There was already a clear indication in the previous passage (Jeremiah 25:1–14) that the Lord’s judgment had a much wider scope than just Judah. That reality is made explicit in this passage (Jeremiah 25:15–38) as the scope of the Lord’s judgment is clearly expanded beyond Judah. This says as much about the Lord as it does about Judah. Judah’s fate must be understood in the light of who the Lord is. He is the judge of all nations and the Babylonian invasion of Judah must be understood in the context of the Lord working out his plans and purposes, not just for Judah, but for the whole world.
The image that dominates the first part of this passage in Jeremiah 25:15–29 is the cup of the wine of wrath
that comes from the hand of the Lord. Jeremiah is the Lord’s cupbearer who is to take the cup and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.
The cup
is often used in Scripture to symbolize the portion that the Lord gives to each person. There are occasions when it represents blessing (see Psalm 16:5; Psalm 23:5; Psalm 116:13), but more commonly it speaks of judgment (see Psalm 11:6; Psalm 75:9; Isaiah 51:17, Isaiah 51:22; Lamentations 4:21; Ezekiel 23:31–34; Habakkuk 2:16).1
15 Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.