Dei Break
Jeremiah 29:1–32
In Jeremiah's letter to the first exiles in Babylon, God makes it clear that He has done this thing. They should not fight to return to Jerusalem on their own, but wait for God's timing. They should settle down and even pray for the welfare of the city of their exile as well as for themselves (vs.7).
The words of the false prophets may be what they want to hear, but they are lies. Ahab (not the king) and Zedekiah (vs.21) were two false prophets in Babylon pushing their messages of prosperity and rescue. Their lies resulted in their executions by fire through God's tool, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (vs.22), who probably arrested them for their treasonable predictions.
Shemaiah (vs.24) was another villain in the picture. He was in Babylon but sent a letter to Zephaniah, a priest in Jerusalem, complaining about the letter received from Jeremiah. He accused Zephaniah of being unfaithful by not punishing Jeremiah as a madman pretending to be a prophet. Rather than act against Jeremiah immediately, Zephaniah read the letter from Babylon to Jeremiah (vs.29), who sought the counsel of the Lord. The Lord said to send a message back to Babylon saying that He did not appoint Shemaiah and that the false prophet would be punished for his actions.
What was life like in Babylon? God seems to imply that it was not a prison atmosphere; that the people would enjoy limited freedom. He was correct.
The Jews were settled in their own communities not far from the capital, Babylon. It was during this time, when the temple was unavailable as a place for sacrifice and worship, that Rabbis (teachers) began to rival priests in importance and that synagogues developed.
Many Jews began farms and businesses. Archeologists have found records in the ruins of Babylon citing Jewish-owned businesses and banking institutions that thrived not only in Babylon, but maintained trade lines throughout the known world.
By the end of the exile period (70 years) most could not remember the days in Jerusalem. What had begun as a land of exile had become home. Many would choose to stay. But, regardless of comfort and prosperity, was it a good idea to remain in the pagan land?
Next time: When the Time is Right
when God commanded them to settle down and marry (v7), I assume they still were not to intermarry with the pagan Babylonians, were they?
Posted by: Carole | March 02, 2009 at 11:07 AM