May 13 | Jeremiah 51:47-48a
- Beth Voltmann
- May 13
- 2 min read
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
The Time Will Surely Come
By Beth Voltmann
“For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon...”
(Jeremiah 51:47a)
Surely Christ has died and our sins have been atoned for.
Surely Christ is risen and death has been defeated.
Surely Christ will come again and evil will be no more.
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save,
Nor his ear too dull to hear.
(Isaiah 59:1)
In Jeremiah’s day, God’s people had become captives in Babylon. They turned their hearts from the Lord, and soon, everything comforting and familiar was overtaken by destruction. They found themselves oppressed, living in a nation of spiritual corruption and idolatrous practices - a nation antithetical to the One True God.
Just as Jeremiah 51 foretells the literal destruction of the Babylon of old, the scripture parallels Revelation 18 in which God promises a permanent spiritual destruction of evil. “Babylon” can be viewed as a symbol of everything that stands in opposition to the Almighty – a world-system that embodies idolatry, economic exploitation, and rebellion against God's authority and all that is holy.
A reckoning is coming. God will surely destroy evil, but first, in his mercy, he calls to us...
“Come out of her, my people! Run for your lives!”
(Jeremiah 51:45a)
“‘Come out of her, my people,’
so that you will not share in her sins...”
(Revelation 18:4a)
In her UALC May 6 devotion, Katie helped us to realize that there is some “Egypt” within each of us - sin that “needs to be drowned.” In recognizing the “Egypt” within me, I must also confess that I have unwittingly settled into the life of “Babylon” that surrounds me.
Idols in this world seek to mislead and destroy. Some are blatant and loom large while others tend to be more subtle and insidious. Still, the Father continues to call, “Come out!”
“For the time will surely come
when I will punish the idols of Babylon...
Then heaven and earth and all that is in them
will shout for joy over Babylon...”
(Jeremiah 51:47a, 48a)
“Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her with the
Judgment she imposed on you.”
(Revelation 18:20)
Evil will surely be destroyed.
God’s perfect plan will surely be fulfilled.
I look forward to the day when I can rejoice and shout for joy that “Babylon” is no more!
PRAYER
Lord,
Please open my eyes to the ways that “Babylon” tries to entrap me. I hear your Spirit calling to me. I thank you for the salvation and freedom found in Christ Jesus and rejoice in Your coming promises.
You are just – You are good - You are holy.
Hallelujah and Amen!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BETH VOLTMANN
After moving to Ohio in 1997 with my husband and four children, I developed a hunger for God’s Word through adult teaching and women’s Bible study at UALC. My passion is to help others understand Scripture so that they may grow in their desire for more of God and experience the new life offered to us through Christ Jesus.
Thank you, Beth! Beautiful parallels between Jeremiah and Revelation. Will be thinking all day about how I, too, have “unwittingly settled” in Babylon. Thank you for your prayer—God is just, good, and holy!