“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'” —Jeremiah 25:32
More than once, God sent prophets to warn Israel that their rise up can be costly. If they didn’t stop sinning, He would permit Israel to suffer. Jeremiah records a prophecy of just this sort, given to God’s people consistently by the prophet for greater than 20 years as he was commanded and empowered by the Lord.
What does it mean that “a storm is rising” and where are “the ends of the Earth?”
Many Translations, One Result
The ESV translation of Jeremiah 25:32 says “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Behold, disaster goes forth from nation to nation, and an excellent tempest is stirring from the farthest parts of the earth!” A review of greater than a dozen translations of Jeremiah 25:32 reveals various translations of the words and phrases “disaster”, “Lord of Hosts”, “mighty storm”, and “farthest parts of the earth”.
The New International Version reads: “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.” The King James Bible renders “disaster” as “evil”. The New Living Translation refers to “A fantastic whirlwind.”
Readers of the NLT will even expect to see disaster “rising from essentially the most distant corners of the earth”, which is rendered “up from the coasts of the earth” within the KJV. The Legacy Standard Bible calls these “the remotest parts of the earth.”
Meanwhile, “Lord of Hosts” can be translated as “the Lord of Heaven’s armies” within the NLT, “Jehovah of hosts” within the ASB, and “The Lord All-Powerful” within the CEV.
A better take a look at the unique Hebrew should help us become familiar with the nuances as expressed in Hebrew:
“Disaster” could also mean “bad or evil” based on its Hebrew word “ra’”.
“Tempest or storm” is the Hebrew word “ca’ar”.
When Jeremiah says “yerekah” he’s talking about “extreme parts, recesses” which implies every corner; the remotest locations one can imagine.
Finally, “Yahweh” means “The Lord,” leads the “hosts” or “armies” (army, war, warfare).
The overall impression is that God Almighty is the omnipotent Captain of a supernatural army that can find evil within the darkest places, where it tries to cover, and can destroy it.
Evil–sin–cannot outrun God regardless of how far-off from Israel it tries to run. And his wrath will probably be greater than the worst storm one can imagine.
Understanding God’s Fury
One author emphasizes that “Jeremiah 25 stands as a potent reminder of the severe implications of turning away from God.” David Guzik explains “When the judgment comes, God’s voice will probably be heard just like the roar from a mighty lion. Those who didn’t wish to hear God before will probably be forced to listen to Him then.” God’s anger is at all times just, and so is His holy discipline.
Why, within the context of Jeremiah 25, is the Lord so offended? Jeremiah 1:16 explains God’s grievance against Judah: “I’ll declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their very own hands.”
All sin is forsaking God, doing the alternative of what He commands, but amongst their specific sins is the worship of idols. The consequences of this sin are too great to completely comprehend or describe, but Matthew Poole envisions his judgment in Jeremiah 25:32 as “like a contagion, going from one nation to a different, or like a hearth catching hold of one other house before the primary is burned down”.
God’s wrath, then, is in proportion to human sinfulness” wrote Joseph Scheumann. Moreover, God’s wrath is for everybody. We have all didn’t keep God’s commandments the entire time.
We are all sinners who “fall in need of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). God is offended about our sin too, to the identical degree. Praise be to God, He poured out the good tempest of His wrath on our Savior as a substitute of us.
Judah and Israel had known at this point of their history what was expected of them. The cycle had occurred over and over: God rescued his people, they worshipped and gave thanks, then turned away from God; they were warned, didn’t heed the warnings, God punished them, after which rescued them again.
They had no excuse for turning from The Lord to worship “gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell” (Deuteronomy 4:28) again. Their uselessness is more stunning when contrasted with the damaging power of Yahweh, the storm that destroys and transforms.
Is There Hope?
You could be feeling pretty hopeless without delay, after reading such vivid descriptions of God’s wrath and being faced with humanity’s pattern of letting God down time and again. But, our God is so very gracious.
One theologian highlights the hopefulness present in the pages of Jeremiah: “God’s desire is for repentance and the transformation of His people. His punishments, though harsh, are usually not geared toward destruction, but restoration and reconciliation. God’s steadfast love is constant, even amidst His righteous anger.”
Moreover, “the people of Judah aren’t the one ones facing God’s judgment.” Although this sounds discouraging at first, stick with me. Judgment would extend to each a part of the world, into nations that didn’t acknowledge Him as Lord.
The use of “yerekah” implies that sin tries to cover within the “recesses” of the world. We might even say that sin crawls into the shadows, hoping to be neglected by God. But He brings light into the darkness, a light-weight which exposes sin whether present in a distant land or is crouched low behind the shiny good works of a sinful heart.
If judgment is coming to all sinners, then the enjoyment of salvation, forgiveness, and a restored relationship with God are also possible for all people, even those whom Judah and the Israelites would have often called Gentiles.
The Psalmist of Psalm 22, even after their famous lament, involves a hopeful conclusion and echoes this truth: “All the ends of the earth will remember and switch to the LORD, and all of the families of the nations will bow down before him” (Psalm 22:27).
Men and ladies living in those furthest reaches will probably be found, their sin rooted out, exposed, but additionally paid for by the One who got here to pay for all of it. The power of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers would do the sanctifying work of rooting out and digging up evil thoughts and inclinations, and cleansing hearts of their tendency to show away from the Father.
For those running from God, Jeremiah 25:32 is a reminder that the Lord is quicker and more powerful. He can’t be contained; He is Holy and can’t abide sin, so He pursues us with a purpose to bring sin into the sunshine. The lost can draw deep into the corners of the world, but God still finds them.
Sources:
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7451.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5591.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/3411.htm
https://biblehub.com/hebrew/yahweh_3068.htm
https://biblehub.com/chaptersummaries/jeremiah/25.htm
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/jeremiah-25/
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/five-truths-about-the-wrath-of-god
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