THE CUP OF GOD’S WRATH

Jeremiah 25:15-38 / Keywords 25:29

See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword upon all who live on the earth, declares the LORD Almighty.

 

The Cup of God’s Wrath

25:15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.”

17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it: 18 Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse[c]—as they are today; 19 Pharaoh king of Egypt, his attendants, his officials and all his people, 20 and all the foreign people there; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines (those of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the people left at Ashdod); 21 Edom, Moab and Ammon; 22 all the kings of Tyre and Sidon; the kings of the coastlands across the sea; 23 Dedan, Tema, Buz and all who are in distant places[d]; 24 all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the foreign people who live in the wilderness; 25 all the kings of Zimri, Elam and Media; 26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one after the other—all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. And after all of them, the king of Sheshak[e] will drink it too.

27 “Then tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Drink, get drunk and vomit, and fall to rise no more because of the sword I will send among you.’ 28 But if they refuse to take the cup from your hand and drink, tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: You must drink it! 29 See, I am beginning to bring disaster on the city that bears my Name, and will you indeed go unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for I am calling down a sword on all who live on the earth, declares the Lord Almighty.’

30 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar from on high;

    he will thunder from his holy dwelling

    and roar mightily against his land.

He will shout like those who tread the grapes,

    shout against all who live on the earth.

31 The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth,

    for the Lord will bring charges against the nations;

he will bring judgment on all mankind

    and put the wicked to the sword,’”

declares the Lord.

32 This is what the Lord Almighty says:

“Look! Disaster is spreading

    from nation to nation;

a mighty storm is rising

    from the ends of the earth.”

33 At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.

34 Weep and wail, you shepherds;

    roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For your time to be slaughtered has come;

    you will fall like the best of the rams.[f]

35 The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,

    the leaders of the flock no place to escape.

36 Hear the cry of the shepherds,

    the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

    for the Lord is destroying their pasture.

37 The peaceful meadows will be laid waste

    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.

38 Like a lion he will leave his lair,

    and their land will become desolate

because of the sword[g] of the oppressor

    and because of the Lord’s fierce anger.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 25:9 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Jeremiah 25:12 Or Chaldeans

c. Jeremiah 25:18 That is, their names to be used in cursing (see 29:22); or, to be seen by others as cursed

d. Jeremiah 25:23 Or who clip the hair by their foreheads

e. Jeremiah 25:26 Sheshak is a cryptogram for Babylon.

f. Jeremiah 25:34 Septuagint; Hebrew fall and be shattered like fine pottery

g. Jeremiah 25:38 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 46:16 and 50:16); most Hebrew manuscripts anger

1. In a vision, the Lord told Jeremiah to take the cup of God’s wrath and to go to all the other nations on earth and make their leaders drink from the cup. So, Jeremiah obeyed the Lord. He travelled from nation to nation and made their leaders drink from the cup of the Lord’s wrath. The Lord is God of all nations, not just Israel. All people have sinned against the Lord and are thus under the judgment and wrath of God. No one could escape, not even those who refused to drink from the cup. Even the shepherds would not be spared. They too fell under the wrath of God. All would be subject to the sword.

 

2. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And the wages of sin is death. We all deserve to fall by the sword of God’s wrath for we have all sinned. But God sent Jesus to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Because of him, when the Lord sees us, he doesn’t see a sinner. We are made white as snow because of Jesus’ blood. We are forgiven and no longer under God’s wrath.

 

Prayer Father, we all deserve to drink from the cup of your wrath. We have all sinned against you. But Jesus took the cup and drank of it for us, so we are no longer under your wrath. Thank you, Jesus!

One Word Jesus drank from the cup for me