his vengeance

December 3, 2017

The anger of Yahweh (Nah 1:2-1:3)

Aleph

“Yahweh is

A jealous God.

Yahweh is

An avenging God.

Yahweh is

Avenging.

Yahweh is

Wrathful.

Yahweh takes vengeance

On his adversaries.

He rages

Against his enemies.

Yahweh is

Slow to anger.

But Yahweh is

Great in power.

Yahweh will

By no means

Clear the guilty.”

This book opens with an incomplete acrostic psalm, as it only gets to the letter Kaph.  However, this opening letter Aleph is very clear.  Yahweh was a jealous, avenging, and wrathful God.  He took out his vengeance and raged against his adversaries and enemies.  However, Yahweh was slow to anger, but he was very powerful.  Thus, he would not clear the guilty ones very easily.

February 8, 2017

The fall of Babylon (Jer 51:7-51:10)

“Babylon was a

Golden cup

In Yahweh’s hand.

It made all the earth

Drunk.

The nations drank

Of her wine.

So that the nations

Went mad.

Suddenly Babylon

Has fallen.

It is shattered.

Wail for her!

Take balm

For her wound!

Perhaps she may be healed.

We tried

To heal Babylon.

But she could not be healed.

Forsake her!

Let each of us go

To our own country!

Her judgment has reached

Up to heaven.

Her judgment

Has been lifted up

Even to the skies.

Yahweh has brought forth

Our vindication.

Come!

Let us declare in Zion

The work of Yahweh

Our God.”

Babylon was like a golden cup of God’s wrath. The various nations drank this wrath from this golden cup. Thus they got drunk and went mad. Now suddenly Babylon has fallen and fell into many pieces. You can cry for her. You can try to heal her wounds, in hopes that she would be healed. Everyone tried to heal Babylon, but nothing worked. Then Yahweh said that you could cry and wail for her. Nevertheless, everyone should go to their own country. The judgment against Babylon has reached to the high heavens. Yahweh has enacted his vengeance and vindication. They were now to return to Zion, Jerusalem, to declare the works of Yahweh, their God. Bye-bye Babylon!

February 6, 2017

The fugitives from Babylon (Jer 50:28-50:28)

“Listen!

The fugitives,

The refugees

From the land

Of Babylon,

Are coming

To declare in Zion

The vengeance

Of Yahweh,

Our God,

Vengeance

For his temple.”

As the people return from Babylon to Jerusalem, Zion, they are happy that God had brought his vengeance against the Babylonians. After all, the Babylonians had destroyed their Temple. Now the vengeance of Yahweh was destroying the Babylonian temples.