US: Letter to Babylon

Here is a real jewel.....Jeremiah's letter he sent from Jerusalem to the Hebrew exiles who had been taken captive to Babylon...

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried in exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will
prosper.

I treasure this portion of Scripture and it brings to mind again God's sovereignty over all kingdoms and over all cultures and over all world events.

Look at that sentence: Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Throughout centuries of world history, Jews have obeyed this command. They have sought the peace and prosperity of the lands where they have lived. When they fled from Russia to Germany and Poland, they supported those governments. When they fled from Turkey and were scattered again throughout Europe they became law-abiding citizens, living in their own "ghettos" and "beyond the pale" often, but they did not seek to destroy the governments, even when oppressed. And in spite of it all, they grew and prospered, so much that most of the world envied and began to hate them.

When Haym Salomon fled Poland in the 1770's and came to New York, he rose to a position of financial prosperity and used his money and influence to help finance the American Revolution. George Washington depended on a number of Jewish Americans to help him clothe and arm his men.

And maybe there is another lesson here for us: aren't we, too, aliens in this world? Pilgrims journeying on to our heavenly home? Living in the Kingdom of God, and extending it, while still living in our earthly kingdom, even when the kingdom of Satan is trying to advance.

We, too, are strangers, foreigners, aliens.

I don't want to sound cynical, but I sort of feel that if we don't realize how "alien" we really are in this 2020 culture, then we aren't paying attention. Maybe not getting out much!

Maybe this advice to the Hebrews in Babylon is good advice for us, too, reminding us to pray for our land. For its peace and prosperity.

Jeremiah's letter goes on to say:

This is what the LORD says: When seventy years are completed in Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

How wonderful of our loving God! He reminds His people right at the beginning that they will be there 70 years. Don't try to escape; don't sit down and wait for Me to come to you. Just go on about your work. Take care of your families. Don't listen to false prophets. Don't waste time trying to figure it all out. Just keep living your lives and wait for Me. I will come. But it's not going to be right away.

God is good all the time. All the time God is good.

Then there's this amazing promise:

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you.

(I just love that part of the promise--they will seek Him and He will be found by them! He allows Himself to be found! He is not the God who hides Himself -- He is the God who reveals Himself!! WOW!)

God is good all the time. All the time God is good!

P.S. Something sort of interesting about our Great Seal of the United States.
Just above the head of the eagle is a circular disc with 13 stars. George Washington worked on the design. Originally the stars were scattered, but he (at least some early Americans said) designed the stars to be in the configuration they are now -- look closely -- they are in a hexagram -- 2 equilateral triangles with two tips touching -- the two triangles pointing toward each other -- the hexagram is the Mogan (Star of) David -- some people said Washington placed them this way to let Haym Salomon and the other Jews realize how much he valued their help and respected their influence here in the new nation. But it had to be subtle, almost secret, because, as usual, Jews were still hated by some.