A TIME TO WEEP #14: The Scroll August 12-13, 2017

Introduction: One of the most fascinating and revealing aspects of Jeremiah is the prophet’s employment of symbolic acts in communicating God’s Word to God’s people. On eleven separate occasions, God instructed Jeremiah to utilize symbols to convey his message. The symbol of the scroll thrown into the river reminds us that ultimately God preserves his people for his glory and that no earthly kingdom is eternal.

51“We are disgraced, for we have been insulted and shame covers our faces, because foreigners have entered the holy places of the Lord’s house.” 52“But days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish her idols, and throughout her land the wounded will groan. 53Even if Babylon ascends to the heavens and fortifies her lofty stronghold, I will send destroyers against her,” declares the Lord. 54“The sound of a cry comes from Babylon, the sound of great destruction from the land of the Babylonians. 55The Lord will destroy Babylon; he will silence her noisy din. Waves of enemies will rage like great waters; the roar of their voices will resound. 56A destroyer will come against Babylon; her warriors will be captured, and their bows will be broken. For the Lord is a God of retribution; he will repay in full. 57I will make her officials and wise men drunk, her governors, officers and warriors as well; they will sleep forever and not awake,” declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty. 58This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Babylon’s thick wall will be leveled and her high gates set on fire; the peoples exhaust themselves for nothing, the nations’ labor is only fuel for the flames.” 59This is the message Jeremiah the prophet gave to the staff officer Seraiah son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went to Babylon with Zedekiah king of Judah in the fourth year of his reign. 60Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62Then say, ‘Lord, you have said you will destroy this place, so that neither people nor animals will live in it; it will be desolate forever.’ 63When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. 64Then say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring on her. And her people will fall.’” The words of Jeremiah end here. Jeremiah 51:51-64 NIV

I. Symbolic Acts A. The eleven symbolic acts of Jeremiah are found in 5:1-2, 13:1-11, 16:1-9, 18:1-12, 19:1-15, 25:15-29, 27:1-28:17, 32:1-15, 35:1-19, 43:8-13, and 51:59-64. B. Jeremiah used symbol in very powerful ways to convey God’s words to people who did not want to hear them. C. Symbolism and symbolic acts function to translate ideals held implicitly into things that can be experienced explicitly. D. It is interesting to note that God directed Jeremiah to employ symbols and symbolic actions while forbidding the worship of idols. II. The Scroll in the River A. Babylon was the world’s great power from 605 to 539 BC. B. Zedekiah was called to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar to pledge his allegiance . C. Jeremiah had written a prophecy of Babylon’s ultimate destruction on a scroll and entrusted it to a member of King Zedekiah’s entourage named Seraiah. D. Jeremiah instructed Seraiah to read the scroll aloud in Babylon–probably in the company of Zedekiah–ties a stone to it, and throw it into the Euphrates River. E. This was a sign that God would restore his people in time and that Babylon would fall without the possibility of redemption. III. Implications A. God uses all things for good, but no earthly kingdom will stand forever, even if he uses it. B. Evil will be dealt with by God, who is the ultimate judge. C. In all things, God always acts to redeem and restore his people for his glory. D. The only way to restored relationship with God and permanence is redemption.

Conclusion: Initially difficult to see, the beauty of Jeremiah is the righteousness of God and the redemption of his people, who will always return to him weeping for restoration. (50:4-5)