The Christian life makes more sense once you realize you're an exile.
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV)
This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity (šā·lôm) of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers (šā·lôm) , you too will prosper (šā·lôm).”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 36: The Civil Government
We believe that
because of the depravity of the human race
our good God has ordained kings, princes, and civil officers.
He wants the world to be governed by laws and policies
so that human lawlessness may be restrained
and that everything may be conducted in good order
among human beings.
For that purpose he has placed the sword
in the hands of the government,
to punish evil people
and protect the good.
And being called in this manner
to contribute to the advancement of a society
that is pleasing to God,
the civil rulers have the task,
subject to God’s law,
of removing every obstacle
to the preaching of the gospel
and to every aspect of divine worship.
They should do this
while completely refraining from every tendency
toward exercising absolute authority,
and while functioning in the sphere entrusted to them,
with the means belonging to them.
They should do it in order that
the Word of God may have free course;
the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress;
and every anti-Christian power may be resisted.
Moreover everyone,
regardless of status, condition, or rank,
must be subject to the government,
and pay taxes,
and hold its representatives in honor and respect,
and obey them in all things that are not in conflict
with God’s Word,
praying for them
that the Lord may be willing to lead them
in all their ways
and that we may live a peaceful and quiet life
in all piety and decency.
And on this matter we denounce the Anabaptists, other anarchists,
and in general all those who want
to reject the authorities and civil officers
and to subvert justice
by introducing common ownership of goods
and corrupting the moral order
that God has established among human beings.
Summary
If it were not for that one word, this might seem like a rather pleasant correspondence from God to His people. It has echoes of the creation mandate God first gave to Adam & Eve, to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28). God instructed His people to quite literally make themselves at home; to not just eek out a living, but to truly thrive.
But that one word was there, and it changes the entire context of the letter. God here addresses all those He carried into exile. There would be homes and gardens, weddings and new babies, but things would never be quite right. These people had been forcibly extracted from the Promised Land as a result of generations of sin.
It was bad enough to be uprooted and brought to a foreign land and culture, but it also meant separation from God's temple - the very center of His presence among His people - and worse yet, their Babylonian captors would soon destroy that holy place as well! So this letter from God was more than a set of instructions, it was assurance that He would still be with His people, even in their exile.
This meant that shalom was still possible for them. Shalom is a state of peacefulness when everything is the way it's supposed to be; not just having a nice house, good food and a growing family, but enjoying those good things in the presence of our loving Father who adds His blessing to them (watch the short video above for a good explainer).
Dig Deeper
From the time of Abraham on, God's focus and allegiance was to His covenant people, Israel. It's well attested in the Old Testament that God desired them to have shalom, but at up sdsuntil this point in redemptive history, shalom was thought to be exclusively for this one particular group of people.
So it must have been shocking for the Israelites who received this divine letter in Babylon, whose exile was enabled by their very own God, to also read that He now expected them to seek shalom not just for themselves but for these polytheistic pagans who had hauled them off. And don't just seek shalom for them, God wrote, but also pray to the LORD for your new city, because if they have shalom, so will you.
This is much more than ancient history for you. You, just like the Israelites of long ago, are God's child, part of His chosen people. And you, just like these folks who'd been hauled off to Babylon, are an exile. Even if you've lived in the same place since the day you were born, as one who is in Christ you are physically separated from Him, so you're not really at home until He returns or calls you to Him.
In the meantime, this letter to these exiles of old is also addressed to you. So seek shalom in your township, city, county and country. Get involved in local government, boards & commissions. But most of all pray for them and the people in them, that they might enjoy true shalom as well by coming to know the only One who can truly provide it: our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray to the LORD for it (your local community & country), because if it prospers, you too will prosper;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 6
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