Life in Babylon

Good Morning and Welcome to this week’s Gospel and Culture update, by Alan Vink
Life in Babylon
Tuesday 8th August 2023

Life in Babylon

I think it is reasonable to say that we are living in a ‘pagan land’ here in Aotearoa New Zealand. In the ancient world it was a literal country called Babylon and ruled by a pagan King called Nebuchadnezzar. Babylon represented everything that was anti-God. Morally, socially and even politically everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes.

What I find fascinating is this:-

1. God himself caused His people to be carried away into exile to Babylon for 70 years. (Jeremiah 29)
2. Through the prophet, Jeremiah, God instructs the children of Israel to ‘settle in’ with these words - “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away”. (v5-6)
3. And then this instruction:- “Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace”. (v7)

The Jews easily could have waged constant warfare against their idolatrous Gentile captors, but Jeremiah instructed them to strive to get along with the Babylonians. The exiles were to be peacemakers, not troublemakers, and they were to pray sincerely for their enemies (Matt. 5:43–48; 1 Tim. 2:1–3; Titus 3:1, 2). It was possible to be good Jews even in a pagan land.

I have not known a time, at least not in my lifetime, that as a nation we are so unhinged from the values of the Bible. When I compare the context of my childhood (the 50’s and 60’s) to the present day it feels like a whole other planet.

At times like this it is so much easier to complain, to criticise, to protest and to even ‘prophesy’ judgement on the nation as was the case with some false prophets in Jeremiah’s day. It’s much harder to do what Jeremiah instructed the Children of Israel to do and that is to ‘seek the peace of the city (read neighbourhood, suburb, village, town)’.

By seeking the peace of the city and praying for it, the Israelites are essentially promoting the well-being of the place they now find themselves in. This act of seeking peace and welfare for the city, even as captives, demonstrates a willingness to be good citizens and contribute positively to their community, despite their displacement.

Moreover, the Lord tells them that in the city's peace, they will find peace. By seeking the welfare of the city, they would create an environment that would benefit not only the inhabitants of the city but also themselves. By contributing positively to their new surroundings and making efforts to improve the city's condition, they would, in turn, experience a greater sense of peace and well-being within themselves.

Is it time we took a leaf from Jeremiah’s play book?

Before I go and make a coffee let me share this sermon illustration from Thomas De Witt Talmage.

Oh, how many good people are affrighted by unbelieving iniquity in our day, and think the Church of Jesus Christ and the cause of righteousness are going to be overthrown.

Do not worry, do not fret, as though iniquity were going to triumph over righteousness.

A lion goes into a cavern to sleep. He lies down, with his shaggy mane covering the paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin a web across the mouth of the cavern, and say, “We have captured him.” Gossamer thread after gossamer thread is spun until the whole front of the cavern is covered with the spiders’ web, and the spiders say, “The lion is done; the lion is fast.”

After a while the lion has got through sleeping; he rouses himself, he shakes his mane, he walks out into the sunlight; he does not even know the spiders’ web is spun, and with his voice he shakes the mountain.

So men come, spinning their sophistries and scepticism about Jesus Christ; he seems to be sleeping. They say, “We have shut up the Lord; he will never come forth again before the nations; Christ is captured, and captured forever.”

But after a while the Lion of the tribe of Judah will rouse himself and come forth to shake mightily the nations. What is a spider’s web to the aroused lion? Give truth and error a fair grapple, and truth will come off victor. And I want to add Hallelujah!