How Wise Are We?
Babylon was a gold cup in the LORD’s
hand; she made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore
they have now gone mad.
– Jeremiah 51:7
We like to quote Jeremiah’s prophecy about God wanting
good things for us. We like to remember that God has plans to prosper us and
not to harm us. Yes, we like the book of Jeremiah.
Until we get to the other parts of it. We don’t see
the relationship between Babylon and us. We don’t think that any of that
destruction applies to us. We don’t believe that we could possibly be that
evil.
God used Babylon to destroy other nations. He allowed
her to prosper, to conquer, to gather luxuries and money and power. And then,
when God had achieved His purpose, God destroyed Babylon. Doesn’t that cause
anyone to pause for even a moment?
What was in the gold cup mentioned in this verse? It
was poison. What was the poison? The splendor of Babylon. All that stuff that
we hold near and dear. You know what I’m talking about. Wealth and power and prestige.
New cars and big houses and luxurious vacations. One commentary referred to it
as the influence of evil.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those things I
listed, of course. At least, not until we desire those things more than we
desire God. The wine, that poison we’re talking about? Well, it’s all about idolatries.
And we’re all about idolatries.
How far are you willing to go to increase your bank
account? What are you willing to do to increase your power? What will you
sacrifice to get what you want? How many compromises will you make on your path
to glory?
Revelation refers to Babylon and her adulteries. Revelation
calls Babylon the mother of prostitutes. Do you think that applies to you? Are
you sure? What are you willing to do? Where does that line hold when it comes
to getting what you want out of life? What exactly do you think you deserve?
And what will you do to get it?
Our great country began as a nation that allowed
freedom to worship. We wanted a free press, recognizing that the freedom to
speak protects us from those who would ram their own views down onto us. And
now we are led by a bully who seeks to destroy anyone who disagrees with him.
Some of his loudest supporters are people of faith. Can anyone else see Babylon
in these days we are living now?
I hear dear people proclaim the gospel, then slam the
poor as “lazy” and “stupid” and “unworthy.” They don’t know the people they
condemn. They would never dirty their hands with volunteer work or interacting
with someone they consider beneath them.
I hear wonderful Christians make excuses for lies and
sin, insisting that another person’s sin justifies what we see today. I try to
hold my tongue and I wonder if that isn’t sin too. Does my silence mean that I
don’t care? Does my silence indicate that wrong behavior is okay with me? It’s
not. I simply don’t want the backlash of controversy. That’s wrong.
As God’s people, we are called to take a stand. We are
called to love people the world has cast aside. We are called to condemn lies
and bullying and excess. We are to be kind to the point of loving our enemies.
We are to be different from the world we live in. Instead, we are leading the
charge away from God. That gold cup we value? It’s the poison that will destroy
us if we don’t change course and turn back – truly turn back – to God.
