The Prophet's call for a Pilgrim Mindset Vs. Babylon's Call to Forget: Jeremiah #18
Inspired by Jeremiah chapter 29 - and yes, you are in Babylon if you're reading this on earth
Hi lovely people, as always, I encourage you to open your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 29. This is a stand alone piece, but feel free to look back through the Archives as we walk through Jeremiah and Other books of the Bible.
HEAVENLY CITIZENSHIP
Perhaps this whole piece could all be summed up with one passage where Jesus prays for believers being sent “into the world” but not being “of the world”. In John 17: Jesus emphasizes a different life for his followers than ‘ordinary’ earthly citizens. The suggestions is that the life on earth can be lived either with an earthly mindset, or a heavenly one. He prays that we, as believers, would not be choked up with cares, worries, and pleasures found on earth … but rather walk in communion with God, being One with Him even as Christ is One with the Father.1
SOME CONTEXT TO THE READING (Jeremiah 29)
The year is around 594 B.C, a few years earlier King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has invaded Jerusalem, taking captive all the Judean Elites, including the Royal Court, it’s officials, and craftsman.
Jeremiah now writes a letter which was carried by King Zedekiah’s (A Puppet King) delegates to Babylon, likely during a time of diplomatic tension.
Amidst false hopes and false prophesies of a quick return to Jerusalem, Jeremiah’s letter advises the exiles to settle down, “seek the welfare” of their conquerors, and prepare for a 70-year captivity. Yes, that’s 2 generations of being captive in a foreign Land.
But the most important thing is that this advice, comes with a promise!
ADVICE, WITH A PROMISE
In this chapter, Jeremiah says:
“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”2
It’s worth noting that people like Daniel and Esther, took this advice. As you read their stories you will see the Godly influence they had on the empire and the world at the time. Based on their stories, how important do you think it is for Christians today to be involved in every level of Society, influencing it’s welfare for good and for God?
There was a problem though, many people took Jeremiah’s advice while at the same time neglecting the Promise of God. Historians differ on the percentage of exiles returning to Jerusalem, but all agree it was no more than 10%, some say as low as 2.5% decided to come back.
Why so few? What kept more than 90% of Israelites in Babylon when the 70 years were complete?
There were obviously lots of reasons related to economic stability, the uncertainty of returning, the fact that Babylon was a culturally rich place to be. But when I think of why Babylon swallowed up the promise of God for so many, one word sticks to my mind as I write: Half-hearted!
Stay with me here. Many of us have heard the verse from this chapter: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”3 Yet without context we lose the impact of this verse, firstly, that the promise was for a future period 70 years away. (Which means that how we live today has a major impact on how our children and their children will live. What they will value, and what they will despise). The men and women whom God commended for their faith did not receive the promise of God in their lifetime.4 But walking in faithfulness to God is bigger than what we see in the here and now.
Jeremiah’s says something vital in this letter, encouraging the exiles to “seek the Lord with all your heart” in doing so: “He would reveal Himself”. I love this, it doesn’t say, “seek him, and then you will find Him” but rather that “He will find you.” The most amazing thing about this verse is that God would meet them in Babylon. No Temple! No Sacrifices! But a whole heart after God! This was the requirement, and this, my friends, points towards the New Covenant, a covenant that would be with the heart and not written on tablets of stone. God is the expert at bringing good, out of unwanted and tough situations. And here is is preparing His people for a covenant of the heart, while being stuck in a foreign land. So how can we apply this to our lives today?
WHOLEHEARTED CITIZEN
“Seek the Lord with all your heart?” Hmmm — I have been given this advice before, and I remember thinking. How do I do this? How do I seek the Lord with all my heart?
I am not saying this is the complete answer, but I will use two scriptures in particular that have helped me: The first is in the Beatitudes, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.5 The Biblical pure heart is very much linked to an undivided heart. In other words, a heart that is not loving God while something (anything) else is being loved at the same time. Just think of Marriage, what wife would readily accept the husband’s love being shared with another wife? The vice versa applies too. So let our hearts be undivided for God.
The second verse that helps me is from Hebrews where:
“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.”6
When we know who and what we are living for, we can endure anything. Our eyes can look to the future (even a future Kingdom), as we commit ourselves to representing God’s heart on earth: His hands, His Feet, His mouthpiece, His heart.
FAITHFUL IN THE TRIAL, FAITH TOWARD THE PROMISE
So let us be encouraged to continue and persevere, remaining faithful to God in the Babylon of our age, knowing that God’s Kingdom is what we are truly living for. Our true citizenship. As Daniel, as Joseph, let us be those who seek the Lord with all our hearts, and in doing so we will shine in a shake-able earthly Kingdom, as our eyes remain fixed on an Unshakeable Heavenly One.
Let us Pray
Lord, as I pray for your Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven, help me to be a part of that change. As a pilgrim on this earth, let my values and my priorities align with You and Your Kingdom, and let this Truth shine through me, with the love of Christ.
Amen
See John chapter 17, a beautiful prayer that applies to us today.
Jeremiah 29: 4 - 11
Jeremiah 29:11 And one of the most quoted verses today, definitely taken out of context most of the time.
Hebrews 11 verse 39
Matthew chapter 5, The Sermon on the Mount
Hebrews chapter 11. Amazing chapter worth reading it all.