To life! Or..? Jeremiah raises a full glass today, but not as a celebratory toast - rather as a protest gesture, with a cup filled with wrath, poured by the divine, a deadly and dramatic drinking ritual with every nation on the planet.
This chapter's first verse dates this gesture to the year 605 BCE, the "fourth year of King Jehoiakim of son of Josiah of Judah, which was the first year of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon." Jeremiah also identifies this as the 23rd year since he began his prophetic career, with little success.
A lot has happened. More is about to. The Babylonian empire is on the rise and soon Assyria will be annihilated - a global war with vast ramifications for the entire region, including Judah. Jeremiah sees it coming.
“This is a bold and quite uncommon move: the metaphoric cup of wrath seems to become an actual cup that the prophet takes from God’s hand. Such quasi-physical proximity between God and the prophet is altogether unusual. But since the cup is, after all, symbolic, the prophet’s taking it from the hand of YHWH finally must be understood as a purely figurative act, and that understanding is confirmed by his making the nations drink from it, an act that could not be literally performed.”
Jeremiah lists each of the local nations who will drink this bitter cup - starting with Jerualem. None will be spared. But even Babylon will pay the price one day - it is the last kingdom to drink. But you wouldn’t know it directly - perhaps he was scared of their ascending power? The name ‘Babylon’ is encrypted in this chapter, according to
ATBASH, an ancient secret Alphabetical cipher code -- mentioned in this chapter for the first time ever! Jeremiah ends the list of those who’ll drink the wrath with this surprising secret code:
“All the kings of the north, whether far from or close to each other—all the royal lands that are on the earth. And last of all, the king of Sheshach shall drink.”
Where is Sheshach? It’s not a place - it is the Hebrew word Babylon hidden via this cipher. Why did he do it? Nobody knows. But Nebuchadnezzar too will have his moment; For a few decades none will be able to defy Babylon - but it’s time will come, too, and the nation will drain the foul cup to its dregs.
So -drink up! May we raise cups of blessing as we begin this new year, and enter the Day of Atonement with awareness of fragility and mystery, thirsty for more hope and less wrath.
Shana Tova.
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