Jeremiah
had written on a scroll about all the disasters that would come upon
Babylon—all that had been recorded concerning Babylon. He said to Seraiah, “When
you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud. 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.’ When you finish reading this scroll,
tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates. Then
say, ‘So will Babylon sink to rise no more because of the disaster I will bring
on her. And her people will fall.’” Jeremiah 51:60-64
Jeremiah had
the scroll with all the prophecies against Babylon thrown out as sort of a “mic
drop.” The words of prophecy ended on that
note. It was like saying “enough said,” “time’s
up,” “in your face.”
He also wanted
that scroll tied to a rock and thrown into the Euphrates as a symbol of the “sinking”
of Babylon. Jeremiah showed how Babylon
would drown and not be rescued.
It was all
done for show, but it made the point very clear to all who saw it.