Jeremiah 51:60-62
60 Jeremiah had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon Babylon–all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. 61 He said to Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 62 Then 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.’
Dire words, for a dire prophecy; in Jeremiah 50:2-51:58, Jeremiah had foretold all the terrible things that would happen to Babylon because of its treachery towards and conquest of Israel, and here, he has that all written on a scroll, to read to the people of Babylon. According to Jeremiah’s writings, God would avenge His people’s suffering and strike down the nation that had dared to think so highly of its own powers. Even the land itself would be uninhabitable, according to this short passage quoted here.
God seems wrathful, even fearsome in the referenced passage, but it is a protective wrath; even as human parents defend their children, so God defends His children, the children of Israel. It is not an out-of-control rage that God is in; He knows precisely what must be done to right the balance of power and pull all the people back into line. He is just, righteous, and yes, a little frightening in that righteousness, but this is a punishment for Babylon that is fitting (and has been a long time coming). Babylon had worshipped other gods, had attacked and enslaved Israel, and generally lived in all sorts of sin; God would make an example of the city and its people.
What we forget, these days, is that God’s still in the business of making miracles and righting wrongs, even if it seems to take so long and so much suffering happens in the meantime. God sees our suffering, whatever form it takes, and if we are faithful to Him, we will see that suffering avenged with the same kind of just and fitting punishment. It may not always happen on the grand, epic scale of Babylon falling, but it will happen. (And if we’re personally involved in the business of attacking and hurting others, and thinking too highly of ourselves, this passage and the referenced prophecy should make us worried!)