2022.12.04 Beautiful Waiting?

Beautiful Waiting?

Psalm 27: 7-14 • Jeremiah 29:3b–14

We church folk often quote one verse from today’s Jeremiah passage, and then we try to apply it outside the original context, so I want to return to that context today.

You have likely heard this single passage quoted numerous times:

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 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.

Then, it’s likely applied to your present life situation in a general sense … as if calamity should never befall God’s people. Yet, calamity befalls God’s people ALL THE TIME!!!

So have the Scriptures lied to us?

Here is where context is very important!

Look at the verses from the beginning of this chapter:

Jeremiah 29:1 NLT

1 Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

The circumstance is that the nation of Judah has been taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar. If you think your life stinks … imagine being removed from your home, taken out of the country, and transplanted into a foreign land where you don’t know the people, the geography, the language, or anything else! THAT is the situational context for this passage.

Jeremiah 29:2 NLT

2 This was after King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Judah, and all the craftsmen and artisans had been deported from Jerusalem.

The king, the queen mother, and all of the officials … every figurehead, and all of the craftsmen and artists have been taken away. They’ve lost a war, and Jerusalem lies in ruins. Who's gonna lead the rebuilding? Certainly not the established leaders! Who will DO the rebuilding? Certainly not the craftsmen or the artisans!

The country is destroyed, and there is NO HOPE for a recovery. No one is coming to help them. Babylon has removed anything and anyone of value, and left the rest to just survive on their own.

Jeremiah 29:3 NLT

3 He sent the letter with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah when they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah’s ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:

So, the remnant is sending ambassadors to the Babylonian king, and the prophet Jeremiah sends this letter with them, as ambassadors of the Jewish remnant.

There’s the context:

Life is awful!

We’ve lost EVERYthing!

We have no leaders left, so we send a son of a priest to plead … um … I mean … negotiate with Nebuchadnezzar. And he already conquered us, so we have ZERO negotiating position.

For what it’s worth, one of the people Jeremiah sends his letter to is Gemariah son of Hilkiah. Jeremiah is also son of Hilkiah … so this one brother was taken and the other has been left behind. When the Babylonians conquered Judah, Jeremiah was in prison because the people didn’t like him warning them about the exile that was coming. Jeremiah was left behind. He was seen as a nobody by the conquerors, while his brother was taken away as valuable!

Do you see the desperation?

And Jeremiah’s letter says, Yahweh is saying this to those who’ve been taken away to Babylon:

settle in

build houses

plant gardens

marry and have children

plan to be here a long time

You will be in Babylon for SEVENTY YEARS!

Jeremiah 29:10–11 NLT

10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Well --- whoopity dooo! Thanks a LOT, God!

If I were one receiving this letter, I would probably be tempted to walk away and look for another God … there were plenty around. Just pull a new one off the shelf and give him a shot.

Beautiful Waiting?

Well let me suggest that we have a lot more in common with the remnant in Jerusalem than we may think.

Has our economy been devastated?

Is our infrastructure shabby after years of neglect?

Does it feel like the good leaders have all been taken away?

Hear the word of the Lord:

settle in

build houses

plant gardens

marry and have children

plan to be here a very long time

Our Advent Devotion on Friday includes this quote from Henri Nouwen:

“Patience comes from the word “patior” which means to suffer. To wait patiently therefore means to allow our weeping and wailing to become the purifying preparation by which we are made ready to receive the joy which is promised to us.”

"On that day!” On that day, all will be set right. The unrighteous will be judged. The righteous will be rewarded. On that day, our God will set in place the reign of his son … but we must wait.

Our Psalter reading says:

Psalm 27:14 NLT

14 Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Beautiful Waiting?

The culmination for which we wait is not a military victory, or a return to ‘normal’ after an exile, or after COVID or any other disruption.

The culmination for which we wait is the return of Jesus … the second coming of Christ!

Wait patiently for Yahweh’s promise to be fulfilled! Be brave and courageous, and wait patiently.

My first car was a beater. It was a piece of junk … but it was mine! It was sweet because my work and waiting had paid off.

Perhaps your first house was similar.

I spent a LONG time in school. Graduation was sooo sweet for me!

Friends, there is a day coming. The Jews were told they would wait seventy years. We don’t know how long we’ll wait. We just know the day grows closer with each passing day.

The waiting is miserable at times. But our god has been faithful with all of his other promises, so waiting seems like our only reasonable option.

[shift to Communion Slide]

We have read about God’s mighty acts in Christ Jesus. We have heard of his marvelous works among people of our own time. Many of us have experienced the grace and mercy of our God through Jesus throughout our lives.

As we come to the table this morning, we are anticipating not only Christmas. We are anticipating the culmination of our faith. We are anticipating the moment when we will sit at Jesus’ table in his presence, and share this meal together.

Until that day … we have this meal of remembrance.

And in memory of these your mighty acts in Jesus, we offer ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice.

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