Jeremiah Gives Seraiah a Scroll:

Jeremiah 51:49–64
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It was God’s plan that Babylon must fall because she was responsible for killing many Israelites (v.49). However God makes it clear that there is no future in Babylon and anyone who chooses to remain in Babylon will suffer the fate of the city. On the other hand, if they returned to their home land, they would experience a new beginning under the blessing of the Lord (v. (v. 50). These Israelites in exile felt disgraced, insulted, and full of shame before the world because of what the Babylonians had done to the temple in Jerusalem (v. 51). The Lord promised to send a war ro punish Babylon’a Idols and leave wounded people everywhere (v. 52). The Israelites saw the high walls and huge gates of Babylon and concluded that such fortifications would repel any enemy, but they were wrong. The walls and gates would only become “fuel for the flames” when the invaders arrived (53).

Cries of help come from Babylon and there are sounds of destruction everywhere (v. 54). The shouts of the enemy drown out Babylon’s cries (v. 55). The Lord takes revenge and its soldiers will be captured and their weapons broken (v. 56). The Lord promises that the officials, governors, and soldiers will get drunk, fall asleep and never wake up (v. 57). The walls will be torn down, the gates burned and everything will go up in smoke (v. 58). During Zedekiah’s fourth year as king of Judah he goes to Babylon and Baruch’s brother Seraiah goes along to arrange for accommodations (v. 59). Before they left a scroll was written about all the terrible things that will happen (v. 60). Seraiah was instructed to read the scroll (v. 61) and pray, “Our Lord, you promised to destroy this place and make it a dessert where no people or animals will live (v. 62). After praying, he was to tie the scroll to a rock and throw it into the Euphrates River (v. 63). This Ia. how Babylon will sink when the Lord destroys it (v. 64).

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