Jeremiah 51:6-10 contains the exhortation to God’s people held the captives by Babylon. They were urged to flee and save themselves from the hands of Babylon’s enemies who would be attacking her. For the moment for her reckoning had come. It was the time of the Lord’s vengeance, and He was going to punish her. For a while, Babylon was the golden cup in God’s hand and had been His vessel to deliver His judgment. Many nations had suffered at her hand but now the tide had turned, Babylon herself would be suffering God’s wrath.
Like a drunken man, Babylon would fall, and could not get up. Besides, she would be inflicted with wounds all over her. No balm applied to her by her sympathizers could not bring the healing she needed. For no balm could soothe her wounds. The sympathizers were instead told to flee from her. This is by way of saying that Babylon was beyond redemption.
In verse 6, God’s people held captives by the Babylonians were
told to return to Zion assured that the Lord
had brought about their vindication.
There in Zion, they must publicly declare what God had done to Babylon on their
behalf. Praise is always due to God for
the things He has done.
We are reminded that those whom God loves He disciplines. Hebrews
12:10-11 tells us that God “…disciplines us for our good, so that we
may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems
not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward
it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” God wants to bring the
best out of us. And He does it through tough discipline.
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