The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to God’s people who were in Babylonian captivity. The letter contained instructions about how they were to conduct themselves while they lived as strangers in a foreign land. It also explained what they could hope for in the future.
Today, we live as exiles in the world. As we consider what Jeremiah had to say to the Jews in captivity, the basic points he made to them are helpful to us as well.
However, before we get to the letter that Jeremiah sent, it would be helpful to understand a little bit about what happened just before this. Back in Jerusalem, Hananiah falsely prophesied that Babylon would soon be defeated (Jeremiah 28:1-4, 11), allowing the captives to return. Jeremiah refuted this (Jeremiah 28:12-14). Afterward, Jeremiah sent a letter to those who were in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1-3).
The recipients of Jeremiah’s letter may have hoped that he was announcing deliverance in the near future. Instead, they were told that they would be in captivity for “seventy years” (Jeremiah 29:10). In other words, those who had been taken would die in captivity – something that would surely be difficult and disappointing to hear. Notice what Jeremiah wrote to them:
“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; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there and do not decrease.
“‘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 have welfare.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord.
“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:4-11).
Let us take a moment to break down the lessons for the captives in these verses:
- They were to live productive lives – “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce” (Jeremiah 29:5). God wanted them to plan to be there for a while. And while they were there, they were to be as self-sufficient as possible.
- They were to raise their families – “Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there and do not decrease” (Jeremiah 29:6). They were not just to survive, they were to focus on raising the next generation and beyond.
- They were to live at peace with others – “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 have welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). They had to live among others. While doing so, they needed to remember that the common people were not the “enemy.” Nebuchadnezzar had taken them captive (Jeremiah 29:1); the common people were not responsible for that.
- They were to beware of false prophets – “Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them” (Jeremiah 29:8-9). These false prophets could have promised immediate deliverance (like Hananiah did in Jerusalem – Jeremiah 28:1-4, 11) or even promoted rebellion, yet this would not have been God’s will.
- There were to remember the future hope – “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you…plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:10-11). God had everything planned and under control. They just needed to trust Him.
As we think about how to apply these lessons, we first need to recognize that we are strangers and exiles like the Jews in captivity. Peter wrote, “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:11-12). The lessons they needed to hear are the same lessons that we need to hear.
- We are to live productive lives – “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). Paul told the brethren in Thessalonica that we are to “make it [our] ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to [our] own business and work with [our] hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11), not just sit around idly waiting for the Lord to return (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12).
- We are to raise our families – “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The Hebrew writer reminded us that “marriage is to be held in honor among all” (Hebrews 13:4). The psalmist said that “children are a gift of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Both of these are still true, even while living in a world that is hostile to God and His people.
- We are to live at peace with others – “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). Of course, this is not always possible. We can expect a degree of persecution in our lives (cf. 2 Timothy 3:12). However, we are still to use any “opportunity” we have to “do good to all people” (Galatians 6:10) and develop goodwill among those around us.
- We are to beware of false prophets – “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned” (2 Peter 2:1-2). Knowing that there will be false teachers, we are to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). We need to make sure to search the Scriptures before accepting what some teacher says (Acts 17:11).
- We are to remember our future hope – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5). Paul told the brethren in Philippi, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We are awaiting the day when the Lord returns to bring us home with Him (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
We live as strangers and exiles in this life, but we are not to cut ourselves off from the world. We have a hope of eternal life in heaven, but we are not to ignore our responsibilities here. We are different from the world, but we are not to act in hostility toward those around us.
We do not know how long it will be until the Lord delivers His people. Yet we do know that the day will eventually come. Peter wrote, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). However long it is until that day arrives, let us make sure we are doing what we ought to do in this life and keep looking forward to the next one.
