The Letter

Settle Down

(NRSV)

Jeremiah’s Letter to the Exiles in Babylon

29 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. In this passage, so you can better understand, there was stories of a revolt against the Babylonian society that was holding the people in exile.

It is difficult to live in the world without feeling contaminated by the world, right? The letter is written by Jeremiah and he has preached the message to these captive people for many years. The words contained in the letter would have reminded the people of what he had told them in the past.

English Standard Version Chapter 29

4 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 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. 7 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.

So, to anyone who has ever been exiled. First of all, I want you to know that being reappointed to a new church can feel like being exiled. Now don’t take that wrongly, we love it here, but it does take time to adjust.

I want you to know that God’s people were getting signs and messages from Jeremiah concerning their fate. They were not paying attention to these signs, but know that they getting signs. Do you think the church here is getting signs? As your pastor, I want to find people here willing to listen to signs. A vision team wanting to pay attention to these signs and help to lead and direct the church in the direction we should go.

Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet because God continually lead him to preach a message that the people would not hear. Yet notice what happened when they would not listen. Exile.

Now when the people were taken in captivity look and see who claims responsibility. “the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon”. This reminded me of terrorists attacks and how they claim responsibility. Terrorists do things to cause a reaction, right? we are all shocked by what they are willing to do to cause a reaction, and the more horrific the act of terrorism the more likely the reaction.

I,m going to get a little political here, but know that I am not claiming a position here, just making a point. Terrorists here in the U.S. over the past few years have targeted our citizens with gunfire. Perhaps they have different reasons for this but the results have the same impact; people are calling for change. The resistance is the same as well. You will take the punishment of exile usually until it is you who are exiled. Having someone else be exiled to show you how you need to change usually has little impact on you. I could preach for months concerning the homeless situation in Chicago, but until you become homeless you will have a million reasons why you cannot help.

The people of God had the same or similar response, as Jeremiah continually gave them the message but they paid little attention. Now I invite you to think about what Jeremiah is told to tell them next. “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”. Now I ask you, does this sound like a short term problem?

When someone becomes homeless do you think there are signs? I think there are but I have gotten those signs myself and I am not homeless, yet. Signs might be, “I don’t have the money to pay this months house payment-but I will make it up”

Verse 7 might be the most concerning verse of this passage, “ 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”.

So what does this verse tell the exiles to do? 1. Seek the welfare where I have sent you.

2. Pray for them. Could you imagine praying for people who just took you captive? 3. Lastly, their welfare is where you shall find your welfare.I worked for years in the secular world and never prayed for my job. I never really thought how their prosperity was directly connected to my prosperity.