What To Do When You Are In Exile, Part 2
Jeremiah 29:1-14
by S. M. Henriques
Arthur went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to be bowed in silent prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip of the tongue five times in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, "Never again, what a bunch of clods and hypocrites!”
George went to that same church that same Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of "A Mighty Fortress" and he thrilled at the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that this church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children of Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday--it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, "How can a man come here and not feel the presence of God?"
Both men went to the same church, on the same Sunday morning. Each found what he was looking for. What do we look for on Sunday morning? [James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited(Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1988), p. 409. Names were changed to something OTHER than those in my church!]
You may have heard that little story before, but I tell it to you today to emphasize the point that this particular passage of Scripture has some wonderful truths in it. These are truths that we can see; we can pick them up, study them, take them into our hearts, be encouraged by them, and live by them. Or we can say to ourselves, “That preacher is still preaching from Jeremiah 29? Doesn’t he know that there are other books in the Bible?” It depends on what you are looking for, doesn’t it?
Last week, we looked at “What To Do When You Are In Exile.” Jeremiah 29 begins with a letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent to the Hebrew people who had been carried away into exile by Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king. Men who claimed to have insight into what God was doing were telling them not to worry—they wouldn’t be there very long. But through Jeremiah, God’s real message was “I never sent them. You’re actually going to be there a long time.” But to show them that He had not abandoned them, that He really did have a plan for them, God gave them some very practical instructions as to what they should be doing in the meantime.
We found in this passage some very practical instructions for ourselves, too. None of us have ever been in exile, of course, but we can identify with the feeling. Things have turned sour, and we are buried underneath a load of circumstances that we did not choose. We feel like prisoners of war. You know the feeling, whether it be a health crisis, a problem at home, job stress, or some other situation that just doesn’t seem to get any better and won’t go away. What can we do in the meantime?
Last week, we examined three things that we pick up fro m this passage. First, we should face reality, and don’t try to deceive ourselves into thinking things are different. Then, we should refuse to give up, and plan for the future. At the end of the message last week, we took these things on as “homework,” to work on these during the week. How did you do? Today, though, we turn to the rest of the “assignment.” There are other things we can do:
4. Make a positive contribution, v. 7
Now look at verse 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. God was saying to them that for as long as you are there, be sure to do your best to contribute something positive. Make your mark for good while you are there. Be the kind of influence those people need. Don’t just pass the time.
The idea here is that Jeremiah is encouraging the people to establish relationships with the people of Babylon. In fact, the phrase peace and prosperity includes a wide range of things, among them health, blessing, prosperity, basic needs, and satisfaction. This is the Hebrew word shalom, which most of us recognize as being the word for peace. The whole idea here is that this is to be a genuine attempt at friendship, even affection, for their captives. “You’re going to be there for awhile,” God seems to be saying, “so get about the business of loving your enemies.” That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? They were to stop thinking of themselves as prisoners of war.
In our circumstances, we also need to be working to bring peace to those around us. We may not like the situation we’re in, and we may not particularly like the people we feel are responsible for it. But God’s Word says that we are to go out of our ways to make a positive contribution to their lives.
But that is not all. God also tells them to pray for the city. The reasoning is simple: If the city prospers, they will, too! That sounds a little selfish, but it is in fact only practical and common sense. When we are in our own exile, more than ever do we need to pray for those with whom we are in conflict, because that is when it is most needed. We are in exile, but don’t just pass the time. We need to stop seeing ourselves as victims, and set about to leave a mark for good. When the exile ends, others should be able to look back and say, “She didn’t let the circumstances of life weigh her down. He was as faithful during adversity as he was before the trouble came.”
5. Be discriminating, vv. 8-9
Once the Devil was walking along with one of his cohorts. They saw a man ahead of them pick up something shiny. "What did he find?" asked the cohort. "A piece of the truth," the Devil replied.
"Doesn’t it bother you that he found a piece of the truth?" asked the cohort. "No," said the Devil, "I will see to it that he makes a religion out of it." Klyne Snodgrass, Between Two Truths - Living with Biblical Tensions, 1990, Zondervan Publishing House, p. 35.
Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
Here is what was going on. False prophets among the Hebrews had been telling them that they would only be there for a couple of years. They only had a piece of the truth, and they were using it to their own personal advantage. The people were being misled into thinking that any plans should only be short-term. But there is an interesting word used here. In verse 8, the word deceive is actually the word for debt. What is the connection? The idea here is of something that traps. Debt acts as a snare, pulling us in and trapping us so that we cannot get out. The deception of the false prophets was the same—the people liked what they heard from them: “Just a little while longer! It will all be over soon!” And because that message appealed to them, they were lured in.
But God said to them, “Don’t listen to them!” He means, “Don’t even give them an audience. Don’t seek their advice. Don’t look to them for guidance.” When you and I are in exile, more than ever we need to pay attention to the truth. We need to learn how to filter out the noise of turmoil, and listen very carefully and lovingly to the Voice of our Heavenly Father.
Sometimes we are lured in very easily. Two brothers were getting ready to boil some eggs to color for Easter. "I’ll give you a dollar if you let me break three of these on your head," said the older one. "Promise?" asked the younger. "Promise!" Gleefully, the older boy broke two eggs over his brother’s head.
Standing stiff for fear the gooey mess would get all over him, the little boy asked, "When is the third egg coming?" "It’s not," replied the brother. "That would cost me a dollar."
There are times when we are not discriminating enough with the choices we make, and like the little boy with the promise of a dollar within reach, we believe that we’ll get what we want.
Dr. Clarence Bass, professor emeritus at Bethel Thelolgical Seminary, early in his ministry preached in a church in Los Angeles. He thought he had done quite well as he stood at the door greeting people as they left the sanctuary. The remarks about his preaching were complimentary. That is, until a little old man commented, "You preached too long." Dr. Bass wasn’t fazed by the remark, especially in light of the many positive comments. "You didn’t preach loud enough," was another negative comment; it was from the same little old man. Dr. Bass thought it strange that the man had come through the line twice, but when the same man came through the line a third time and exclaimed, "You used too many big words" --this called for some explanation. Dr. Bass sought out a deacon who stood nearby and asked him, "Do you see that little old man over there? Who is he?"
"Don’t pay any attention to him," the deacon replied. "All he does is go around and repeat everything he hears." Pulpit and Bible Study Helps, Vol.16, #5, p. 1. Be discriminating about the things you allow into your heart and life, especially while in exile.
6. Remember God’s promises, vv. 10-11
This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
The word translated plans deserves some attention. It is true that in some places this word is used for thoughts or plans, and we know that God’s thoughts toward us are beyond description or comprehension. However, it is also the same word used in Exodus 31:2-4 where God told Moses of the various skills of the people that would be put to use in constructing the tabernacle. “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze. All the skill and artistry of those individuals would be put to use to make something exquisitely beautiful. I do not believe it is coincidence that God uses the same word here, in describing the plan He had for the Hebrew people. It was an artistic design, one which had been carefully designed and would be exquisitely beautiful for them.
The same is true for us today. In a hymn, there are usually four parts to be sung. If we only sing the bass line by itself, we do not hear the melody. It can be pretty boring. Only when it is combined with the rest of the parts do we hear the beautiful harmony intended by the composer. Like the composer of an eternal symphony, our loving God has arranged the various parts of our lives to provide the most beautiful harmony possible. It is not just a half-hearted, last-minute idea. Sometimes we only hear one part or one instrument playing in our lives, but one day we will hear the entire orchestra, sounding out the original melody God had in mind.
When I was in the sixth grade at Oak Forest Elementary School in Jackson, Mississippi, our music teacher was named Miss Larsen. All sixth graders were required to sing in the choir; it was a class that we all went to. Miss Larsen decided that we would have a Christmas program, and so we started early in the Fall to learn the songs. Because we sixth grade boys were only twelve years old, most of us could not sing the bass line. So she had the boys singing the alto line, with the girls singing the soprano line. I remember being so excited about the upcoming program, and how it all sounded when we put the two parts together, that I would often sing in the shower when I was getting ready for school. My mother would take as much of it as she could, before she would tell me to stop singing and finish getting ready for school. She told me on more than one occasion that I sounded like a dying cow. However, when the night came for our program, and the sounds of the little girls singing the soprano part, and the little boys singing the alto part filled the school auditorium, my mother sat there with her mouth hanging open. She remarked later that after hearing me rehearse while in the shower, she never dreamed that it would ever sound as beautiful as it did.
The problem was that she was only hearing the alto line, sung by a sixth grade boy. The problem with us many times is that we are only hearing the discordant notes of life as we move through it, without understanding that there is much more music to this score.
7. Seek God with all your heart, vv. 12-13
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
The people were in a very difficult time, no question about it. Though they were free to plant gardens, build houses and raise families, this was far from being an easy life. But God was telling them that when He began to work His plan for them, they would seek Him with all their hearts—and they would find Him! But let’s connect this with another passage:
25 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God and provoking him to anger, 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. 29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. (Dt 4:25-29, NIV)
Isn’t that amazing? Years and years before they were actually carried away into captivity by the Babylonians, God told them it would happen if they turned away from Him. Yet even then He told them that they could find God while in exile if they sought Him with all their hearts. It doesn’t take much thought for us to connect this with our day. In our difficult times and places to which we feel we have been exiled, God says to us that we can find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts.
So where do you find yourself? In problems that rise past your head? In circumstances so deep and sticky that you feel you can hardly lift your feet? You have several options to solve it: You could seek the advice of friends and family. You could tell somebody off, and you’d probably feel better for a few minutes, at least. You could sit down and do absolutely nothing. Or you could take matters into your own hands and barrel through it, hoping that perhaps something will change by sheer force of will. Some have found that those tactics have worked for them in the past.
But the Bible way is to seek God’s heart and face, chase after Him in a relentless pursuit, engaging your entire heart and soul until you find Him. God tells us that we can pray to Him, and He will listen to us. God tells us that when we give up half-hearted Christianity, and seek Him with all our hearts, we can find Him. We might feel as though we’ve been carried off as a prisoner of war, but God says even there, we can find Him. We might have been overwhelmed with sorrow, guilt, grief or failure, but God says that even then we can find Him. God says that even when we are besieged with physical problems we still can find Him.
Face reality. Don’t give up. Plan for the future. Make a positive contribution. Be discriminating. Remember God’s promises. Seek God with all your heart. God may be preparing you, as He was the Hebrews, for a new beginning.
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