Every Purpose
Of The Lord Shall Be Performed
By Medford
Caudill
Goshen, Indiana
Jeremiah
51:29 “And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the
Lord shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a
desolation without an inhabitant.”
There is much that we could say from this passage concerning prophecy.
Every word of prophecy is sure for every word of prophecy comes from a
God who knows the future because He controls the future.
I believe that, according to the book of Revelation, the physical city
of Babylon will one day be rebuilt to be destroyed again. Saddam Hussein,
in fact, was attempting to do so when he was overthrown.
There are two Babylons mentioned in the book of Revelation. In Revelation
17 you have spiritual Babylon which is represented in our day by the
Roman Catholic Church. Understand that Catholicism is not a branch of Christianity
but is the spiritual successor to the Babylon Mystery Religion. Then in
Revelation 18, you have a description of physical, commercial Babylon.
Both of these Babylons are part of this earth and earthly government. They
are doomed to fall and great will be the fall of them.
It may seem at times as if these things go slowly but you can be sure that
year by year God’s timetable is being fulfilled. Not just year by year
but day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and even second by second.
I am glad that God is the predestinating God of prophecy.
Then there is much that we could say from this passage concerning justice.
Babylon will get what Babylon deserves. The Pulpit Commentary says; “God
is against Babylon not merely for the hurt it has inflicted on its own
people but because destruction is the very element in which it lives. Wheresoever
Babylon came it brought spoliation, enslavement and misery. Justice will
be done. The only just course for Babylon will be its fall.”
However much we could say about prophecy or justice, however, we set aside
to note at this time just one phrase from verse 29. The phrase is “every
purpose of the Lord shall be performed.”
The first thing we note is that there is a Lord. The Bible begins with
the assumption of His being. “In the beginning God” Many in our day, however,
do not assume that there is a God. They begin their world-view with
“if there” instead of “there is”. One is, of course, an expression
of doubt. The other is an expression of faith.
Many think that if there is a God, He is not in control of things. For
all practical purposes they are no different than atheists. They believe
that God will not or cannot touch their lives. If he will not, then He
is not the loving God of the Bible who cares about His creation so much
that a sparrow cannot fall to the ground, much less a human being, without
His taking notice of it. If, on the other hand, it not so much that he
will not intervene in the lives of his people but rather that He cannot
that simply means that He is not sovereign. If He is not sovereign then
He is no god at all. To admit that there is a God is one thing but what
kind of a God is He? The God of the Bible is an omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent God. That is a God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and is
everywhere at once.
Secondly, not only is there a God but this God has a purpose. God is not
the author of confusion. His universe runs like clockwork. There are 24
hours in a day. It never varies. There are 52 weeks or 365 days in a year.
It never varies. There is seed time and harvest. It never varies. “To
every thing here is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
God has a purpose for nations. He raised up Babylon. It performed its purpose.
It was overthrown.
But what can a nation do except it be done by individuals. Is Babylon
anything without Nebuchadnezzar? Is Nebuchadnezzar anything without Babylon?
When the history of every nation is written its last line will be; “This
is what God has done!” When the biography of every individual is finished
its last line will be; “This is what God has done.”
His purpose brings about His glory. “For of him, and through him, and
to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Romans
11:36)
Thirdly then we note that His purpose will be performed. God can do whatever
he wants to do, whenever He wants to do it, in whatever way pleases Him.
He is not only able to control the nations but all that affects any nation.
Does He want Babylon to rise against Israel? He puts it in the heart of
her king to do so. Does he want Babylon to fall? He makes her armies
cowards. “The mighty men of Babylon are forlorn to fight, they have
remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women.”
(Jeremiah 51:30)
We live our lives thinking what if? There are no what ifs, God is in control
of all things. Have you thanked God today for His purpose and for the performance
of that purpose in your life? “Every purpose of the Lord shall be
performed.”
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