We left Judah yesterday in Babylon:
Judah went into exile, orphaned from her land. (2 Kings 25.21, MSG)
Gedaliah is appointed governor, but he is assassinated. There is more detail on this period in Jeremiah, including this command:
This is the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to what was left of the elders among the exiles, to the priests and prophets and all the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem, including King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the government leaders, and all the skilled laborers and craftsmen. The letter was carried by Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. The letter said:
This is the Message from GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and make yourselves at home. Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away. Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare. Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.” (Jeremiah 29.1 – 7, MSG)
Judah was not scattered like the Northern Kingdom. They were intact in Babylon. And it wasn’t going to be a short stay. This is the present condition, and their instruction on how to live in this condition is simple: be normal:
- Build houses and make yourselves at home
- Put in gardens and eat the produce
- Marry and have children – you and your children
- Work for the country’s welfare and pray for Babylon’s well-being
Say what? But we want to return to Jerusalem now! We’ve learned our lesson. Trust us! Nope. We’ll read about their coming back when we get to Ezra and Nehemiah but that’s 70 years away.
This is GOD’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29.10, 11, MSG)
Many believe the application is for the church today. In the US we used to think we were the leading edge of God’s nation here in North America. If that were ever so, it is certainly not so anymore. The church is in exile. Work for the good of the city where you live. I like the tagline of First Presbyterian Church, Colorado Springs:
Light and Life for the City
firstprescos.org/what-we-believe
The Jews weren’t “home,” and neither are we:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5.13 – 16, ESV)
Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night. (Philippians 2.15, MSG)