Divine Tantrum
- In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim's rule, God gives a message to Jeremiah which he relays to the people.
- Jeremiah says that he's been prophesying for thirteen years but no one's listened to him.
- They're all guilty of refusing to listen to the prophets who warned them and told them to turn away from idolatry and evil deeds.
- So God's sending Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to destroy everybody. Judah will be a wasteland.
- The people will serve Babylon for seventy years.
- But at the end of that time, God will bring down wrath against Babylon. It will be destroyed and become a wasteland as retribution for the bad things they've done, too.
- God tells Jeremiah to take a cup of wrath from his hands and let the nations drink from it, so that they'll stagger around drunk in the midst of their destruction.
- So in a vision of sorts, Jeremiah does this: Judah and its officials and king drink from it; the Egyptians and their Pharaoh all drink from it; the people of mixed nationality, the people of Uz, the Philistines, the Edomites, the Moabites, and the Ammonites all drink from it.
- The kings of Tyre, Sidon, and coastlands across the sea drink from it. The Arabians and the people from towns who have shaven temples drink from it.
- The kings of Elam, Zimri, Media, and Sheshach drink from it.
- Actually, all the kingdoms of the earth drink from it (so why didn't Jeremiah just say that?)
- Everyone should get drink until they vomit. God will force everyone to drink from the cup.
- God will roar out his vengeance against his people and shout like someone trampling on grapes to make wine.
- The noise will be heard throughout the entire world. A storm will spread through the nations.
- The dead will be spread around the whole world, lying like dung in the fields.
- They won't be buried or lamented.
- They'll all be massacred, and their pastures and flocks will be destroyed.