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Text: Jeremiah 31 ● I mentioned last week that what we have been considering is the record of a unique and unrepeatable event/season in the history of the lives of the people of Israel and their interaction with and experience of God in it. If we are careful- without pressing every detail- we can use their experience of “exile” as a ‘metaphor’ for the inevitable life-crisis that we experience; a means of taking something that is not literally applicable to us in order to express the similarities. ● Like Israel, some of the crisis that we face is “self-inflicted”: we ignore all the warning signs and fail to see the many ways in which our choices and pursuits are having often rather subtle, yet destructive consequences. And, sometimes, life just happens to us! ● Characteristically, during these seasons: - Certainty is replaced with uncertainty; stability proves to be an illusion. Nothing seems “familiar”. - Our strategies for making life work have failed; our formulas no longer produce predictable outcomes which forces us to come to terms with our assumptions about God and life we’ve used to form such strategies. - You forget “who you are” (your identity keeps you connected to ‘the story’). That story says that… ►The human dilemma is a divine dilemma as well. It’s not just about the mess that we’ve gotten ourselves into, but the frustration that God feels over the “distortion” and “disruption” of all of his good creation, and, the pain he feels with us as we experience the inevitable consequences of such “disorder” (he ‘groans’ too!) This is not the way it was meant to be! [“evil” (Gr)- not as it ought to be ] We would use the term ‘evil’ to describe systems of belief and practice, ways of doing life which have led to “disorder”, or, “the distortion of all of God’s good creation” ● It’s being conscious of all the ways that our lives are either contributing to the ‘continued disorder’ or actually ‘prevailing over’ evil and helping to put things back in order; back the way they ought to be! [How does God desire for this to function? Am I contributing to the disorder or helping return things to the way they ‘ought to be’? Is it promoting order or adding to the chaos?] ● Jeremiah shapes his message of hope within the context of ‘covenant’ (vs.1); not understood as a legal document or treaty, but as an expression of the relationship between God and his people, Israel: he would reveal himself to them as the unique, Creator-God and they would acknowledge him as such by responding faithfully to him and learning how to live as his people in his world. The covenant, rehearsed in this context (to a people in exile), could mean nothing less than a new beginning; a new exodus, except expressed in ways even more unexpected [since the covenant established previously at Mt. Sinai was instituted after the Exodus]. ►Exile is where transformation happens. Jeremiah is advising them that exile will now be God’s preferred context for working with and in them. Assumptions: “Did God cause it, or, did he allow it?” If he caused it, maybe he is angry and vindictive; if he allowed it, maybe he’s impotent. The focus of the story: God is intimately aware and involved (in it with you) and the spotlight is always on his power to ‘redeem’ it. Isaiah 40 “make a path in the wilderness…” (desert; exile): not for us to get out, but for God to come in; make room for God! ►It’s hard for us to hear that God is in ‘no hurry’ to deliver us from exile. I suggested last week that before we can embrace exile, we must first “lament”. ● God, for whatever reason, has allowed you to be here (in this place). To resist ‘place’ (wherever that is for you) is to resist the “shalom” (peace; wholeness; order in the midst of chaos) he desires to offer you there. ►There is a time to warn of judgment and there is a time to shine the spotlight on God’s grace. “Dear exiles…” (Jeremiah 29) If you were Jeremiah writing to a people who, having persistently ignored the warnings, were now realizing the consequences of their own self-directed choices, how might you have expected this letter to start? It is important for Jeremiah because he is speaking ‘for’ God. This letter is not meant to convey his frustrations, but express God’s heart. ● In exile, the tone changes; the vision is redirected; you have to hear a different voice… a voice of hope, not condescension or disgust [Jeremiah 30:7, 15, 17]. ● Exiles need not be reminded of their failure or their present life-circumstances as a result of their sin [their posture almost says, “Go ahead and say it…” ]; they need something different. They certainly need to confront the reality of their present circumstances, but they also need to hope for something better. ►God will never exploit or take advantage of us in exile. God will never use your vulnerability as leverage against you or an opportunity to “finish you off” (“A bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out”. Isaiah 42:3) Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort my people, speak tenderly to Jerusalem…” ● This is God’s way of saying, “That’s enough”. It was not in any sense that the punishment had somehow now satisfied the penalty. There is no punishment that could suffice, no sense of penance appropriate for the violation [i.e. if your spouse has been unfaithful, what possible punishment could ever satisfy the depth or your pain and hurt?]. The only option available to the offended one for sustaining a relationship is ‘forgiveness’. In this light, “…mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). ● You have to believe in the power of grace: to heal and restore you in your hurt, and to re-direct and restore the offending party. ►The purpose was not the exile itself, but the repentance and restoration that the exile was meant to produce. Jeremiah’s vision of hope was not a promise that after this is over, things will get back to normal; back to the way they were before. The hope, according to Jeremiah, is that a new life/future would emerge from the wreckage/chaos! ● As an exile, the range of possibilities become somewhat broadened for you, your vision is expanded; you’re no longer limited to directing all of your energies toward making life work out according to the plan… it no longer has to for you! Exile has the capacity for re-directing us toward what matters [not focused on what is lost, but on finding/reaffirming all that’s worth keeping!] v.8 (read) Exile has a way of humbling us; confronting us with commonality. Exile will allow you to welcome and be welcomed by all those you had previously attempted to isolate or ignore. ● Exile is where you stop long enough to take a look around! To notice that out of exile, God desires to create a “community”… a returned from exile people who, having themselves been restored, will live with and toward the world motivated by grace. ►Exile is where, left to yourself, grief will soon become despair (hopelessness). God knows that he can’t just leave you there with your with your own instincts… the results would be devastating. But, honestly, despair demands much less of us [we can remain passive and continue to rehearse all the ways that we’ve been victimized]; and, it’s not as embarrassing as being hopeful! [trusting despite the absence of any tangible, visual confirmation]. Exile is a place where your identity is restored/renewed, because if it is too deeply associated with your failure, you will be unlikely to ever find reason to hope [this is the reason that Jesus had to confront Peter at the water’s edge]. ● The final verses of chapter 30 establish the context for hope: God’s way of saying… I would never do that to you. ~ “In the “days to come, you will understand all this”… [exile is a place of repentance and restoration, but not always a place of clarity: don’t get stuck on the questions]. ~ “In that day…” [what a wonderfully hopeful phrase]. In exile, our experience of God (knowledge) is not based upon what we think about God, but reflecting upon what he thinks about us! ● Imagine God’s new work being so thorough, so complete that once being described as having “committed adultery” or as having ‘prostituted themselves’, he would now identify them as “my virgin Israel”.
(*) In exile, there will
always be those who will never let you forget “what you’ve done”, but,
there will also be those (who long to be part of the restoration) who will
never let you forget who you are! [“Abandoned”… “alone”: worst possible
sensation in exile. We see you; we celebrate God’s restoring work in your life]. |
