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HOW to LIVE in EXILE Catalog No PENINSULA BIBLE CHURCH CUPERTINO HOW TO LIVE IN EXILE Catalog No. 1318 Jeremiah 27-29 19th Message John Hanneman July 1st, 2001 Much of the book of Jeremiah is unfamiliar to Chris- Judah. Command them to go to their masters, say- tians. But most of us know the wonderful verse that is ing, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, an encouragement to so many: “For I know the plans thus you shall say to your masters, I have made the that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for wel- earth, the men and the beasts which are on the face fare and not for calamity to give you a future and a of the earth by My great power and by My out- hope” (Jer 29:11). stretched arm, and I will give it to the one who is Many believers commit these beautiful words to pleasing in My sight. Now I have given all these memory. We inscribe them on graduation cards. We lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of share them to cheer up someone who is struggling or Babylon, My servant, and I have given him also the confused. This great promise encourages us when hope wild animals of the field to serve him. All the na- begins to wane. While these are familiar words, we are tions shall serve him and his son and his grandson probably unaware of the context in which they are until the time of his own land comes; then many na- found. Today we will learn that context, which only tions and great kings will make him their servant. It serves to heighten the impact of what God speaks will be, that the nation or the kingdom which will through his prophet Jeremiah. not serve him, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and which will not put its neck under the yoke of The story begins in chapter 27, which introduces the the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with historical context. the sword, with famine and with pestilence,” de- In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the son of clares the LORD, “until I have destroyed it by his Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah hand. (Jer 27:2-8) from the LORD, saying (Jer 27:1, NASB) “But the nation which will bring its neck under the The timeframe here is the beginning of Zedekiah’s yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will reign. Zedekiah was installed as a puppet king by Neb- let remain on its land,” declares the LORD, “and they uchadnezzar, in 597 BC, when Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), will till it and dwell in it.”’” (Jer. 27:11) and the queen mother, together with all the artists and Jeremiah received this message for the nations sur- craftsmen, and many of the temple treasures, were tak- rounding Judah. He would speak it to the diplomats en to Babylon. Zedekiah’s rebellion led to the fall of Je- who visited Zedekiah in Jerusalem (probably to plan re- rusalem, in 587 BC. Therefore, the events recorded here bellion against Babylon), and they in turn would carry occurred between the first and second deportation to it home. The prophet was commanded to wear a “yoke” Babylon. around his neck, similar to the wooden yokes worn by At this time, some of the Jews were living in exile in oxen. This word is used about forty times in the Old Babylon while others remained in Judah. There was a Testament, usually to refer to servitude and bondage. lot of tension between these two groups. Conventional Jeremiah would be a walking illustration of the bond- wisdom would say that those still living in Judah were age these nations would endure by coming under the blessed, while those in Babylon were cursed. Both yoke of Nebuchadnezzar. They were warned to submit groups probably would have agreed with this. Howev- and put their neck in the yoke. If they failed to do so er, God’s plans don’t always follow conventional wis- they would be destroyed. Notice that the greatest pow- dom. The future really lay with the exiles. That is where er on earth, a godless nation, is merely God’s servant to God perfects his people — in exile. Those whom he accomplish his plans. chooses and uses almost invariably traverse a difficult Jeremiah speaks the same word to Zedekiah. road. I spoke words like all these to Zedekiah king of Ju- Here then is the message that God gave to Jeremiah. dah, saying, “Bring your necks under the yoke of thus says the LORD to me—“Make for yourself the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, bonds and yokes and put them on your neck, and and live! Why will you die, you and your people, by send word to the king of Edom, to the king of the sword, famine and pestilence, as the LORD has Moab, to the king of the sons of Ammon, to the spoken to that nation which will not serve the king king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon by the mes- of Babylon? (Jer 27:12-13) sengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah was under Babylon’s yoke, which we now see “So do not listen to the words of the prophets who was actually God’s yoke. This applied to the Jews still speak to you, saying, ‘You will not serve the king of living in Judah, but at this point in history it particular- Babylon,’ for they prophesy a lie to you; for I have ly applied to the exiles who had been forced to march not sent them,” declares the LORD, “but they prophe- 700 miles from home to live in a land with different cus- sy falsely in My name, in order that I may drive you toms and language. out and that you may perish, you and the prophets As we have seen in earlier studies in this book, be- who prophesy to you.” Then I spoke to the priests lievers often behave like the people of Judah in Jeremi- and to all this people, saying, “Thus says the LORD: ah’s time. We are prone to sin and idolatry. We “walk Do not listen to the words of your prophets who after emptiness”; we “dig cisterns that break and cannot prophesy to you, saying, ‘Behold, the vessels of the hold water.” We may not have committed some terrible LORD’S house will now shortly be brought again sin, like murder, but our hearts are fickle and prone to from Babylon’; for they are prophesying a lie to wander. Our devotion to God and our affection for him you. Do not listen to them; serve the king of Baby- can become a flickering flame. The result is that we ex- lon, and live! Why should this city become a ruin? perience discipline, correction and judgment, because (Jer 27:14-17) God wants to mold and shape us. This can often take Here is what one of the false prophets, Hananiah, the form of yokes and exile. God places us in circum- was saying. stances that confine and restrict our movements as all of “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel (this creation becomes his servant to hem us in and get our is the same formula used by Jeremiah), ‘I have brok- attention. At times we are sent into exile by being dis- en the yoke of the king of Babylon. ‘Within two placed from our homes. On other occasions the exile oc- years I am going to bring back to this place all the curs within us. Eugene Peterson gives an excellent defi- vessels of the LORD’S house, which Nebuchadnezzar nition of being in exile: “The essential meaning of exile king of Babylon took away from this place and car- is that we are where we don’t want to be. We are separ- ried to Babylon. I am also going to bring back to ated from home … It is an experience of dislocation – 1 this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Ju- everything is out of joint; nothing fits together.” dah, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Baby- Our exile may take the form of a physical handicap, a lon,’ declares the LORD, ‘for I will break the yoke of difficult marriage, a demanding employer, a tense work the king of Babylon.’” (Jer 28:2-4) environment, being single, being abandoned by our The false prophets promised a quick return from ex- spouse, a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking off a relation- ile. It was only a matter of two years, they said. They ship, having to move to places unknown, or dreams promised the return of the temple vessels that were tak- failing to materialize. Do you find yourself in any of en to Babylon with Jeconiah; and that the LORD would these situations? At some point, most of us will experi- break the yoke of Nebechadnezzar. Further, they ex- ence the feeling of being in exile. horted the people not to submit to or serve the king of Everything inside us rebels when we feel that yoke Babylon. But the exile would last seventy years. Jerusa- around our neck. The ache of being dislocated makes us lem would be destroyed; the remainder of the people of want to return to Jerusalem. We hate not being in con- Judah would be killed or taken into captivity; and the trol.
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