Why the Exile Happened
Bible Study Blog
This month is known for two things, the second of which is a remembrance of black history. Since I’m a person of color, I’d like to share a bit of perspective on why remembering and celebrating black lives should matter to the christian.
Jeremiah 22:2-3 says
“‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.”
The United States has a long and unfortunate history about thriving on the success of oppressing others. Often, the “others” were immigrants, natives, and of course blacks. Despite what many would have you believe, it’s still happening. You may even be shocked to know that in some of our churches along i70, (Adventist churches!), denigrating and even derogatory language comes out of some of our members’ mouths. Ain’t that something? God’s still working on them I suppose.
Jeremiah still matters in the life of the professed Christian because prejudice and injustice are still real. That reality is a part of the problem that Jeremiah was called to preach. In Jeremiah’s time, the people of god were surrounded by leaders and preachers that encouraged xenophobia and entitlement. Self-absorbed and blind to their own systemic problems, the people neglected the hefty matters of doing justice and mercy unto others. The weeping prophet calls for repentance from the audience. He calls to memory the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant. In his time, these people were “less than.” Good thing that never happens today. We never look at the homeless and think, “well surely they wouldn’t be homeless if they were hardworking!” Right?
The Babylonians came, and they devastated Israel. They destroyed the temple, they destroyed the city, and they destroyed the Davidic dynasty. Jeremiah made sure that the leaders and people would all know why this happened.
Chapter 22:8-9
“ ‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.” ’ ”
Notice that God is the operator in the desolation of the city. Who dealt with the city? God did. And why was that? verse nine gives two reasons. It may seem like one reason at first glance--and if i hadn't shown you the first half of chapter 22 leading up to this verse, I would forgive you. It can feel like the author is saying that the reason for the destruction and exile were because of the broken covenant and that they broke through idolatry. That doesn't sync up well with the rest of the chapter. In fact, the rest of the whole book of Jeremiah repeats the issues. Israel has stopped caring about Yahweh, true, but Israel also stopped caring about the less fortunate. Furthermore, the less fortunate existed because of how Israel and it's leaders were living. It's a lesson from history to us. When we stop caring for the poor, we create conditions that make more poor.
No one likes hearing that they are contributing to systemic or personal oppression. However, while the institution of slavery has been largely relegated to history, the prejudice and hate is still around. It was still around when the civil war ended. It was still around after the civil rights movement. And it's still around today. Most sadly, it is even in our churches. It's not with cheer that post this publicly--no pastor wants to tell the community at large that it's churches aren't perfect. But mine aren't, and I'm not going to pretend like Seventh-day Adventists are immune to prejudice and racism. What I can say is that I'm happy to know that in Rifle, our church family is kind and friendly. I'm at peace knowing that each of us are walking every day with Jesus letting him continue to work in us.
Friend, if you see or hear someone treat oppressively someone who looks different or talks different, do not turn a blind eye. do not think it a small thing that you can't change... That that's just how people are. I encourage you to remember the words of our Creator in Jeremiah 22:3
-pastor eli