Oracles against the Nations: The next six chapters contain Jeremiah’s oracles against the nations. We are reminded that Jeremiah’s commission appointed him not just over Judah, but “over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (1:10). Similar types of oracles may be found in Isaiah 13–23; Ezekiel 25–32; Amos 1–2; Nahum, and Obadiah. Up to this point, his prophecies have been directed toward Judah announcing judgment against God’s people because they broke their covenant with God. The foreign nations up to this point have been pawns in God’s strategy of bringing judgment. This is particularly true of Babylon, the nation God used to destroy Jerusalem. Nevertheless, by using them, God has not given them a “free pass” from accountability. …