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Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Build a House

In Jeremiah 29 God sent a letter to "all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon" (Jer 29:4).

"Okay, now, hold it!" you say. "Hang on a minute! 'All the exiles whom I have sent into exile'? You're saying God sent His own people into exile?" No, no I am not. God is.

But, please, bear with me. It only gets worse.
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. 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. (Jer 29:5-7)
See, this is not where you might have thought this would go. I mean, right down there a few verses later we have the famous "'I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope'" (Jer 29:11). And God is telling them to make this exile their home? That is the "plans for welfare"? Well, yes ... and no. In the plan there is the return from exile (Jer 29:12-14), but God says it is as a result of what He told them to do in that prior passage. So, no, His plan is for their release from exile, but, yes, His plan includes them making a home of where they are.

We aren't in exile here in America today. We certainly don't experience the kind of persecution that Christians in other countries face. On the other hand, Jesus considers being reviled for our faith "persecution" (Matt 5:11-12) and Hebrews describes all believers as "strangers and exiles on the earth" (Heb 11:13). This world is not our home; we're just passing through. As such, we are, in a sense, exiles -- exiles from heaven awaiting our release to go home. What, then, does this passage tell us to do?

Build houses and make homes. Make families and multiply. Seek the welfare of the place we live. Pray for them. Funny thing. I don't see "Go on a campaign to stop the government from mistreating you" or "Get online to defend your right to practice your religion" or some such. I do see that we're supposed to live here while we live this life. And we're supposed to make families. Since we're talking a spiritual exile, and spiritual strangers here, that must be a spiritual family. You know, the Great Commission. Make disciples. Make brothers and sisters and children where you live. And we're supposed to seek the welfare of the "evil world" in which we find ourselves. Pray for them (1 Tim 2:1-4). Pray for their welfare. Pray for their best. "Be at peace among yourselves" (1 Thess 5:13) and "so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men" (Rom 12:18).

You Christians in exile on this earth, living in a hostile environment, being told you don't have the right to believe what God's Word says and you are hateful and bigoted if you do, what shall you do? Will you make this place your home, make spiritual families and multiply, seek the welfare of those around you and pray for them? Or not? Jeremiah's text suggests that it's the best way to get to the release we so richly desire.

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