Week 31 Jeremiah 29
A big chunk of chapter 29 is Jeremiah’s letter to the (formerly) proud citizens of Jerusalem who had been conquered & captured & exiled to Babylon. They were now suppressed and second-class strangers in a strange hostile foreign oppressor state.
The whole letter is pretty interesting but one thing I noticed was Jeremiah’s recommendation to the captives: work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I (the Lord) sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.
It’s a piece of advice with two-parts:
1) work for the peace & prosperity of the antagonists
2) pray for the antagonists.
There’s nothing about labour strikes. Or passive resistance. Or insurrection. Or revolution.
The basic recommendation was: in your day-to-day life you should be acting and working and praying for the peace & prosperity of the state. National peace and civic stability give you the best chance for being safe & secure & getting along and just living your life. Be satisfied with that. It’s the best you can hope for. You’re exiles.
There’s a cross reference in my bible from Jeremiah to the NT: pray for kings and all others who are in authority, so that we can live in peace and quietness, in godliness and dignity. It’s a completely different set of circumstances but it sounds like Jeremiah. Pray for your controllers. Pray for peace & security & prosperity. Live your life.
Note: quote from Jeremiah 29:7 & 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NLT)