Jer

Jer. 29:1-14
10/5/2008

“Build Houses and Live in Them”

Today we officially begin our life as a particular church. “A particular church consists of a number of professing Christians, with their children, associated together for divine worship and godly living, agreeable to the Scriptures, and submitting to the lawful government of Christ’s kingdom” (BCO, 4-1). In a particular church, this lawful government is exercised by its session, consisting of pastor(s) and ruling elder(s). With the ordination and installation of Joel Norris as ruling elder and with the installation of myself as pastor, a session is formed to promote our church’s status from a mission church to a particular church. What does this mean for our church and for you as its members? We will explore some of that during our Sunday school after our lunch fellowship. How we do things will change quite a bit. But what we do as a church will pretty much remain the same, but hopefully with a renewed vigor and focus and increasing maturity.

As we begin this new phase in the life of our church, we must first remember that the church of Jesus Christ is primarily a community of worship. Worship is the ultimate goal of our life. As creatures made in the image of God, it is in worshipping our Creator God that we find the true meaning and purpose and fulfillment and joy. We can therefore say that true worship is the goal of our redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ. It was not enough for our Savior to deliver us from the punishment of sin. What would we do for the rest of eternity once we are delivered from hell? Gaze into our navels forever? Indeed, what does it profit us to be delivered from hell if we not know God as we should and worship God as we should and thus come to enjoy the greatest pleasure and delight there is in knowing God and worshipping Him? In the mind of our Savior, a redeemed life is not just a life free from misery and pain: a redeemed life is a life that is abundant with deep, lasting pleasure and delight, which can be found only in communing with God--in worshipping and adoring and marveling at His glory and beauty! Oh, to think that Christ died and rose again not only to bring pardon for our sins but also to make us true worshippers of God!

Jesus once told the Samaritan woman, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). That is why the Son of God came all the way from heaven to this world. So then, when we engage in missions and evangelism, it is ultimately to recruit true worshippers of God. The same is true of Christian education: its ultimate goal is to nurture and train God’s people to be better worshippers of God.

What is worship? Worship is the act of acknowledging God’s supreme worth to us. The pinnacle of our worship in this life is our weekly gathering on the Lord’s Day for our public worship, the very thing we are doing now. But our worship is not, and must not be, limited to an hour or so of public worship on the Lord’s Day. Our whole life should be worship to God. That means, everything we do in our life should express how supremely valuable God is to us--from how we handle our money to what we wear, how we eat and drink, we are to do all things to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). We need to learn how to conduct ourselves in the church of God. We need to learn also how to live as worshippers of God between Sundays, “out there in the world”! One important aspect of our ministry is to equip ourselves to be competent worshippers of God, both in the church and in the world. When we consider how most of our time is spent in the world outside the church, we cannot ignore the importance of properly worshipping God between Sundays in our homes, in our workplaces and in our neighborhoods. I heard one pastor say, “If we worship God in the church and do not worship God in our truck, we are hypocrites.” It may be an overstatement. But it points out the clear organic connection between our worship in the church and in the world.

How then are we to live in the world as worshippers of God? In this regard, today’s passage is quite significant, particularly in this sense: here we find God’s instruction to the Jews, who found themselves outside of the Promised Land, outside of the government and protection of their theocratic nation. A theocratic nation is where God is the sovereign King. One prominent feature of a theocratic nation is the convergence of church and state. In such a nation, religious sins are treated as civic, criminal offenses, punishable by the state. Obviously we do not live in a theocratic nation. Ours is a democratic one, where its citizens are sovereign. So then, God’s instruction in our passage is directly relevant to us in many ways. We will see how that is so by examining in further detail the similarities and differences between Israel and us.

Imagine the Jews’ grief of being forced out of their hometowns, from their homes, from all that was familiar and dear to them, finding themselves in a foreign country. They were not honored guests there. They were exiles and slaves, brought in as the latest victims to Nebuchadnezzar’s non-stoppable military conquest. But even after they got over the initial grief, their trouble did not stop there. How were they to live in this foreign land? What were they to do? The false prophets told them not to worry because their exile would last only two years (28:3). Of course, they were wrong. Not two years but seventy years would be their exile. And even if it were only for two years, two years were two years. What were they to do in the meantime? They used to have the Law of Moses to tell them exactly how they were to live in the land of Canaan, in a theocratic nation under YHWH--from individual morality to civil government and religious ceremonies--in every aspect of their lives. But now they found themselves in a foreign kingdom, where the Law of Moses held no authority. Were they to still live by the Mosaic code of life in Babylon? But how could they without the protection of the Jewish theocratic government? What is more, they no longer had the temple, which was the center of their religious life.

Add to this the fact that they were cast out of the Promised Land because of their disobedience to the Law. The kings and leaders did not enforce the Law of Moses. The priests defiled the temple and its worship. False prophets abounded in the land, who tickled the ears of the people with false messages of peace and prosperity. And the people engaged in all kinds of idolatry, building high places and altars to pagan idols throughout the land, even burning their sons in fire there. God proved Himself to be faithful to the covenant by bringing down the covenant curses upon His unfaithful and wayward people, which He promised. Now they knew which prophets spoke God’s truth. There could be no doubt that they were in the mess that they were in because they did not obey the Law. So then, what did it mean for them to obey the Law now? They found themselves living in Babylon, a pagan theocracy, where false gods abounded. Should they risk their lives and try to destroy the pagan temples and feel guilty if they couldn’t? Should they stone their pagan neighbors to death if they defiled the name of YHWH and cursed their God? Should they even try to supplant the pagan government and reform the pagan culture by the dictates of the Mosaic Law? Or should they just forget about the Mosaic Law altogether and assimilate into the society as best as they could and try to survive and even succeed in their new environment? Their situation was new to them and they had no idea what to do.

Amazingly, God did not leave His people in the dark. I say “amazingly” because they were under God’s judgment. They were unfaithful to Him despite His faithful provision and care. With what they had received from God, they whored after pagan idols. They attributed their wellbeing to the idols and did not give glory to God. God sent them His servants the prophets again and again but they did not listen. So God sent them out to Babylon to undergo His righteous judgment. God was justified to do so because that is what He promised to do in His covenant with them. They deserved to be in all the trouble they were in and so much more.

And yet. And yet God did not abandon them. God was still gracious. His steadfast love is an enduring love, which lasts forever. A woman in her right mind cannot forget her nursing child. It is her nature. But even she may forget but God will never forget His people, declares the Lord (Isa. 49:15). He had to punish them but He did not abandon them. He wanted them to know the plans He had for them, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give them a future and a hope (v. 11). So, through Jeremiah, God gave them instructions as to how to live in their new situation. How gracious God is!

What were they to do? How were they supposed to live in their exile? “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” (vv. 5-7). These instructions may seem almost natural. It is natural for us to build houses and live in them, to get married and have children. It is only natural to pray for the wellbeing of the city we live in because our welfare is naturally bound up with it. But when we consider what Israel represented, we realize how radical these instructions really are.

First of all, God was telling them, contra the assurances of the false prophets, that their exile would not be over in just two years: God had appointed seventy years for their exile and they would not be able to go back to the Promised Land until then (v. 10). So they might as well settle down in Babylon--build houses to live in them and get married and have children and have their children marry in Babylon. God was telling them to settle down in a place far away from the Promised Land.

Secondly, God was telling them to seek and pray for the welfare of the city they were living in. The Jews were in Babylon. Babylon was not just a pagan nation. In later apocalyptic writings of the Bible, most prominently in the Book of Revelation, Babylon becomes the symbol of the secular society and all that is anti-Christian. David Van Drunen has a helpful article on this passage and this is what he says:

“What strikes us about these instructions is their seemingly high regard for life in Babylon. The people were not to reject relations with the Babylonians and seek a violent return to their land. Rather, they were to get involved with the commerce of Babylon, increase its population, and actually pray for its well-being (though it was the city which ruthlessly destroyed the Lord's temple and dragged them into exile)….

“Not only were the Israelite exiles not to shun interaction with the Babylonians, but they were also not to seek to reform it according to the Mosaic Law. Time and time again while the people were in Palestine God commanded them to return to the law. Here no mention of it is made. They were to seek the peace and prosperity not of their holy, theocratic nation, but of Babylon, the pagan nation. They were even to pray for it, because upon its prosperity their prosperity depended. Clearly times had changed for Israel…. Here in exile… they were to pray for Babylon as it was and recognize that it could never be a new Promised Land” (“Biblical Theology and the Culture War”, Kerux 11.1 (1996)).

The last sentence is quite significant, isn’t it? Babylon could never be a new Promised Land. In fact, Babylon was doomed to destruction: the completion of Israel’s seventy-year exile would be the end of Babylon (v. 10; cf. Jer. 25:12, etc.). Yes, the Jews were to unpack their bags and build houses and get married and have children and make Babylon their home. Yes, they were to seek and pray for the welfare of the pagan cities, in which they lived. But they were to do so with the knowledge that Babylon was not their permanent home. They were to do so, even knowing that it was destined to be destroyed.

On the one hand, they could not enforce the Mosaic Law; they were not to even try to do so in a pagan nation. They did not have their divinely sanctioned theocracy. They did not have the temple. Their Jewish way of life based on the Law of Moses was severely restricted. But on the other hand, they could not do away with the Law of Moses altogether. Their new situation forced them to see that there were certain elements of the Mosaic Law, there were certain elements of their covenant relationship with God, which transcended the theocratic arrangement and the temple. Even outside of the Promised Land, God was still their sovereign King, not Nebuchadnezzar. If they were to settle down in Babylon and seek and pray for the welfare of the city, it was to be done out of obedience to their King, Jehovah, first and foremost. In fact, in praying for the welfare of the city, they were acknowledging (and proclaiming!) that their God, Jehovah, was the sovereign Lord not only over Israel but also over Babylon as well! If God commanded them to pray for the welfare of Babylon and its cities, surely God had the power and authority to do so! Even in their new situation, the Jews were to worship God and Him alone. This, they could not compromise. Not every stipulation of the Mosaic Law could be observed in Babylon; most of the Mosaic Law could not be (and was not to be) observed. However, certain things of the Law, they were to defend with their lives.

We see a good example of this in Daniel and his friends. They were educated in Nebuchadnezzar’s palatial academies. They served in key positions of the pagan theocratic kingdom. Thus they sought the welfare of the city. Doing so must have meant that they followed the many protocols of that pagan government. But they refused to participate in its pagan worship. They drew the line there. All of them refused to bow down and worship pagan idols though it meant risking their lives. They did not shy away from magnifying the name of God both in moments of success and in times of persecution. But they did not try, as far as we can tell, to Christianize Babylon, either.

How is this possible unless God Himself legitimized the existence of Babylon, even if for a season? Kings come and go and kingdoms rise and fall. No nation is eternal. But God decreed that secular, pagan nations continue on, along with the Church, until the day of Final Judgment and that as secular, pagan nations (and now as pluralistic nations). Some may be dominated by Christians and receive the benefits of Christian charity and ethic to a large measure. In some countries, Christians dominated the government, for a time. However, they were never “Christian” nations in the theocratic sense of the word. In God’s redemptive program, there is to be no earthly theocracy other than Israel. David Van Drunen makes a helpful point:

“To view any earthly land as the Promised Land is to set our sights both too high and too low at the same time: too high for our nation’s prospects and too low for what the Promised Land really is. People wage culture wars in Babylon, and to whatever extent they win or lose, Babylon continues to be just that--Babylon! It will not be annihilated, and it will not be transformed into something else.

“To understand this is to put things into perspective. If the America of 50 or 100 or 200 years ago was Babylon, and if the America of the next generation, apart from the outcome of this culture war, will still be Babylon, should we not conclude that culture wars really are not won or lost, at least not absolutely? Living in Babylon by definition implies living outside of Paradise in a land which does not in any special way belong to the church, and as such is more or less filled with injustice, immorality, and any number of other depravities which motivate the culture warriors. As long as the church has lived in Babylon, it has been involved in cultures with marks of degeneracy. And as long as it continues to live here, it will face the same thing. It is only at Christ's return that wicked culture and its supporters will be abolished completely: "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels" (2 Thess. 1:6-7).

As we conclude, we see that we are largely in a similar situation with the Jews in exile. We do not live in a theocracy. Nor should we try to build a Christian theocracy. Israel was a unique phenomenon, designed and decreed and built by God Himself. We would search the Bible in vain if we tried to find divine sanction for another Israel-like, geo-political theocracy in the present era. And we are strangers and aliens in this world (1 Pet. 1:1; 2:11) because heaven is our true homeland. And our present dwelling place is metaphorically referred to as Babylon (Rev. 18:4).

But there are obvious differences, too, between the Jews in exile and us in the world. The Jews were undergoing God’s just punishment in Babylon. We are not under God’s judgment. Once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people; once we had not received mercy, but now we have received mercy (1 Pet. 2:10). We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Pet. 2:9a). If God should be so much compassionate toward Israel, which was under His judgment, how about us, who in Jesus Christ are under His favor? We have been dispersed throughout the world as the Jews were in their exile, but not to do our time in exile as criminals but to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9b)! In fact, we are where we are, and if we must move to somewhere else, we will be where we need to be, as part of the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.

For certain, our goal in this life is more than just to have children and multiply, as the Jews’ goal was. Even in this command to multiply we sense a hint of hope that God extended to the Jews. For this command must have reminded them of the blessing, which God pronounced upon Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…” (Gen. 1:28). It must have reminded them also of the Exodus. As you know, the condition of Israel before the Exodus was described in terms of their vigorous increase in number: “the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Ex. 1:7). But their attitude was passive with regard to propagating their religion. By definition, their religion, at least formally, centered around the Promised Land and the temple. Without them the Jews really had nothing to show for, nothing to invite their pagan neighbors to.

But our situation is significantly different. We have emerged from the era of types and shadows, the era of earthly Promised Land and earthly temple, which were temporary and destructible, vulnerable to the defilement of sin and the curses of the Law. We have done so not by any effort of our own or on account of our genius. We have emerged from the era of types and shadows because their true substance came in Jesus Christ. He is the true King of the eternal, indestructible kingdom, no longer vulnerable to the defilement of sin and the curses of the Law. For He is the true temple, the true High Priest, the true Sacrifice, by whom we have been set free from the punishment and power of sin. It is because His kingdom is established by His precious blood, it is no longer subject to the defilement of sin and the curses of the Law, once for all! Our boasting is not in an earthly paradise and an earthly temple. Our boasting is in a heavenly paradise and a heavenly temple, which cannot be destroyed, whose glory far exceeds the glory of the earthly ones. Jesus Christ is the true King of heaven and earth.

Think about it! Israel in praying for Babylon declared God’s sovereign lordship even over Babylon! That was while they were in Babylon as exiles as its latest victims! But we live on this side of the cross and empty tomb of Jesus Christ, who triumphed over sin and death and Satan and this world! Through His death and resurrection Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God and made us its citizens. Because our hope is not bound up with one geographic location and one physical building, we can invite those around us to the life in the kingdom of God wherever we may be. Our call is not just to survive in our exile. Our call is to thrive and advance the kingdom of God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Even as we do so, we are not to lose sight of the legitimacy of the secular nations, in which we live. We are to seek and pray for the welfare of our cities and nations. Paul said in 1 Tim. 2:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” On the one hand, we must not idolize the peace and prosperity of our country. It is still not our home. It is still Babylon. We are sorely tested in this regard as our country is going through all kinds of turmoil, from economic crisis to moral degeneracy, etc. But on the other hand, we must recognize that this secular, non-Christian world is the stage, on which God’s redemptive drama is played out. In that regard, it needs to be preserved and cared for, particularly for the redemptive end. We have to be good citizens, actively participating in the civic affairs. Our responsibilities are greater because, unlike the Jews who were exiles in a dynastic empire, we live in a democratic society, where we have a say in many important issues of our country.

We are to worship God in every sphere of our life. We should constantly have an upward focus, never losing sight of the glory and honor of God. But we should also develop an outward focus so that we do not become ingrown, stagnating into a dead sea. We are to seek and pray for the welfare of our city and nation in obedience to God’s will. We are to be a blessing to those around us. Do you know that we are already a blessing just by being Christians? Remember what God said to Abram concerning Sodom and Gomorrah? Even if there were only ten righteous men, God promised not to destroy their cities. Could it be that God is not destroying our cities and our nation because we are here? What is more, if God preserves human history, it is because there are still His elect people to be saved through our witness. It would be so much better to be with Christ in heaven than to live in Babylon as strangers and aliens. But we continue on, gladly bearing the sufferings of living in a fallen world, seeking and praying for the welfare of this world, so that all of God’s elect may be saved. We strive toward that appointed day when we shall worship God without the hindrance of this body of weakness and sin, without any restrictions, forever free from persecution and war! How wonderful is our hope! Praise the Lord!