v. 9 Notice the way in which the Lord speaks about these world events. “For behold, I am stirring up a bringing against Babylon a gathering of great nations, from the north country…”

And if this is how He spoke then, surely He speaks this way now, for He is the same and His years have no end. We look at various nations attacking one another or invading one another and we do not know what to think. But this ought not to be the case. For behind the scenes, the Lord is in full control, working all things according to the counsel of His own will. Nothing surprises Him. For He is the one ‘stirring’ nations and leaders up to their respective ends. Nothing is outside His dominion. Right now. If we were to look at every single current political event, let us see God. Not that everything lines up with His revealed will of command. But we can be certain that all things line up with His will of decree. He has a plan and He is diligently bringing it to pass. His goal to manifest the fullness of His glory will not be left undone. He is in the details…all the details…working good for His people and glory for His name. In this we can and ought to greatly rejoice!

v. 24 “I [the Lord] set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon, and you did not know it; you were found and caught, because you opposed the Lord.”

This is how the Bible speaks isn’t it? “God did this and God did that.” Or from the Lord’s point of view, “I did this and I did that…” How then can we deny His sovereignty over all things?!

v. 28 So clearly the Lord is taking vengeance on Babylon for their destruction of His people. Yet before we heard Jeremiah say that the Lord had raised up Babylon to destroy Jerusalem, that He had given Judah into Nebachadnezzer’s hand. All this is true. Yet the way in which Babylon destroyed Jerusalem was still sin and deserving of punishment. The Lord uses sin to accomplish His purposes and reserves the right to punish the sins of those whom He raises up, since He is not the Author of that sin.

v. 29 “…do to her all that she has done…” Herein lies the judgment of the Lord. What we have done to others will also be done to us. That is why we ought to be very diligent to do unto others as we would have them to unto us. For the unbelieving, Hell will in large part be defined by what we have done.

v. 32 “The proud one…” This is the one whom the Lord sets His face against.

v. 44 “Behold, like a lion coming up from the thicket of the Jordan against a perennial pasture, I will suddenly make them run away from her, and I will appoint over her whomever I choose. For who is like me? Who will summon me? What shepherd can stand before me?”

Do we really know this God? Do we really understand what it means to be in awe of Him?