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- God’s Disappointing Word to Exiles Read Jeremiah 29:1-9,
1.
This is the
text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the
prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
2.
(This was
after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the
leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)
3.
He entrusted
the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom
Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
4.
This is what
the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5.
"Build
houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
6.
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.
7.
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."
8.
Yes, this is
what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive
you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
9.
They are
prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the
LORD.
In the time of
Jeremiah there were two “super” powers, Babylon in the east and Egypt in the southwest. Judah was invaded several times by both. After Babylon defeated Egypt in 605 BC, Judah became a vassal of Babylon.
The royal
family and all the leading families were rounded up and taken to Babylon: the nobles, officials, skilled workers, artisans,
officers and soldiers, priests, prophets and elders. They were not sold into
slavery. The king was imprisoned, but the others were given land upon which
to build houses. They were free to work and prosper. They just could not
return to Jerusalem.
Those taken
into captivity longed for release, to return home to Jerusalem. To these exiles Jeremiah sent a letter, which was
entrusted to Elasah and Gemariah, who carried it 500 miles to Babylon. Jeremiah’s letter was not one of comfort. On the
contrary, the exiles were encouraged to adapt to their new situation.
Returning home soon was not God’s plan.
Adjusting to a
new country where people speak a different language and have different social
customs is difficult. Jeremiah wrote to the captives in
Babylon to tell them (29:4-23) that it was God’s will that stay there only added to the
strain the exiles felt, but they must have thought that God had abandoned them.
He was instructing them to
move ahead with their lives and to pray for the pagan nation that enslaved
them. Life cannot grind to a halt during troubled times. In an unpleasant or
distressing situation, we must adjust and keep moving. You may find it difficult
to pray for that in authority if they are evil, but that is when your prayers
are most needed (1 Timothy 2:1, 2). When you enter times of trouble or sudden
change, pray rather than giving up because of fear and uncertainty.
Jeremiah warned
the exiles not to listen to the religious leaders who were trying to
encourage them by saying God would soon deliver them. This was the opposite
of God’s plan for them. As the people trusted God, He brought them through
the hardships and their faith in God grew stronger. Once they did return to Jerusalem, never again did they turn to other gods for help. They
trusted only the God who delivered them.
- God’s Plan for the Future: Je. 29:10-14
10. in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will
the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11.
I long to see you so that
I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—12. that is, that you and I may be mutually
encouraged by each other's faith. 13. I do not
want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you
(but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have
a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14, I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and
the foolish.
Seventy years was a lifetime for most of
the exiles. God’s plan for
deliverance was for the corporate group, not just for selected individuals.
His promise to return them to Judah gave them encouragement and hope for the future. Once
again when they prayed He would answer. Those who sought Him would find Him.
God watched over them even in a far off country like Babylon.
Does God have a plan for each of our lives? Yes, He does. His plan is to
redeem us from sin through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus the
Messiah, and thus to give us eternal life. This is also a corporate plan for
all who turn to Him for salvation.
We are free to make decisions.
Sometimes God makes clear His guidance. Other times He is silent. He trusts
us to make good decisions and is willing to work with us in the paths we
choose. Even in the difficult times of life, when He seems distant, God still
cares for His children. His plan is to bring them home.
C. Conclusion: Christians must be fully engaged in
today’s world in active obedience to
God while
anticipating heaven and/or Christ’s return in the future,
because the past generation
thought largely future is
the result
of neglect of
present. Today,
We must have a complete
confidence in God’s ability to guide our life path.
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A. 上帝對被攎者之失望書信: 請讀耶利米書29:1-9,
- 先知耶利米從耶路撒冷寄信與被擄的祭司、先知、和眾民、並生存的長老、就是尼布甲尼撒從耶路撒冷擄到巴比倫去的。
- （這在耶哥尼雅王、和太后、太監、並猶大、耶路撒冷的首領、以及工匠、鐵匠、都離了耶路撒冷以後。）
- 他藉沙番的兒子以利亞薩、和希勒家的兒子基瑪利的手寄去．他們二人、是猶大王西底家打發往巴比倫去見尼布甲尼撒王的。
- 信上說、萬軍之耶和華以色列的 神、對一切被擄去的、就是我使他們從耶路撒冷被擄到巴比倫的人、如此說、
- 你們要蓋造房屋住在其中、栽種田園喫其中所產的。
- 娶妻生兒女、為你們的兒子娶妻、使你們的女兒嫁人、生兒養女、在那裡生養眾多、不至減少。
- 我所使你們被擄到的那城、你們要為那城求平安、為那城禱告耶和華、因為那城得平安、你們也隨著得平安。
- 萬軍之耶和華以色列的 神如此說、不要被你們中間的先知和占卜的誘惑、也不要聽信自己所作的夢．
- 因為他們託我的名對你們說假豫言、我並沒有差遣他們．這是耶和華說的。
在耶利米的時期，有兩個 “特級” 強力國, 東邊是巴比倫和西南邊的埃及. 猶大國被這兩國侵犯多次。 巴比倫擊敗埃及於605 BC以後, 猶大國成了 巴比倫的奴隸。
王室全家和所有的上等家庭全被補捉送到巴比倫：貴族們、 官員們、 技術人員們、警官們和軍人們、牧師們、先知們和長老們、他們不被賣為奴隸，王被關在監獄，但其他的得地可蓋房，他們可自由工作並繁榮，但他們不准回耶路撒冷。
那些被扣押要常時間才能解放回耶路撒冷。對於那些流亡國外的耶路撒冷人就派任Elasah 和 Gemariah兩人送500 英哩的路的信到巴比倫去.。耶利米的信並不使人舒暢。相反的， 流亡們被鼓勵去適應他們的新環境， 回去家園並不是上帝的計劃。
適應於一個新的國家有不同之語言和不同之社會風俗的確是困難的。耶利米寫信告訴巴比倫的猶大人(29章4-23節是信的內容) 那是上帝的計劃，使他們留下來經驗流亡之感覺；但他們想是上帝放棄了他們。
耶利米教導他們繼續生存下去和也為非基督徒和無信仰者禱告。生活不能因困苦而停頓，儘管生活環境惡劣，際遇不佳，我們仍得盡量適應、積極生活。您可能覺得為暴君禱告太困難了，但這正是須要您禱告的時候(參提前
2:1, 2)。當您遇到困境或遭受突然變故時，不要因恐懼和前景不明而放棄努力。相反的，要多禱告、積極生活，盡量在能力所及的地方發揮影響力。
耶利米預告那流亡者，不要輕聽宗教領袖的鼓勵說上帝很快會釋放他們， 因為這正與上帝的計劃相反；上帝的子民要信託祂，祂將帶子民越過困難並對上帝的信心更強壯。有一天當他們回去耶路撒冷絕對不可再向其他神求，他們應只是相信這位曾經釋放他們的上帝。
B. 上帝對未來的計劃: 耶利米書29:10-14,
10. 在禱告之間、常常懇求、或者照 神的旨意、終能得平坦的道路往你們那裡去。
11. 因為我切切的想見你們、要把些屬靈的恩賜分給你們、使你們可以堅固．
12. 這樣我在你們中間、因你與我彼此的信心、就可以同得安慰。
13.
弟兄們、我不願意你們不知道、我屢次定意往你們那裡去、要在你們中間得些果子、如同在其餘的外邦人中
14. 無論是希利尼人、化外人、聰明人、愚拙人、我都欠他們的債 。
七十年流亡生活，對大多的人是一生的路程。 上帝的計劃是為了救出或釋放一群共同的組織，而非那被選出的個人；祂的應許是使其回到猶大國，並鼓勵、期望他們的未來。再說，當他們禱告，祂必回應。尋找主必找到祂。上帝在看顧他們，既使在遠處的國家如巴比倫城之地方。
上帝對我們的每一個子民都有個計劃嗎？是的，祂有。他的計劃是從我們在罪惡中經聖子耶穌的死救出和釋放我們。耶穌，彌賽亞和上帝給我們永生；這也是一個給所有轉向祂的人之共同釋放和救贖的計劃。
我們有自由選擇的決定，有時候，上帝做一個很清楚的引導，但有時祂是靜靜的，因祂信任我們好好的選擇，並將與我們同工於我們所選擇的路走，甚至於在生活中困境，當祂似乎看來是遠離我們，祂卻仍然照顧祂的孩子們，祂的計劃是帶我們這群孩子們回家。
C. 結論：我們這群基督徒們必須為今日的世界，活用在順從天國的事上和將來基督的再來上預備，因為過去的一代到那無限制的將來都是今日子民的忽略。今日，我們必須對上帝領導我們生活道路的能力上有完全的信心。
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上帝有一個計劃God Has a Plan
