226. Turn away Captivity
Jeremiah 29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
This promise is true for all of us, not only for the Jews of Jeremiah’s day. Jesus has come to turn away our captivity. Our enemies have taken us captive, and they are still trying to bring us into captivity daily. Sin continually captivates us, Death is ever making us captive by its threats, and Satan relentlessly attempts to bring us under His captive control. But Jesus has come to set us free and bring us back to the true and abundant life. Jesus proclaimed that He is come to set the captives free, and He has.
The Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel and gathers us from the kingdoms of the world, which would deceive us daily. Just like the Lord drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, so our sin has caused Him to drive us out of our Paradise Home. He gathers us into His kingdom, the invisible church, our true homeland, and our eternal inheritance. This is our promise.
The Lord will bring us again into the place from which He carried us away captive. The Lord fulfilled His promise and brought the Jews back again to the place. The “place” is that place that Jesus went away to prepare for us. The truth is that we live in exile in this present world under the power of the prince of the world. Jesus set us free with His death and resurrection; the Spirit brings us to faith in Christ and brings us into the place Jesus prepared. We need to believe two things: 1) I am in captivity; 2) Jesus turns away my captivity. He brought me, and continues to bring me, back to the place where I belong, with the Lord. And I will be with Him forever in Paradise. This is my “place prepared.” We may enter in every day by repentance and faith in the Gospel.