70 Years of Pandemic to… Prosper Us?
Jeremiah 29:1-14
As we have been learning throughout the summer, the pandemic life is similar in many ways with the exile life. The people of God found themselves in a foreign lifestyle where they no longer had access to things in life that provided them with a sense of security, normalcy, and familiarity. It must have been unthinkable for them to not have access to the temple and to be unable to worship God with animal sacrifices. Similarly, for us, the pandemic life has stripped us from many basic things that we have taken for granted. Perhaps the most significant change is the way that we also worship God. Many of us feel like our worship is not the same as it used to be and that in some ways we might even be compromising our faith.
Today's passage, Jeremiah 29.1-14, is therefore very relevant to our current situation. God instructs the people to be careful of false prophecies, for there were others who were saying that the exile would be very temporary (e.g., Jeremiah 28.4). Through Jeremiah, however, God makes it clear that the exile will last for 70 years. Many who hear the news would have been disheartened. What might be more surprising is the instructions that God gives on how they should cope with these 70 years.
God tells them to make the most of their less-than-ideal, exiled lives! He tells them to build houses, to plant gardens, to marry, to have their children marry, and to even serve the welfare of these Babylonian cities. Similarly for us, we do not know how long the pandemic life will last (and for those of us who are going through our own, personal exile, we don't know how long that will last either). We too might be disheartened to know that it will last longer than what we prefer. But at the same time, it might be surprising how God has called us to make the most of our less-than-ideal situation.
The heart of the passage is the promise that God gives for the people's future. The famous verse in Jeremiah 29.11 is often taken out of context. It is in a situation of utter hopelessness and sheer frustration that God reminds his people that his plan has not been thwarted. It is in a situation where the people recognize how sinful and wicked they are that God reminds them that his promise is still intact. As we know from the way that the Bible unfolds, the promises of this plan are only fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The plan was centered on returning to Jerusalem, ending the exile, or even returning to a life of normalcy. The promise was centered on situations or circumstances. Rather, it was centered on the salvation that God gives us through Jesus Christ alone. The promise of us seeking, praying to, and finding God is accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Jer 29.12-13). And the promise of us being fully restored and gathered will be accomplished through the return of Jesus Christ (Jer 29.14).
In short, the difficult situations that we face (e.g., exile, pandemic, etc.) are all part of God's plan and promise, which are fulfilled through Christ alone. Listen to the full sermon for details on how all of this can impact on our everyday lives.
