Title The duality of waiting, October 24
The duality of waiting
Jeremiah 29:4-14
Jeremiah's historical place
At that time, who were the captives to Babylon willing to listen to? Audiences, of course, will listen to what sounds sweet to them. He was lonely because few listened to Jeremiah's pessimistic prophecies. He shed many tears not only because he foresaw the fate of his people, but also because he faced the reality that his prophecies were not being delivered on the other hand. Still, Jeremiah did not lose courage and did not stop his prophetic work. People would not have listened at the time, but history chose Jeremiah, who said it would take 70 years, rather than those who foretold that the captivity would end in two years. It seems that the truth can only be revealed through history like this.
Then, a true prophet must be seen as a person who is thoroughly conscious, thinking, and acting in the light of history shining from the future. They are people who experience the light of the future that is still hidden but will eventually be revealed to us. However, this recognition is not simply given to us. Because our whole life is entangled with current issues. It is difficult to foresee the future in a state where the idea that one's claim should be recognized right now is strong.
for survival
Jeremiah's prophecies, which have been acknowledged throughout history as the true Word of Yahweh, but at that time did not pay much attention to them, seem too ordinary. He preaches to the exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon: “You build a house and live there. Build a new orchard and live by picking fruits. Marry him, have sons and daughters, take daughter-in-law and son-in-law, and see grandchildren and grandchildren. The population should not decrease. It must increase” (vv. 5, 6). What the hell does this mean? It sounds like an officiant handing over to the bride and groom at a wedding venue.
Who are the Jews in particular? Their sense of choice was not exhaustive and exclusive. Regardless of their circumstances, they lived without missing a moment from the fact that they were God's chosen people. That is why, despite numerous attacks by neighboring empires and the disintegration of the country, it would have been able to retain its Jewish identity. As we well know, for nearly two thousand years after the fall of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70, they lived scattered all over the world, without land or government. We call them diaspora. It is almost a miracle that they have been able to maintain their Jewish identity even though they have lived without any foundation to unite them as a nation for nearly two thousand years. Some scholars even said that this phenomenon is evidence that God is alive. They are the people whose mental world is clear enough that they do not disturb their national identity even though they are scattered here and there. The spiritual humiliation experienced by those who were taken captive to Babylon after the glorious era of David and Solomon came to an end is beyond our imagination.
Those who preach the Word of God to people in this situation will have to point out two facts. One, don't lose courage. God helps Our captivity will soon end. don't lose hope Perhaps if I had been in that position, I would not have preached such a sermon. Almost all the prophets except Jeremiah would also have preached this courage and hope. But Jeremiah says something wrong. In Babylon, where you were taken captive, build a house, build an orchard, go to marriage, have sons and daughters, and live well. Those who heard these sermons most likely felt insulted. He didn't ask me to eagerly wait for the opportunity to leave this place as soon as possible and return to my home country, but just sit there and live well.
Why did Jeremiah proclaim this prophecy? There is no reason why Jeremiah could not understand the hearts of those who were taken into captivity, and there was no reason that Jeremiah would not have been weeping in the face of the crumbling fate of his people. In terms of feeling, he might have wanted to end the Babylonian captivity, even through armed struggle, like the Zelottes. But Jeremiah was looking right into reality. No matter how impatient he was, he knew that it would be practically impossible for Judah to be liberated from Babylon unless the imperial policy of Babylon was over. Moreover, Judas was completely unprepared for emancipation. Jeremiah, recognizing that it is not true Yahweh faith to simply pursue something that is completely impossible, preached a sermon about abandoning such vain hopes and accepting reality.
The reality that Jeremiah sees here does not simply mean compromise with reality, but rather, consider the gravity of the matter in a moment of crisis and choose the most fundamental task. The most fundamental and most essential thing for these people who have been taken captive now is 'survival'. Surviving as God's people is God's first will for them. If it is not a crisis but an ordinary life, God's people must clearly control their essence, but in a desperate crisis, they must strive for survival. It would not be such a wise choice if they perished while trying to fight Babylon. There is nothing in this world more important than our survival.
God exceeds our expectations
The reason why Jeremiah placed such a high value on “survival” was not simply in his survival strategy to survive in this world, but in his recognition of the fact that God’s power to intervene in human history exceeds our expectations. After the Assyrian Empire was taken over by the new empire of Babylon, Jeremiah tried to find the survival of Judah through diplomatic power between Babylon and Egypt, and in the end, he witnessed the destruction of Judah through the wrong choice. He knew that there are many things in this world that humans cannot overcome no matter how hard they try. That realm was the part where God's will was active. This will of God exceeds our expectations. This means that even if we all work hard to produce something plausible, it is often thrown away by a force we didn't expect. Ultimately, in the midst of this flow of history, it is best for us to live at a spiritual level with God's will rather than our plans.
Although the outward appearance of a life recognizing God's total power beyond our expectations may seem similar, there is a big difference in reality. It means that it is dual in nature. One is a life that falls into a kind of fatalism. By saying that everything is God's will, you are abandoning your historical mission. This fatalism, which is commonly found in Christians, is an evasion of responsibility rather than surrendering ourselves to God's power, and furthermore, it is a kind of favoritism to avoid the troubles we have to reflect and make decisions in every moment of our lives. . The other is true ‘faith of waiting’. This is the kind of faith of waiting that Advent means this year, which will come on the last Sunday in November. Our Christian faith is never fatalism, but Advent wait.
Adventist beliefs and fatalistic beliefs may seem similar in terms of waiting and passivity, but they are fundamentally different. This means that the meaning of waiting and passiveness are completely different. Advent waiting is not waiting unconditionally without any preparation, but with an awake spirituality to see the signs. Just as a watchman waits for dawn, as the psalmist put it, he eagerly waits for Kairos to come at that very moment. Such people try to discern this age, constantly reflect on themselves in the Word, and deepen their spirituality. However, the fatalists are not desperate for that time, so they always open their eyes for the expansion of their lives. However, Advent wait is not just waiting, we do our best to bring that time forward. As Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer, we pray with tension so that the will of heaven may be done on this earth.
Today we are missing out on the mystery of this Advent waiting. As if we had to accomplish world missions, we are going too far as if we could do it. It is similar to the Korean society running around with the goal of living well. By pouring out all our energy in this way, our spirituality will be exhausted. As we read in today's text, Jeremiah preaches to wait for God's power to exceed our expectations, warning us not to be deceived by false prophecies that the hardships of captivity will be resolved within two years. This is not fatalism, but a true religious attitude with spiritual tension in it.