated in these
verses, all would be punished.
Verse 27 tells us that when God’s apportion the due judgment none could refuse. For to drink of the cup was never an invitation but a command. The question we ask is: apart from Judah, what rights did Jeremiah have to speak to other nations this way. When we recall his commission to be a prophet to the nations in Jeremiah 1, he was reticent about his calling. Jeremiah 1:9-10 then explicitly said “‘Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,’
“Behold,
I have put My words in your mouth.
See, I
have appointed you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To pluck up and to break down,
To destroy and to overthrow,
To build and to plant.”
This was the role Jeremiah was to accomplish. These verses suggest
that all sinners whether believers or not will have to drink of the bitter cup of God’s wrath. However, for us, Jesus Christ our Lord had
taken the bitter cup on our behalf. He
drank the cup so that we who believe in Him and choose to follow Him to walk in
His way will not have to drink of it. Shouldn’t we be forever grateful to our Lord?
So tuck in our hearts and never forget what the Lord had done for us. The lyrics
of the song “Had it Not Been" invites us to reflect on what our end would be without
Jesus. The lyrics of the song say:
Just suppose God searched through Heaven,
And couldn't find one willing to be,
The supreme sacrifice that was needed,
That would buy eternal life for you and me
Had it not been for a place called Mount Calvary,
Had it not been for the old rugged cross,
Had it not been for a man called Jesus,
Then forever my soul would be lost.
Well, I'm so glad He was willing to drink His bitter cup,
Although He prayed "Father let it pass from
me",
And I'm so glad He never called Heaven's angels,
From these hands, Pulled the nails that torment me
Had it not been for a place called Mount Calvary,
Had it not been for the old rugged cross,
Had it not been for a man called Jesus,
Then forever my soul would be lost.
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