VIEWPOINTS |
Principles for Flourishing Communities:
Stability and Harmony
by Rev Samuel John Shekhar, Chaplain in St. Stephen’s College, Delhi
4. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 10. This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:4-11
T
he above text is from a letter that Jeremiah wrote to the Jews in Babylonia who were taken as exiles by Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah had seen several governments which rose and fell. The reign of Josiah (640-609 BCE), the reign of Jehoahaz (609 BCE), Jehoakim (609-598 BCE), Jehoiachin (598-597 BCE) and Zedekiah (597-586 BCE). It is obvious that he had ministered more than 40 years from 627 BCE until 586 BCE when Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed and people went into exile in Babylonia (2Kings 25:21; 2 Chronicles 36:20). It must be noted that Jeremiah escaped being exiled but he went away to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:7&8) with the remnant of Judah. In above description it is clear that the Israelites were in a fragile condition. Politically they were a defeated State, culturally they were made inferior to the Persians, as far as their religion was concerned, they had nothing left except the ruins of their temple in Jerusalem. In this conflict the hand of Nebuchadnezzar was hard on them. Their elites were taken captive to Nineveh and the poor were left behind to till the ground. In this fragile condition Jeremiah brings the message of hope. The people of Israel in spite of their fragile state must learn to flourish. With this in view Jeremiah wrote a letter in a typical prophetic genre i.e. in dual authorship style. On the one hand the letter is written by Jeremiah and at the same time it is also God’s words. God spoke through his prophet without dictating his message. However, the message is clear that despite their fragile condition Israelites must learn to flourish. How do we flourish? What is human flourishing and what is our contribution in it? 10
INSiGHT | February 2021
