NL 412: Jeremiah's Letter to Exiles (Advent 1)
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Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14
November 28, 2021
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14
Initial Thoughts
RCL: Proper 23C (Jeremiah 29:1-7)
Good edit by the lectionary. Verses 2 could be read - explains setting and what the nature of the exile. Verse 3 is clerical information.
Whole letters goes until verse 23 - Read the whole thing
It includes one of the most famous lines from Jeremiah 29:11 “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Most people do not realize that this verse is sent to a people in the midst of exile. It is usually used in times of comfort to explain why things are going so good. Those who quote it often leave out the 70 years of exile part.
Bible Study
Literary Context
Part of a larger letter, telling the exiles to settle in for the long haul.
Chap 28 - Jeremiah has a debate with Hananiah. Hananiah says that the exile will last two years. Jeremiah: “that sounds great, but I don’t think so. I guess we’ll see.” Then Hananiah dies (which is a proof that he is wrong, Deuteronomy 18:20 ‘But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak - that prophet shall die.’)
After this debate comes chapter 29, when Jeremiah tells the exiles to settle in for an extended stay in Babylon.
Next week’s reading is Jeremiah 31:27-34, which is the making of a new covenant of restoration.
Verses 2-3 in today’s terms: “Our national government has just collapsed as the result of an invading foreign power. There is no remnant of the military. There is no government. The President, First Lady,Cabinet and Congress have all been exiled. All of the artists in New York and steelworkers in Pittsburgh were separated from their families and exiled as well.” (Wil Gafney, Working Preacher)
Differing readings of verses 4-7: Is it simply instructions to not stir up trouble when they’re gone, or is it a defiant stance to remain faithful because God is a God of all, and that even Babylonians may be blessed and used by Yahweh?
“Much controversy surrounds this material. Some read this in a very minimalistic fashion in which the Israelites are just being given advice for how to survive. Any resemblance to material min Deuteronomy is superficial. There is no universalism present in this material, and the Israelites are only supposed to be living in the land of Israel… I disagree with this viewpoint” (Garrett Galvin, Working Preacher)
For God to tell the exiles to work for the good of Babylon is an incredible statement. It reveals the nature of God, who is the God of even the Babylonians.
There is a universal law of humanity that is revealed. The peace of Babylon is peace for the exiles as well.
Thoughts and Questions
“Seek the welfare of [Babylon] where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf.” Praying and working for the enemy is a controversial position. The people have been conquered by Babylon and forced to move. This is the same event that creates the book of Lamentations, longs series of woes, and Psalm 137. Jeremiah is saying “work for the good of Babylon.” Is it difficult to imagine an analogous position in modern times? Can we pray for Russia, ISIS.
“Most Western readers will not be able to identify with the originating context of Jeremiah's epistle. Some readers - African Americans descended from abducted Africans, Native Americans living on reservations distant from their ancestral lands - may identify strongly with the exilic context. In the broader American national context, we are war with forces inside and outside of our borders. And God through Jeremiah calls us to pray for those whom we see as our enemies on national and international scales - for those whose religion and culture are different from ours and those who are bent on our destruction.” (Wil Gafney, Working Preacher)
How does this affect the way we think about immigrants in our nation? What does it say about how we treat new people in our communities and churches? Are they simply people to be assimilated for our benefit, or are they people who bring rich customs and practices that can transform us and them? “This reading points us toward examining our congregations a little more closely. How aware are we of an immigrant presence in our churches. How do we reach out to these immigrants? As we enter into yet another debate on immigration in our country, Jeremiah has something to say to us. Rather than using the legalistic language of illegal aliens, Jeremiah invites us to see immigrants in a whole new way. Instead of subjecting people to a cost-benefit analysis, Jeremiah sees the immigrant as gift. Jeremiah sees the immigrant as someone destined to make their new society a better place, someone ordered by God in this oracle to contribute to their new society in a lasting way.” (Garrett Galvin, Working Preacher)
John Bracke’s summary of Jeremiah in the Discipleship Study Bible, says: “The book of Jeremiah continues to invite our prayerful pondering about what it means to live as God’s people in difficult times. Among the issues raises for people reading this ancient book in the 21st century are:” (the rest is paraphrase)
How is God at work in the church attempting to transform the ways we are living as God’s people?
How might God be at work in the social and political processes of our world, plucking up and tearing down, building and planting toward the goal of justice and peace in all God’s creation.
Which idols Christians now turn seeking security? How are churches working to simply build their own security over working for justice?
How are we still overconfident in our place as “God’s people,” without doing the hard work that is required of such a privileged position? Has ‘cheap grace’ infiltrated our churches and preaching?
How may we still be contributing to God’s deep grief?
Opening music: Misirlou, One Man 90 Instruments by Joe Penna/MysteryGuitarMan at MIM
Closing Song by Bryan Odeen