READ: Jeremiah 50-52
THINK: Read Jeremiah 51:1-5 from The Message
There’s more. God says more:
“Watch this:
I’m whipping up
A death-dealing hurricane against Babylon—‘Hurricane Persia’—
against all who live in that perverse land.
I’m sending a cleanup crew into Babylon.
They’ll clean the place out from top to bottom.
When they get through there’ll be nothing left of her
worth taking or talking about.
They won’t miss a thing.
A total and final Doomsday!
Fighters will fight with everything they’ve got.
It’s no-holds-barred.
They will spare nothing and no one.
It’s final and wholesale destruction—the end!
Babylon littered with the wounded,
streets piled with corpses.
It turns out that Israel and Judah
are not widowed after all.
As their God, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, I am still alive and well,
committed to them even though
They filled their land with sin
against Israel’s most Holy God.
Sense for yourself God’s vigor and aggression in going after his enemy Babylon. Take a few minutes to imagine the images God uses to describe how he will treat them. What is your reaction?
Now focus your attention on God’s final statement, regarding his commitment to Israel. What does this tell you about God’s motives for the destruction he’s planning for Babylon? Think about his regard for Israel: What does he feel towards them? What does he feel about their sin?
PRAY: Look back on what you noticed about God – both his aggression and his commitment. Is there a phrase from the passage that stands out to you? As you think about this phrase and repeat it to yourself a few times, spend some time considering this picture of who God is. Talk about that picture with him.
LIVE: Hold in your mind God’s qualities and his incredible commitment and love. Then think about your own life – your relationships, your attitudes toward work or school, your hobbies. What is God saying to you? What about who he is do you really need to know and embrace right now.
– Adapted from Eugene Peterson in Solo
throughin2.com 