Be Still And Know

Jeremiah 29:4,5,7 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce... And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” To cut a long story short, God’s people refused to listen to Jeremiah. They continued in their sinful ways and, in 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and took more than 3,000 people into exile. This was total humiliation for the self-confident, godless people of Jerusalem. To be transported to a foreign country, over 1,000 miles from home, was a horrific form of punishment. But Jeremiah wanted the people of Israel to know that God still had good plans for them. In his letter, Jeremiah told the people to accept their new home. They needed to settle down and bring up their families there. And as they did so, they