December 5th, 2012
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Holy, Holy, Holy

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

“Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, and extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him–his name is the Lord” (Psa. 68:4).

Read Jeremiah 51:1-32

[1] This is what the LORD says: “See, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and the people of Leb Kamai. [2] I will send foreigners to Babylon to winnow her and to devastate her land; they will oppose her on every side in the day of her disaster. [3] Let not the archer string his bow, nor let him put on his armor. Do not spare her young men; completely destroy her army. [4] They will fall down slain in Babylon, fatally wounded in her streets. [5] For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the LORD Almighty, though their land is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel. [6] “Flee from Babylon! Run for your lives! Do not be destroyed because of her sins. It is time for the LORD’s vengeance; he will repay her what she deserves. [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. [8] Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed. [9] “‘We would have healed Babylon, but she cannot be healed; let us leave her and each go to our own land, for her judgment reaches to the skies, it rises as high as the heavens.’ [10] “‘The LORD has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has done.’ [11] “Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The LORD has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The LORD will take vengeance, vengeance for his temple. [12] Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station the watchmen, prepare an ambush! The LORD will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon. [13] You who live by many waters and are rich in treasures, your end has come, the time for you to be destroyed. [14] The LORD Almighty has sworn by himself: I will surely fill you with troops, as with a swarm of locusts, and they will shout in triumph over you. [15] “He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. [16] When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses. [17] “Everyone is senseless and without knowledge; every goldsmith is shamed by his idols. The images he makes are a fraud; they have no breath in them. [18] They are worthless, the objects of mockery; when their judgment comes, they will perish. [19] He who is the Portion of Jacob is not like these, for he is the Maker of all things, including the people of his inheritance- the LORD Almighty is his name. [20] “You are my war club, my weapon for battle- with you I shatter nations, with you I destroy kingdoms, [21] with you I shatter horse and rider, with you I shatter chariot and driver, [22] with you I shatter man and woman, with you I shatter old man and youth, with you I shatter young man and young woman, [23] with you I shatter shepherd and flock, with you I shatter farmer and oxen, with you I shatter governors and officials. [24] “Before your eyes I will repay Babylon and all who live in Babylonia for all the wrong they have done in Zion,” declares the LORD. [25] “I am against you, you destroying mountain, you who destroy the whole earth,” declares the LORD. “I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you off the cliffs, and make you a burned-out mountain. [26] No rock will be taken from you for a cornerstone, nor any stone for a foundation, for you will be desolate forever,” declares the LORD. [27] “Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts. [28] Prepare the nations for battle against her- the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their officials, and all the countries they rule. [29] The land trembles and writhes, for the LORD’s purposes against Babylon stand- to lay waste the land of Babylon so that no one will live there. [30] Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken. [31] One courier follows another and messenger follows messenger to announce to the king of Babylon that his entire city is captured, [32] the river crossings seized, the marshes set on fire, and the soldiers terrified.”

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.

Meditate

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19).

Think Further

The citizens of Babylon must have felt tremendously secure within the massive walls and elaborate system of defenses. No one could enter Babylon without permission! But if Babylon was a place of security for its citizens, it was also the most terrifying nightmare for the people in the surrounding nations. Babylon’s wealth was plundered from others. Her security was at the expense of other nations whose fortifications were mercilessly destroyed. Many people from other cities, including Jerusalem, must have envied great Babylon with its powerful armies and great resources.

Jeremiah makes it clear that Babylon is not to be envied. Her security was an illusion. Her greatness was temporary and her selfishness and pride were based on a false sense of security. Her false gods made her doomed to failure. We are reminded to beware of idolizing economic and military power today.

True security, according to Jeremiah, was found in Israel’s God. He alone is worthy of worship. Jeremiah pours scorn on the idea that heathen deities can help their worshipers in time of trouble. Such images are “worthless, a work of delusion” (18, ESV). Israel’s God, in contrast, is “the Maker of all things, including the tribe of his inheritance–the Lord Almighty is his name” (19). Although Israel failed God, God did not fail them and, in spite of all their failures and unworthiness, he is still referred to as the “Holy One of Israel” (5). This striking title seems to bring together two contrasting realities: the Holy God and unholy Israel. It shows that, although Israel had failed, her God had not forsaken her and still claimed her as his own. Failure is not final in God’s eyes.

Apply

Failure is not final in God’ eyes. Can you recall a time when personal failure did not have the last word? What lessons did you learn? Thank God for them.

Closing prayer

Dear God, may I never abandon the struggle to follow You, but endure to the end. I praise You that You have never abandoned me.

Click here to sign up to receive the EXTRAs via email each quarter.

© 2024 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission is prohibited.

Encounter with God is published in the USA under license from Scripture Union England and Wales, Trinity House, Opal Court, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0DF.

View all readings

Get ENCOUNTER:

in your email:

in Print:

Become a Member | Visit our store