The people of Judah had rebelled against the principles upon which their
nation had been founded and fallen from grace. Judah had turned its back
upon God and rejected any attempt by those sent to her to call her back. As
promised, God withdrew His protection from her. He had warned that if His
people became faithless that He would employ a pagan power to conquer them
and lead them back into captivity. He had led them from Egyptian bondage 800
years before, and now, because of their infidelity, He would allow them to
return to bondage; this time in Babylon.
They had refused to believe it could ever happen to them. They found their
own false prophets to tell them that everything was fine. They ridiculed
Jeremiah and others who warned of the devastation to come. The Lord spoke
through Jeremiah and put it this way; "Behold, I will send and take all
the families of the north...and I will send Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon...against this land and against its inhabitants...and this whole
land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the
king of Babylon seventy years." (Jeremiah 25:9-11).
Indeed, history shows us that the words of Jeremiah turned into fact as they
were fulfilled down to the last detail. The desolation began with the fall
of Jerusalem to Babylon in 606 A.D. and the first deportation of the best of
the land into slavery on foreign soil. In this number was Daniel who later
would also be a prophet while a servant of Nebuchadnezzar. Further
deportations followed and finally Jerusalem was destroyed, just as the
prophets had warned. It was seventy years in exile before the repentant
remnant of the people of God were permitted to go back home and begin to
rebuild their devastated cities. It would be the Persians who allowed the
rebuilding to begin by a remnant of what was left of Judah and Israel in 536
B.C. This was, of course, 70 years later just as the prophet had said.
Believers in God are not surprised to find such prophetic accuracy in the
pages of the Bible. It is exciting for us to investigate such fulfillments
as it deepens our respect for our God's power and wisdom. After Jeremiah's
prophecy began to be fulfilled by the first deportation into slavery,
Jeremiah wrote a letter to those serving in Babylon. These were sad people
who had lost everything; their homes, freedom and in many cases were
separated from their families. They were brought to live in a strange land
with strange customs and language. Jeremiah's instructions to these exiles
seem pertinent to God's people today as we are also exiles in a manner of
speaking.
God's Advice to the Exiles-Jeremiah
29:1
The New Testament tells us that men and women of faith have always looked at
this world as only a temporary home. We are invited to approach life with
the same attitude as Abraham and others of faith. “All these died in
faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having
welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers
and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that
they are seeking a country of their own. But as it is, they desire a better
country, that is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God; for he has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16).
Our stay in this world is only temporary; relatively speaking. It
corresponds well to the seventy years that Judah spent in exile in Babylon
away from their home. It makes little sense to live with every focus on the
things of this world when the time we spend here is so fleeting compared to
the vastness of eternity. "And if you address the Father as the One who
impartially judges according to each man's work, conduct yourselves in fear
during the time of your stay upon the earth...Beloved, I urge you as aliens
and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the
soul." (I Peter 1:17; 2:11).
Accepting Life as it Comes-Jeremiah
29:4-7
Sometimes we are called upon to face tremendous difficulties as a result of
our choosing to follow Jesus. Jeremiah told the exiles of his day to live as
normal lives as possible. He also told them to pray for the welfare of the
city which had taken them captive, much in the same way as Jesus tells us to
pray for our enemies as well as for our government. The New Testament tells
us to let our lives be examples to others (I Peter 2:12).
Patience is a Virtue-Jeremiah 29:10
I am sure that seventy years seemed like a long time for the people, but
that is what had been decreed. There would be no short cuts. God knew how
long and how much. When Daniel saw the seventy years drawing to a close, he
was concerned because he saw no evidence that the captivity was ending.
Gabriel answered Daniel's prayer about this and assured him that all would
be brought about in due time, according to the Lord' word. History affirms
that it was (Daniel 9:1-5; 16-18).
God also knows how long our exile here will last. The Son of God will one
day appear in the clouds to take the exiles home; "...because He has
fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man
whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from
the dead." (Acts 17:31). We are encouraged to be patient and wait for
that day; to never give up because the day of our homecoming has already
been decided.
Trust God in Everything-Jeremiah
29:11-14
Through all of life's hardships there is one absolutely secure place wherein
we can place our hope and future. God assured the exiles of Jeremiah's day
that He loved them. Even in their bleakest hour God was there and
influencing events toward their proper conclusion. He is still there today.
His plans for our future fill us with hope (1 Peter 1:8,9)
Beware of False Hopes-Jeremiah 29:8,9
It was something people really wanted to believe. The false prophets were
telling them that they would be going home soon; it would not take seventy
years. They were insisting that captivity would soon be over and there were
probably many ears happy to hear the news. But it wasn't true!
Today we have the modern counterparts of these false prophets. Some promise
to make you well if you send them money. Some say they know when Jesus will
come when the Bible says no one knows. Some say God does not exist and that
there will never be a judgment and so you can live however you want to
without regret. Some say human beings are simply uppity apes. Some say if
you do not get your life right this time, you will come back again
reincarnated as another person. The truth of God is better than the lies of
men.
We are exiles. Sometime we sing a song: “This World Is Not My Home”
that looks to beyond this life to something better; eternal in nature,
prepared for us by the Son of God. Here we are exiles, but we are headed for
home. The journey there will be a success for those who travel the road by
faith.
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From The Bradley Banner 1/20/2008
Published by the Bradley Church of Christ
1505 E. Broadway