Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
29 This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
I don't like quick fixes; I like simple fixes, but the quick ones bother me; almost every time someone suggests a quick fix, I know we will be back here quickly fixing it again in a few months, if not sooner. However, it is hard not to want the quick fix; we watch television shows where they solve the world's problems in 30 minutes, really 22 minutes with 8 minutes of commercials. Advertisements promise you will lose 15 pounds in weeks without diet or exercise, take this online course to learn how to make six figures almost overnight. Millions of people play the lottery even though we have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than winning. We want the quick fix because it makes us feel good no matter the reality of the situation.
Jeremiah is dealing with the results of a quick-fix mentality in scripture. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the Hebrews in Babylonia captivity; the whole letter is verses 1-23. Jeremiah wrote the letter in chapter 29 because of what another prophet did in chapter 28.
The Hebrews were captured, and in chapter 28, Hananiah prophesied that this dire situation would be over quickly and easily; he said that they would be out of captivity in less than two years. Things would be back to what they were real soon, don't worry, we will be back in Israel in less than two years. Jeremiah had a vision of a yoke on the people's necks, meaning the people had to work and work hard. Hananiah prophesied the yoke was broken. Jeremiah prophesied that people needed to figure out how to live under King Nebuchadnezzar; Hananiah prophesied the leader would be removed. Hananiah died a year after making his prophecy.
Hananiah's prophecy removed blame from the people and absolved them of personal responsibility. We don't have a book of Hananiah; we have a book of Jeremiah, though.
God told Moses in Deuteronomy 28 before the people entered the promised land that this would happen. Prophets told the people of God to change their ways 800 years before Babylon took them over.
It's easier to reminisce about Israel, blame Nebuchadnezzar, or think this situation is temporary than to do any substantial work to change it.
Psalm 137:1-4
137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it.
3 For there, those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, and those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
Nebuchadnezzar is not absolved of what he and the Babylonians did; we just can't sit around blaming them without any action. This prophet told those who moped that God says, "Your old life is dead. Your new life is to be found in Babylon. Deal with it. Settle down. Adjust!" Jeremiah did not want the people to have false optimism .
There is no quick fix; you will have to change your behavior in Babylon with new people, new land, and more work. Things were nice in Israel, but we are not in Israel anymore and won't be back anytime soon. Reach out to the people around you right now. You may not like your present situation, but your survival depends on accepting it.
Paul said in 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Hebrews might have a few things they want.
• They might wish they still had the temple. But they don't.
• They might wish they still lived within the walls of Jerusalem. But they don't.
• They might wish they could still drink the wine of their own vineyards. But they can't.
• They might wish they could sing their songs in Judah, but they can't.
Admiral James Stockdale spent 1965-1973 as a prisoner of war in a camp sarcastically called the Hanoi Hilton. Stockdale was the highest-ranking US military officer in a camp with no prisoner rights, no set release date, and no hope that any prisoner would even get out alive. The Vietnamese Army used prisoners as propaganda.
In his book "Good to Great," author Jim Collins asked Stockdale this question: Who didn't make it out? "Oh, that's easy," said Stockdale. "It was the optimists."
"The optimists were the ones who said, "we're going to be out by Christmas. Christmas came and went. Then they'd say, "we're going to be out by Easter," and Easter would come, and it would go. The optimists would pin their dates on Thanksgiving, then Christmas again, and eventually, "they died of a broken heart."
"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end. Instead, you must confront the most brutal facts of your reality, whatever they might be." And that's what Stockdale did to survive the prisoner camp.
Therefore, Jeremiah's advice to the Jewish people in exile — and by extension to us — is to do two things. First, decide if we're "here" (wherever "here" is) in the will of God, and second, if so, settle into life as though we're here for life — or until God moves us on. Jeremiah's counsel is that in life, the circumstances in which we find ourselves are not always amenable to an easy solution. It might be best to adapt to your surroundings, adjust to make life bearable, and adopt the lifestyle that's the social norm for your neighborhood.
This does not mean you compromise your faith but are willing to take the long view. This problem, situation, and context are here to stay for the indefinite future.
When we find ourselves in a new place, new life, or new experience, we should decide how we can live a meaningful life within the situation rather than outside of the situation.
Settle into the land and make a community with the people in the area. Look at what you have around you and put it to use, don't spend a bunch of time and energy talking about what you used to have in Jerusalem; work on the land you live in right now. There are resources and opportunities all around us, but as long as we keep saying we can't do anything, we will be right.
There is still time to grow; there is still time to change; just because you are in Babylon doesn't mean you cannot grow. Peace is a state of mind, not just a location or a status. Shalom is used throughout the passage, applying it to all walks of life. God is present and active with the people even in a foreign land. God is concerned about their spiritual and their physical welfare. God didn't just say keep praying; God said work the land, start some families, build homes on the land you currently live in.
God is with you in Babylon and Jerusalem, in Baghdad and Boston; move beyond God bless America to God bless me everywhere.
Admiral Stockdale said to Jim Collins: "I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would get out; that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which in retrospect, I would not trade."
Hope in an uncertain future. I can tell you it will be alright because I told you that you would have to work for it.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
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