Tag Archives: Jeremiah 29

Undivided loyalty… to whom?

Leave a reply

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down…. 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.

(Jer 29.4&7)

.. the administrators.. tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”..[Daniel] went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just has he had done before.

(Dan 6.4,5&10)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

(Eph 6.5-7)

The story of Daniel, the young man taken into exile and put to serve in the administration of the all-conquering Babylonian empire, is a most encouraging one for all who follow Jesus in these ‘in-between’ days. Our Lord will come again, and meantime, we are called to live as those in exile from their homeland, to live in a broken world, whose values are contrary to the kingdom to which we belong. Daniel personifies faithfulness to God, loyalty to the true king, in a foreign land. And Daniel’s faithfulness and loyalty do not take the form of isolation, or rejection of the community to which he has been brought. Neither does he spend his life trying to create rebellion, or undermining the regime which has brought destruction to his land.

Daniel recognises the hand of God in all that is happening – exile itself is the direct result of Israel’s chronic failure to keep the God’s covenant, and Daniel has faith and wisdom to discern the truth that God’s love and faithfulness to his people means that although exiled, they are by no means forgotten or abandoned. And so Daniel does exactly what God commanded the exiles – through Jeremiah the prophet – in committing themselves to seek the good of their new communities. To be loyal and obedient to God, as an exile, meant being the very best citizen of Babylon that he could be, serving with all his strength and integrity… and that without adopting the religion of Babylon, or letting anything else take God’s place as Lord.

Daniel shows us it can be done, that to faithfully follow our Lord as exiles means being fully committed to the welfare of our fellow human beings; putting all our resources to work in their service; being fully present in this broken world, while remaining entirely loyal to God. This calls for trust, that God is at work to fulfill his promises; it calls for discernment to know when to stand for God’s ways in the face of persecution – and then for courage to go on obeying God as Daniel did in continuing to pray when it had been prohibited by the king. May we have wisdom in our own lives to recognise those places where God’s authority in our lives is being undermined or challenged; may we have courage to stand firm in obedience and in loyalty to our God at those times. It is fascinating to see that Daniel and his fellow Israelites – Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego – didn’t go looking for fights, they had wisdom to know what really mattered, and then to stand firm – and how courteous and peaceful is their resistance!

But I also find it very encouraging to see that Daniel lived a fruitful and godly life as an exile, knowing and walking with God, enjoying his favour over long decades of service to pagan rulers. Daniel was able to witness to God down the years, to a succession of rulers, and only in glory will we discover just how many citizens of Babylon came to living faith in the God of Israel because of the testimony and life of his loyal servant. Isn’t that encouraging to us?! May God sustain our faith and keep us loyal to him in our own exile; may we also find that our service of God bears fruit in blessing those around us; and may we also continue faithful in prayer and dependence on the goodness of God from day to day.

Sulky exiles, or responsible citizens?

Leave a reply

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile..:”Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…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.”

(Jer 29.4,5&7)

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God…You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous…Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(Matt 5.9,43-45&48)

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

(1Tim 2.1&2)

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right…..Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the King.

(1Pet 2.13,14,16&17)

As followers of Jesus, redeemed children of God, we often think of ourselves as exiles in this world, of people whose real home is not here, not in this place of darkness, pain and evil. We rightly think with joy on the prospect of a life to come, when we shall be free of sin- in our own lives as well as those of others- and when the new creation will be our glorious dwelling place, all as God intended and designed it for us.

But the words of the prophet Jeremiah to the exiled Jews in Babylon give a clear instruction for God’s people in that situation – get stuck in, be involved, care about your community, be constructive and positive and be at home there. It may not be your ‘forever’ home, but it is the place of God’s calling for this time, and his plan is that through your presence, it might be blessed. There is no distinction between seeking God’s will for their lives and seeking God’s will for the place where they are living, no need to choose which should be their  focus.

I believe that this is also a word to us in our time, uncomfortable though it is for followers of Jesus as our culture increasingly rejects him and the truth he stands for. God has placed us here for this time, with all the opportunities and abilities chosen and crafted for us by his plan to bless us and through us the communities of which we are part. Will we be enthusiastic in our place of exile? Or will we sulk and withdraw into holy huddles, bemoaning our situation and withholding our gifts and presence from those around us?

Our challenge then is to be fully invested in our communities, supportive and active, without falling into the patterns of thought and behaviour which may characterise that community. To be Jesus followers is to be peacemakers, to be those who refuse to believe the worst; who chose to respect those with whom they disagree; who choose to love, not demean their critics and who will pray for all as those created – like us- in God’s image and precious in his sight.

In this week of elections to the Scottish Parliament, the need for respect, truth-telling, love and humility are obvious. We may not always find these qualities in our politicians, but we must always pray for God to be at work through them to bring the stability of our society, the welfare and compassionate care needed by so many, the equality and protection of dignity for the weakest, and even the freedom which allows people to disagree strongly. We pray in effect, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done” in our society, even through our imperfect politicians, and we play our part in supporting and respecting the institutions through which we enjoy the rule of law, the provision of public services, and the freedoms which so many in the world are denied.

I cannot do everything needful for the transformation of society, and indeed that will happen only when Jesus comes to make everything new. But in the meantime, I pray that I might learn to hear his voice and to obey his calling to live for him, and in doing so, to bless the place to which he has called me.

Continue reading →