The Politics of Exiles: What We Really Long For, We Will Have To Wait For (Jeremiah 29:10-14)
As we close out this series, we must review what we have covered. The Big Idea of this whole series is “Do good to the land, knowing it's not your homeland.” The first two messages in this series focused on the first part of that phrase, “Do good to the land.” In the first week, we learned that the greatest good we can do for the land is to protect the purity of the Church. We don’t want to lose our credibility or compromise our character and therefore hurt the persuasive nature of the gospel, the good news of the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the second week, we learned how to bring about good for our land through politicians and policies by cooperating with them in a way that doesn’t lead to our character being corrupted. If you missed those messages, I would recommend you try to view them online so you can get the full treatment of how to engage in politics as a follower of Christ.
Today, we will focus on the second phrase of our series Big Idea: “Knowing it’s not your homeland.” Our future home is the source of our identity and the place of our hope. We are exiles in this land. Followers of Christ are travelers, nomads, and aliens in the lands we live in. Our permanent home is coming. This future home is a place of justice, healing, and restoration. There is no sin, suffering, strife, or sorrow. All oppression, disease, and pain will end in the kingdom that Christ is bringing. But we have to wait. We can’t bring the kingdom or build it. God will bring it. We have to wait for it, which is hard, especially when we are waiting for justice and healing.
Our hunger for justice and healing is hard to control during a political cycle. During an election, we get the opportunity to bring about good and promote justice. When our political candidates or policies fail to get elected or pass, we can get discouraged because the good we hoped would come about failed. We mourn and grieve when our hunger for human flourishing is left unsatisfied. In Christ’s kingdom, all these holy hungers will be satisfied. Sometimes good comes through politics, and we should work for it. We also must maintain a sober perspective that no politician or policy will bring the kingdom of Christ, end human suffering, eliminate all oppression, and cure every disease. We have to wait for ultimate victory, healing, and restoration. Our work won’t bring it about.
Big Idea: What we really long for, we will have to wait for. The Bible instructs us to work for the good of our land, recognizing that the greatest good is something we have to wait for. Failing to wait can lead to many dangers. We can panic when our political hopes fail. We can become angry when our work for good is unsuccessful. We shouldn’t think too much of our political work or too little. We want to be politically active realists who balance working for good and waiting for great. Jeremiah, the prophet, instructed the exiles in Babylon to conduct themselves this way.
Jeremiah 29:10-11, “10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
In verses 4-9 of chapter 29, Jeremiah tells the people to work and pray for Babylon's welfare. He tells them to build houses, plant vineyards, and grow their families in the land of Babylon. They were to do these things because they would stay in Babylon for 70 years. This must have been difficult news to hear. A 70-year timetable would mean most of those hearing this prophecy about exile ending after such a long time would not see it come to fulfillment. Imagine if you knew that you and, most likely, your children would miss out on seeing God restore your people to their homeland. Only your grandchildren had a real hope of seeing this prophecy fulfilled. I would be happy knowing the exile would eventually end, but I would be sad knowing I would miss it.
I would also be frustrated knowing that I couldn’t do anything to speed up the process. Israel’s exile and return were a part of God’s plan before they ever entered the promised land. Deuteronomy 30:1-5, “And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, 2 and return to the Lord your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. 5 And the Lord your God will bring you into the land that your fathers possessed, that you may possess it. And he will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.” Moses revealed to the people before they ever lived in the land God promised to their forefathers that they would lose it because of their sins and that they would be brought back to it. Moses didn’t tell them they would be in exile for 70 years. The length of the exile, being definite and determined at 70 years, shows that Israel had to surrender to the task of waiting. They couldn’t hurry God. His visit was on his timetable.
Notice how many times Jeremiah emphasized God’s independence in bringing about the end of the exile. He says that God will “visit” them, “fulfill” his promise, and knows “the plans” he has for them. God is the only actor mentioned in these first two verses. He is the subject of all the verbs. The exiles can do nothing to make God come earlier.
This is very similar to our relationship to the kingdom of Christ. The kingdom of God is one of the most dominant themes in the New Testament, especially in Jesus's teachings. Christ's kingdom is the realm of God’s redemptive reign over his people. Interestingly, the verbs associated with the kingdom are mainly passive. We are told that we can “enter,” “receive,” and “inherit” the kingdom. The kingdom of God is coming and will come, but we are not building it or bringing it. We are waiting for its arrival. Our waiting doesn’t mean we don’t have a part to play. Jeremiah told the people about God’s timetable and encouraged them to pray.
Jeremiah 29:12-14, “12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”
Prayer was a part of God’s plan. Prayer didn’t speed up God’s timetable, but it prepared his people for his plan. It’s interesting to see how Daniel the Prophet reacted to reading Jeremiah's prophecy about a 70-year exile when the exile was nearing the end of this period. In Daniel 9, we are told that the prophet reflects on Jeremiah’s prophecy and calculates that the 70 years is almost up. Daniel doesn’t sit on his hands and do nothing. He prays. He confesses the sins of his people and asks the Lord to forgive and restore his people. This shows us that prayer in this situation is not about hurrying God but shaping our hearts. Waiting prayers shape our hearts. They increase our reliance on God and remind us of our only hope… His coming, not our working.
My prayer this week is that we can wait well. I want good to come, justice to reign, and oppression to end. Politics can bring these things about to some degree. I also know that I will have to wait for the kingdom of Christ to come for these dreams to be fully realized. Waiting is hard, and it's the assignment we are all tasked with. I hope we can wait well. Not waiting well is costly.
There are numerous examples in the scriptures of those who did not wait well. Abraham didn’t wait for God’s promise of a child to be born to his barren wife. After waiting for 11 years, he tried to bring about the promise of God on his terms, which led to significant family strife. Ultimately, he would have to wait 25 years for Isaac, the promised son, to be born. The people of Isreal, who had just been delivered from Egyptian slavery, grew tired of waiting for Moses to come back down the mountain of Sinai and tell them what to do next. After 40 days of waiting, they built a golden calf so that they could have gods that would “go before” them. God sent a plague on the people for their disobedience. King Saul failed to wait seven days for Samuel, the priest, to come and make the sacrifice before he proceeded into battle. Saul's impatience cost him his kingdom. It’s hard to wait on God, but we can suffer heavy consequences if we don't.
The scriptures provide many examples of those who were able to wait well. After being anointed, David waited 15-20 years to become king of Israel. On several occasions, he could have taken matters into his own hands and moved up God’s timetable by taking King Saul’s life, who was trying to murder him, but he didn’t. He waited and was rewarded with reigning over Israel for 40 years. Daniel waited 70 years for his exiled people to be allowed to return to Jerusalem. He didn’t lead a rebellion against Babylon but witnessed its downfall before his death.
In the last book of the Bible, Revelation, there is an example of waiting that moves me emotionally each time I read it. God tells a group of people to be patient about something that is extremely difficult to wait for. Revelation 6:9-11, “9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.” These martyrs are not motivated by revenge but by justice. The request is a righteous one. They want God’s justice to come. The intensity of their prayer is expressed with the emphatic phrase, “with a loud voice.” This is a deeply emotional appeal. God’s response to their holy hunger is to encourage them to wait. His instructions also reveal that more will suffer their horrendous fate. That is a disappointing response. I think this is the most challenging waiting assignment we have seen so far. Waiting for a son, a sacrifice, a return from exile, or a kingship seems easier than waiting for a murderous injustice to be made right. The prayer of the martyrs is satisfied later in the book. God’s answer to their prayer was not “never” but “not yet.”
A lot of our prayers receive this same response. When we pray for healing to come, oppression to end, suffering to be eliminated, and justice to reign, God may say, “Not yet.” We can not act like he has said “no” or “never.” Thinking that way will lead to resentment and anger toward God. It reveals our narrow focus on the here and now and an inability to see the promised glorious future that is coming. Our political prayers may not get a “yes” in November, but we must remember that a kingdom is coming that will satisfy all our desires for justice and restoration.
What we really long for, we will have to wait for. My prayer during this election is that we will wait well. Let's work for the good of our land as we wait for the great kingdom of Christ to come. Our work isn’t building or bringing the kingdom; it reflects how we live as members of the kingdom.
How can we wait well? We do what Jeremiah encouraged the exiles to do and what Daniel did: pray. The last prayer in the Bible is simple yet profound: “Come, Lord Jesus.” Until that prayer is answered, our souls won't be satisfied. I want Christ to come. I want him to bring an end to all the suffering in this world. I want him to deliver us from the power of sin and Satan. I desire for every wrong to be made right. No politician or policy will bring this about. Only Christ will. I don’t believe praying this prayer will move up God’s timetable, but I believe it shapes my heart. It reminds me that I must be a present realist and a future optimist. Good can happen now, but it's not good enough. Great will come later. You will learn a lot about how you are waiting after the election. If you panic, are filled with rage, or are overly victorious, you are not waiting well. To help us wait well, I want to lead us into a guided prayer time. I will invite you to pray in groups, and then I will close each time.
Life-Level Application:
Head: Read 1 Samuel 13:8-15. What circumstances caused Saul to feel incredibly stressed as he waited for Samuel? What is the significance of Samuel arriving just after Saul completes the sacrifice? How does this timing impact the story? How has stress caused you to question God’s plans for you? Do you find it hard to wait on God’s timing concerning his coming kingdom?
Heart: Read Daniel 9:1-15. What prompts Daniel to pray and seek understanding at this particular moment? How does he express his motivations in verses 1-3? How does Daniel acknowledge God’s character in his prayer? What attributes of God does he emphasize, and why are they significant to his plea? How does Daniel’s prayer reflect a sense of collective responsibility for the sins of the nation? What does this suggest about communal versus individual accountability?
Hand: Read Daniel 9:16-19. Why does Daniel appeal to God's name and reputation in verses 16 and 17? What significance does this have for his request for mercy? How can Daniel’s approach to prayer inform our own prayers, especially in times of national or personal crisis? What practices can we adopt from his example?
Habit: How has this series helped you understand how you should pray during a political cycle?