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ambassador of wrath

Jeremiah 25:15-38 (JDV)

Jeremiah 25:15 This is what Yahveh, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from my hand and make all the nations to whom I am sending you drink from it.

Jeremiah 25:16 They will drink, stagger, and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them.”

Jeremiah 25:17 So I took the cup from Yahveh ‘s hand and made all the nations to whom Yahveh sent me drink from it.

Jeremiah 25:18 Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah, its kings and its officials, to make them a desolate ruin, an example for scorn and cursing – as it is today;

Jeremiah 25:19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his officers, his leaders, all his people,

Jeremiah 25:20 and all the mixed peoples; all the kings of the land of Uz; all the kings of the land of the Philistines – Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remainder of Ashdod;

Jeremiah 25:21 Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites;

Jeremiah 25:22 all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coasts and islands;

Jeremiah 25:23 Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all those who cut the hair on their temples;

Jeremiah 25:24 all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mixed peoples who have settled in the open country;

Jeremiah 25:25 all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media;

Jeremiah 25:26 all the kings of the north, both near and far from one another; that is, all the kingdoms of the world throughout the land. Finally, the king of Sheshach will drink after them.

Jeremiah 25:27 “Then you are to say to them, ‘This is what Yahveh of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, as a result of the sword I am sending among you.’

Jeremiah 25:28 If they refuse to accept the cup from your hand and drink, you are to say to them, ‘This is what Yahveh of Armies says: You must drink!

Jeremiah 25:29 You see, I am already bringing disaster on the city that bears my name, so how could you possibly go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, because I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the land. This is the what Yahveh of Armies declares.’

Jeremiah 25:30 “As for you, you are to prophesy all these things to them, and say to them: Yahveh roars from on high; he makes his voice heard from his holy dwelling. He roars loudly over his grazing land; he calls out with a shout, like those who tread grapes, against all the inhabitants of the land.

Jeremiah 25:31 The disturbance reaches to the ends of the land because Yahveh brings a case against the nations. He enters into judgment with all people. As for the wicked, he hands them over to the sword – this is what Yahveh declares.

Jeremiah 25:32 “This is what Yahveh of Armies says: Listen! Disaster spreads from nation to nation. A huge storm is stirred up from the ends of the land.”

Jeremiah 25:33 Those victims of Yahveh on that day will be scattered from one end of the land to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like manure on the soil’s surface.

Jeremiah 25:34 Yell, you shepherds, and cry out. Roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. Because the days of your slaughter have come, you will fall and become shattered like a precious vase.

Jeremiah 25:35 Flight will be impossible for the shepherds, and escape, for the leaders of the flock.

Jeremiah 25:36 Hear the sound of the shepherds’ cry, the yell of the leaders of the flock, because Yahveh is destroying their pasture.

Jeremiah 25:37 Peaceful grazing land will become lifeless because of Yahveh’s burning anger.

Jeremiah 25:38 He has left his den like a lion, because their land has become a desolation because of the sword of the oppressor, because of his burning anger.

ambassador of wrath

Notice the phrase “all the nations” in verses 13, 15 and 17. The Lord was sending Jeremiah out as his ambassador to represent him to all the nations of the known world.

But the message of this ambassador is not peace through the reconciliation bought by the blood of Christ. The message is the opposite: war and destruction leading to desolation.

The symbol of this message is the wine cup, and each nation is forced to drink it. It is very much like the covenant cup, only this covenant is not to rescue, but to intoxicate. The nations will become mad with rage and bloodlust, and go about destroying, leaving the whole land desolate behind them.

Why is God doing this? Why is he causing world wars everywhere? The covenant of destruction is initiated because the covenant of peace was broken by the sons of Israel. God had intended the sons of Israel to bring peace to every land by bringing the nations to God. They refused to stay under that covenant. Therefore, God is demonstrating the global results of their rebellion.

Brothers and sisters, God has given us a new covenant of grace through the blood of Christ. We cannot ignore this gift. We will either bring peace to all the nations by bringing them to Christ, or we will be ambassadors of God’s wrath which will lead to their destruction in hell.

Lord, use us as ambassadors of your love and grace – to all the nations.

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