Yahweh used Babylon to inflict judgement upon his people, but this did not absolve the Babylonians for what they did. They are pictured as a tool in God’s hand, but now that tool is condemned for what it inflicted. God’s purpose is always ultimately for the good of his people, but Babylon’s purpose was only to crush and destroy them. Inasmuch as this was the case, the victory of Babylon was no victory at all. It only served to activate the covenant promise that those who curse God’s people will themselves be cursed (Genesis 12:3). They had sought to extinguish Israel as a nation but here Jeremiah predicts that it is they who would become extinct. Israel would rise again to exercise great influence in the world. But Babylon would remain a remnant of ancient history. Babylon may have been the centre of the earth in 600BC but today she is nothing more than an archaeological site just outside Baghdad in Iraq. Jerusalem remains a centre to which pilgrims journey from all over the world whereas much of ancient Babylon is scattered throughout the museums of various nations. All this was predicted by Jeremiah and Isaiah. Whether we leave a lasting legacy on earth depends on our relationship to God. Only that which is established by God will last. Whatever you do for selfish reasons will be lost forever. But everything done for God’s purpose will last forever. Build your life on God’s purpose and you will have an everlasting legacy.
Commit yourself to God and his purpose.
Read Jeremiah 50
