a horror

April 1, 2017

The anger and fury of Yahweh on Jerusalem (Ezek 5:13-5:15)

“My anger shall

Spend itself.

I will vent my fury

On them.

I will satisfy myself.

They shall know

That I,

Yahweh,

Have spoken

In my jealousy,

When I spend my fury

On them.

Moreover

I will make you

A desolation.

I will make you

An object of mocking

Among the nations

Around you,

In the sight

Of all that pass by.

You shall be a mockery.

You shall be a taunt.

You shall be a warning.

You shall be a horror,

To the nations around you.

I will execute judgments

On you

In anger,

In fury,

With furious punishments.

I!

Yahweh!

Have spoken!”

Yahweh said that he was going to spend his anger on the people of Jerusalem. He was going to vent his fury on them. He was going to satisfy himself. They would know that he was Yahweh. He was going to speak out of jealousy against them. This is a very strong statement about the anger of God against the people of Jerusalem, because he was a jealous God. Jerusalem would become a desolation, an object of mocking, a taunt, a warning, and a horror among all the nations around her. Angry Yahweh was going to execute his judgments on them with his furious punishments. Yahweh has clearly spoken.

February 5, 2017

Babylon is caught (Jer 50:23-50:25)

“How the hammer

Of the whole earth

Is cut down!

It is broken!

How Babylon has become

A horror

Among the nations!

You set a snare

For yourself!

You were caught!

O Babylon!

But you did not know it.

You were discovered.

You were seized

Because you challenged

Yahweh.

Yahweh has opened

His armory.

He has brought out

The weapons

Of his wrath.

Yahweh,

God of hosts,

Has a task to do

In the land

Of the Chaldeans.”

Babylon has become a broken hammer, a horror to all the countries. They had set a trap, but they themselves fell into it. The other countries found the trapped Babylon and seized it, because the Babylonians had challenged Yahweh by burning down his Temple. Thus Yahweh used all the weapons in his great armory of anger against Babylon. He had a task to do in the land of the Chaldeans. Why did Yahweh not do this sooner?

January 21, 2017

The wrath of Yahweh for those going to Egypt (Jer 42:18-42:18)

“Thus says Yahweh of hosts!

The God of Israel!

‘Just as my anger,

Just as my wrath,

Was poured out

On the inhabitants

Of Jerusalem,

So my wrath

Will be poured out

On you

When you go to Egypt.

You shall become an object

Of execration,

Of horror,

Of cursing,

Of ridicule.

You shall see this place

No more.’”

Yahweh did not hold back his anger or wrath. Jeremiah says that Yahweh said that he was not going to make it easy for them. Just as he had shown his anger to the people of Jerusalem with the downfall of that city, so too he would do the same to anyone who went to Egypt. If they went to Egypt, they would become like execration, like a horror. They would be cursed at and ridiculed. They no longer would see this land that they loved so much.