Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore they have now gone mad.
Power is one of those things that most of wish we had more. “If only we were in charge,” we say to ourselves, “then things would be different.” But the problem is not who is in charge, but who is in charge of who is in charge. The human heart is the problem, not the external figurehead.
And yet we continue to try to fix a problem that only a new heart can fix by painting whitewash or shiplapping a few walls. We want to pass legislation to make things right, but we don’t want a change of heart. We want comfort and safety above all things. So we trade eternity for a few bobbles.
Jeremiah has bee announcing the downfall of Babylon to Israel as a way for them to know they are not abandoned, so that they might have hope. Israel deserves judgment for the years of idolatry that ran through their whole history with the LORD. Within days of receiving the Commandments, they had made a golden calf and started partying in worship.
Even though they had seen first hand all that the LORD was doing on their behalf, rescuing them from the oppression of Egypt, their hearts were still not changed. Their minds had not been renewed. Their old ways of living had not changed.
So as a result of generations of rebellion against the LORD, He brought judgment, using Babylon as His instrument. The LORD often uses unlikely vessels to carry out His purposes. And now it is time for Babylon to be put in its place. They are called to account for their abuses of power, their usurping of the LORD’s place.
The imagery of the cup is a powerful one in Scripture. It is almost universally connected to the idea of judgment when the cup is in the LORD’s hands, when it is His cup. Babylon was a vessel of judgment the LORD used. Now He is done with it. It is time for them to receive judgment.
Nations have submitted to their power. And they have experienced a limited peace and security. If they submitted themselves to the powerful hand of the Babylonians, then they had relative peace. Heavy taxation, and Babylonian control over their lives and economies took the place of war, but they weren’t free to rule themselves.
I find hope in the coming judgment announced here. Babylon fell. The Word of the LORD was fulfilled when the exiles returned to the Promised Land.
And if the LORD can use Babylon for His purposes, then He can use me. Babylon was not a servant whose heart was fully submitted to Him. They were imperfect vessels. And yet the LORD used them.
How much more will the LORD be able to use me as I submit to His leadership in my life. A willing and changed vessel is His ideal. He will use a donkey if He must, or even a power hungry nation, but He would rather use a humble servant.
Enter Jesus, stage right.
The Arnold Journey 