223. Shall have Peace
Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Jeremiah says to the Exiles in Babylon: You are going to be there for a while; so make the most of it. Be a blessing to the people of the land in which you are living. Seek the peace of the city and pray for it. Then the promise comes into effect: in the peace of the city you shall have peace. Settle down. Make a nest. Seek peace in your community. Pray for the people in the city in which you are sojourning. Then you will have peace even while you dwell among enemies.
All Christians are living in a foreign and strange land far away from Home with God in heaven. We are in “exile.” We have been rescued from the “world” and transferred into the kingdom of light. We have entered into heaven where God rules. But we remain dwelling in a land of darkness, in the midst of a dark world ruled by Sin and by the prince of the power of the air. We are called out of that world even while we still live in it.
Christians have been tempted to ignore the world (e.g., by entering a monastery), to try to leave the world and disassociate from it, even to criticize and condemn worldly people and their ungodly values. Instead, God calls His children to make a difference in the world and in the community in which they live. Disciples are salt and light. Their effect on the world around them is positive. We are meant to have an influence for good. Love not the world, but seek peace with and pray for the people in the world around you. When you have such a godly influence on your neighbors you will be able to live at peace in the midst of hostile enemies.
For the Jews, they were to live and pray for peace in Babylon, while holding on to the Word of God with its Morality and its Promises. For Christians, they are to seek peace and pray for the community, while focusing on Jesus by paying attention to the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “Be in the world, but not of the world.” Be a good citizen. Be a good neighbor. In the peace of the city that you help keep you shall have peace. This outward peace is effected by the inward peace that comes through justification by faith.