| Jeremiah 51:17 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.
God's Perspective
When I read Jeremiah 51, I am struck by the fact that God is speaking through one man, Jeremiah, and addresses kings, kingdoms, and empires. He talks of those of antiquity, those of the present, and those yet unborn. He speaks of a past and of prophecies as if they were the same day. When I realize that God has a perspective that exceeds my own, it lends a little serenity to my day.
God's perspective exceeds my own in the matter of time. Jeremiah 51:17 says, "Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood and there is no breath in them." Man, compared to God and His knowledge and wisdom, is like a beast. There's so much man does not know.
Jeremiah 51:19 speaks of God being before all things: He is timeless. God spoke the world into existence at the beginning, and He also waits in the future. Remember that while we fuss and worry about time, God is a master of timing. Sometimes we think God is taking too long. Sometimes we think God acts too quickly. But that's because we don't have God's perspective. You can trust God's perspective regarding time.
God also has a superior perspective when it comes to the purpose of life. In verse 20 He speaks to the conqueror and says, "Thou art my battle ax and weapons of war." This shows that regardless of our short sightedness on our purpose in life, God has a grand perspective. God has given us free will, but at the end of the day God reigns. Conquerors like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus may have thought that their purpose was to rule the world, but God ruled them. They were nothing but tools in His hands. That's important to remember about ourselves and those around us. God is in control. He has a different perspective regarding time and purpose.
Lastly, God has a different perspective on reward. It is easy to think that the evil prosper and the righteous suffer, but the truth is, God is a God of recompense. In the last part of verse 33 God says of Babylon, "Yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come." And again of Israel in verse 5, "For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God." So whether it be for good or for evil, God is the righteous judge of all creation. There is much you can't see today, and that may worry and hurry you. But remember that God is neither worried nor hurried, and you can trust Him for your day, your life, and for eternity.
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