Inspired by Jeremiah chapter 5 to chapter 6 (and little bit of chapter 7)
Hi everyone, by reading chapters 5 and 6 of Jeremiah (link) I am certain this podcast story will be that much more meaningful for you and your family. Helping parents and children to see the depth and value of God’s word. This particular episode teaches what happens when we forget God, even on a national and global scale.
A HISTORY OF FORGETTING GOD
There are moments in history when the silence breaks, and the wind carries the cries of empires past — when the stones on which you walk seem to remember that ‘there is nothing new under the sun’. From Babylon to Rome, to the Soviet Union. Great nations that once stood mighty… are now dust beneath our feet.
🎧 But what if they could speak? What would they say?
The prophet Jeremiah stood in the crumbling streets of Jerusalem, his eyes weeping for a nation that had gone deaf to the voice of its Maker. Judah, the city of David, had become a shell of her former self—full of religion, but empty of truth.
“They have eyes but do not see, ears but do not hear … Should I not punish them for these things?” Jeremiah 5:21,29
The people cried, “The temple! The temple!” as if sacred stones and religious ritual could save them, while their hands spilled innocent blood and their hearts chased after lies and deceit.
🏛️ FFWD to 539 BC: Babylon’s Feast of Arrogance
The voice of a tipsy Belshazzar, ruler of Babylon. Cries out over his great feast: “To the gods of gold and silver! Drink, my lords, drink!” He smiles, satisfied. His heart puffed up with his own glory. Goblets clink together, drunken laughter rises, and suddenly … there is silence. All eyes watch as a ghostly finger writes on the wall.
He had laughed in the face of heaven, drinking from the holy vessel’s of God’s temple. And now the words were on the wall.
“Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin…” Daniel 5:25
And that very night, Babylon fell. Her splendor turned to ash.
🏛️ Fast forward 1015 Years to AD 476: Rome’s Decay
The roar of the coliseum crowd was deafening. The screams of dying gladiators rising like a haunting chant into the air. The steady sound of fire crackling as the great scene came to it’s destructive close.
Yes, Rome had ruled the world and had gained much. With power as her god and pleasure as her law. She laughed as the souls of men were drowned in her multitude of distractions.
Her senators mocked virtue. Caesar became divine as if he himself formed the seas and as if his hands put the stars in their place.
Ironically: The One who placed the sand as the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree so that it cannot pass beyond it, was crucified in her Empire. Yet it went almost unnoticed, the voice of God not heard nor feared. His Truth woven into reason upon which great scholars and thinkers could reflect, debate and twist to suit their own desires. And within a few centuries, the ‘Eternal City’ burned.
Echo the words: “Make this announcement to Judah and to Israel: Listen, O foolish, senseless people—you with the eyes that do not see and the ears that do not listen— have you no respect at all for me? the Lord God asks. How can it be that you don’t even tremble in my presence? I set the shorelines of the world by perpetual decrees, so that the oceans, though they toss and roar, can never pass those bounds. Isn’t such a God to be feared and worshiped?”— Jeremiah 5
🔥 Fast forward 1313 Years to 1789: France Forgets God
The leader of the revolution cries out defiantly as Church bells are torn down and a hungry fire is given books to devour: “We will tear down the altars. Burn the Scriptures. Let Reason reign, let reason reign!”
The French Revolution cried for liberty — yet without any repentance they were simply building one sin on-top of the other. In their quest to break chains, they forged new ones. Freedom was simply the word of the day to say “I do it my way”. And so the drum beat of ‘my freedom’ drummed as the guillotine sang over cobblestones stained with blood, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame became a temple to Reason.
But Reason without reverence became madness.
Echo the words: “But who will listen when I warn them? Their ears are closed, and they refuse to hear. Behold, the word of God has angered them; they have no delight in it at all” — Jeremiah 6
🏴 FFWD 144 years to 1933: Germany in Darkness
A thousand marching boots drum over the streets. Radio’s are broadcasting Adolf Hitler’s speech. Arms are raised to salute his cause, armaments forged to enforce it. As the powers of the world converge into war, a soft hymn fades beneath the sound of gunfire and the cries of woman, children and shell-shocked men.
Germany, the land of Luther and Bach, once rich in truth and melody now saw only blood and steel. The Cross was bent into a swastika. And six million cries rose from the ashes of forgotten humanity. (May we never forget)!
Echo the words: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: prophets prophesy lies … and my people love it this way.” — Jeremiah 5:30–31
🔥 🔥 And so: The Cry of the Prophet Echoes into Today
Jeremiah walked through a city that was outwardly religious. Saying the right things, singing the right songs, celebrating the right feasts, but inwardly rotten.
His broken voice rises up as tears form in his eyes:
“O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved! How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?”
Yet the people had become skilled in doing evil. Truth was not welcome in the streets any longer. The priests and the leaders served there own interests. And worst of all, the prophets and papers spoke peace, spoke of prosperity — when destruction loomed on the horizon.
“They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” — Jeremiah 6:14
⚖️ Final Reflection: The Pattern Repeats
From Deuteronomy to Jeremiah, from Babylon to Berlin … the story is not new. As nations forget God. It’s people exalt pleasure, power, and pride. God sees and does not forget:
“Is this not stored up with Me, sealed in My vaults?” — Deuteronomy 32:34
Jeremiah saw what many of the greatest thinkers of our time and in history failed to see. His words live on into today, and we can be certain that oneday the ground will tremble beneath our feet.
“Listen, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to My words.” — Jeremiah 6:19
🌿 Hope for the Remnant:
Through it all — A people remain who will remember the Name. And they will be like a flicker of light in the darkness, as they live for a Kingdom whose builder and maker is God.
May we be that people:
Who long for justice. Bow their knee at the voice of God, and Love the smell of mercy.
A few small questions to help you and your family reflect:
How many empires do you know of?
How many of those empires are still there today?
Children, tell your parents in your own words what you think Pride means, and what do think Humility means?
Discuss this scripture from Isaiah 40 with your family — “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of the Lord will stand forever.”
I look forward to seeing you next time. With Jeremiah, we will discover more about the God who is in charge of History and is interested in your story.
Stay tuned, see you next time.
To be continued
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This publication is reader supported, the ‘Buy me a coffee’ feature is a simple way to show your appreciation. I hope you feel inspired and ready for more to come. The next episode will delve into the lives of two men, trying to make their world a better place, one through outward reform and effort, and the other by the Spirit of God.
I look forward to seeing you next time. The image below is the cover image for a song I wrote, inspired by Jeremiah. Check it out HERE :)
And if you made it this far please feel free to contact me and we can connect !!
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