Dear Cornerstone Family,
Last week in our new adult Sunday School class, Built to Last: Enduring Faith in Turbulent Times, we considered the relevance of the prophet Jeremiah’s words to Israelites exiled in Babylon under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. These Israelites grew up in a place where God was worshipped and where the law of the land—business practices, educational commitments, civic institutions, arts and media outlets—was (in principle) under the rule of God and His Word. But now, these Israelite exiles were waking up in a strange land, in a culture that was polytheistic, pagan, and antagonistic to almost everything they believed. In a word, they were experiencing spiritual and cultural whiplash.
In Jeremiah 29, the prophet speaks to their experience with clear and enduring instruction. My summary of Jeremiah’s words is this: Be in the world, but not of the world, for the good of the world, and the glory of God.
Let me break that summary down citing the specific verses in Jeremiah 29 for each point:
Be in the world – “Build houses and live in them, plant gardens and eat their produce” (vs. 5). In other words, settle down, find a place to live, and (literally) put down roots that will bear fruit. You’re going to be here a while, so don’t live lightly. Live deeply into the place I’ve sent you.
But not of the world – “...Take wives and have sons and daughters... multiply there, and do not decrease” (vs. 6). As you settle down and establish a presence in Babylon, marry in the faith. In Deuteronomy 7, Israelites could only marry someone within the faith. To be unequally yoked, to marry a polytheistic Babylonian, was forbidden. So, as you settle in Babylon, be sure you’re not of Babylon. As God’s people, you are not separated out from Babylon or assimilated into Babylon. Instead, you are to be set apart (holy) within Babylon. In the language of Augustine, the City of God rising up from inside the City of Man.
For the good of the world – “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” (v. 7). The word translated “welfare” is the Hebrew word shalom, meaning complete well-being. Shalom is fullness of peace; the kind of peace that pervades every dimension of life—spiritual, material, physical, and relational. Notice, he says “seek” the welfare of Babylon. That is, work for the shalom of the place you live (even if that place is godless Babylon). Also, “pray to the LORD” for Babylon. That is, acknowledge that Babylon is God’s Babylon and, ultimately, only he can bring about the shalom she needs.
And the glory of God – Three times in Jeremiah 29 God says, “I sent you” (vs. 4, 7, and 14). Despite how it may feel, Israel’s exile is not a parenthesis in God’s plan. God sent Israel to Babylon. They are on mission there to accomplish his purposes to show forth His glory.
In the days ahead, let’s help each other follow Jeremiah’s instruction. Let’s be the elect exiles we are. (1 Peter 1:1) Let’s refuse to reduce the kingdom of God to political parties or ideologies, but rather live for the good of the world as citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:19-20). Let’s refuse to fall prey to petty divisions over temporal matters, for that’s a losing battle every time. Instead, let’s rejoice in the battle already won on the cross and resurrection and give our energies for the kingdom that is not of this world (John 18:36). In other words, let’s be Christians. For that is who we are.
Your servant,
