Cursed Babylonians

Scripture:
"Because you rejoice and are glad,
    you who pillage my inheritance,
because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain
    and neigh like stallions,
your mother will be greatly ashamed;
    she who gave you birth will be disgraced.
She will be the least of the nations—
    a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.
Because of the Lord’s anger she will not be inhabited
    but will be completely desolate.
All who pass Babylon will be appalled;
    they will scoff because of all her wounds."
Jeremiah 50:11-13

Observation: Jeremiah has now gone into exile in Babylon ... all his prophesies about Judah and Jerusalem have come true. His writings now end with a final prophesy - God pronouncing his future judgment against Babylon. The question to ask is why God would punish Babylon for destroying the Jews when all they were doing was performing as his chosen instrument of punishment against his rebellious people?

God answers this. They will be punished because they celebrated this act as THEIR victory. They did not acknowledge that they were functioning as God's weapon, but rather proudly pillaged and burned as if it was their might that conquered Jerusalem.

Once again, God responds to a situation not because of actions, but because of the attitude and heart - not because of deeds, but because of belief. God had ordained and blessed the deed of destroying Judah, but he cursed Babylon due to their lack of belief in him.

Application: I see here that in the discussion of "faith vs. acts", God reinforces the fact that his judgment has always been upon non-believers.

When believers debate the function of sin and the commandments, we do so from a position of debating issues such as the applicability of certain old testament laws, different types of sin, the nature of absolute forgiveness through belief in Jesus, the need for confession, acts related to unrepentant sin, etc. All of these are important as they relate to a right relationship with Jesus, and how we all mature in order to better align ourselves to God's will.

However, belief has always been the "fulcrum" for God. If you believe in God and have faith in Jesus Christ, you receive eternal life and now need to concern yourself with God's teachings for proper living. However, if you do not believe, no actions can save you ... even acting exactly as God wants you to act isn't enough without faith.

Babylon has just finished doing everything God wanted them to do, and ... they will be destroyed due to lack of faith.

I have so friends, colleagues, coworkers, and family who are nice people and live good lives, and ... they will be cast into eternal flames if we can't reach them with the good news of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, you wish for no one to die, but everyone to come to faith in Jesus. Statistics say that, of the 1,000 people in this building, 960 of them are under your curse ... of the 440 people in my department, 422 are under your curse. I place myself in your hands to reach them, Lord. May I be a light in this dark and ever darkening place. My call is to change lives ... send me. Amen.