For all the warnings the prophets gave, it seems weird to talk about how evil Babylon was. It’s like saying the police are the bad guys when you are warned and warned. When the police department itself tells the community where the drunk driver checkpoints and then you go get wasted and drive through that checkpoint, who is the bad guy? Who did wrong?
17 Zion stretches out her hands, but there is none to comfort her; the LORD has commanded against Jacob that his neighbors should be his foes; Jerusalem has become a filthy thing among them. 18 “The LORD is in the right, for I have rebelled against his word; but hear, all you peoples, and see my suffering; my young women and my young men have gone into captivity.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2016, p. La 1:17–18.
Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Elijah, Joshua, and even Moses tried to warn them.
3 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. 4 Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.’ 5 “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, 6 if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, 7 then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever. 8 “Behold, you trust in deceptive words to no avail. 9 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? 11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2016, p. Je 7:3–11.
This same thing is happening today but Babylon is a little be more mysterious. You can find all kinds of crazies online shouting about how the Catholic Church or Freemasons or Capitalism or the Republicans or the Democrats are Babylon today. I don’t know about all of that.
Near the end of Jeremiah’s life, he was accused of being a traitor and patriot for Babylon. God had warned everyone and now Babylon was coming to take over, and if you would just submit to Nebuchadnezzar, you could actually stay in Jerusalem, raise your own sheep, and continue to tend to your vineyards. That sounds crazy. You’re going to be conquered because of your sin, and it’s too late for repentance, but here’s one last chance to finally obey God.
And if you do it, you can keep on living in your house. You’ll be pseudo-conquered.
It was God’s people’s land after all. He wasn’t going to break his promise to Abraham. He just really needed His people to represent Him well and not take His name in vain. He needed them to express their faith in Him by obeying Him.
So who’s the bad guy? Is it really Babylon? Babylon is wicked. No doubt about that. But Babylon was also just a tool to help Israel get back on track.
Babylon wouldn’t have any power over Jerusalem if it wasn’t given by our Father in Heaven.
There’s so much anger and uproar among people today hungering and thirsting for righteousness. The problem is, they are hungering and thirsting for other people to be righteous without changing themselves.
I had a short retreat recently where I went over some bitterness, unforgiveness, and general church-hurt that I’ve experienced in the last 20 years. In every single case, whether the people actually did wrong, or if they just failed to live up to my artificial expectations, I too participated in some way. I too valued an organization over individuals. I too loved power and control.
I too tried to get something out of the world that I was only meant to get from Jesus.
It’s Jesus’ plank eye parable all over again.
7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, 2016, p. Mt 7:1–6.
This all works together so well! Don’t judge, because you do the same things. And even if you do clean yourself up, be careful who you correct, because if you give the truth to a fool, they don’t know what to do with it. If you give a dog a bible, he’s just going to chew it up.
Don’t rail against Babylon. That might be the thing God is using to get you to notice your own Babylonian heart. He left His throne in heaven to come and live – in exile – in your soul. With the intent to eventually
Make.
It.
His.
Home.