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how do I build a life somewhere I didn’t plan to be?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

“Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don’t be diminished. Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.’”

The prophet Jeremiah delivered this message in a letter to the Jewish people who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon in the 6th century BCE. They had lost their homes, their temple, and their national identity, and were likely hoping for a quick return. This letter from God through Jeremiah instructs them to settle in for the long haul and even contribute to the well-being of their captors.

When circumstances place us somewhere unexpected, what does it mean to seek the well-being of that place?

Then — the setting

This passage is set in the 6th century BCE, specifically after the first wave of Babylonian exile in 597 BCE, when King Jehoiachin and many of Jerusalem's elite were deported. The audience was the exiled Jewish community in Babylon, a foreign land and the very empire that had conquered them. Many of these exiles hoped for a swift return to Jerusalem, fueled by false prophets promising imminent deliverance. Jeremiah's letter was a radical call to reject these hopes, to embrace their new reality, and to actively invest in the welfare of Babylon, signaling that their exile would be long (70 years, as mentioned elsewhere in the chapter). This was a challenging message, as it went against nationalistic fervor and the natural desire to return home.

Across the Testaments

This passage is from the Old Testament, addressing the physical displacement of the Israelite people. The New Testament picks up themes of displacement and foreignness, often reinterpreting them spiritually. For example, Christians are sometimes described as 'sojourners' or 'exiles' in the world (1 Peter 2:11), meaning their ultimate citizenship is in heaven, not here on earth. While Jeremiah's message is about making the best of a literal foreign land, the New Testament extends this idea to a spiritual detachment from earthly systems, while still calling believers to live responsibly and contribute positively within them (e.g., Romans 13:1-7 on submission to governing authorities). Both testaments encourage a proactive and beneficial engagement with the present reality, even when it's not the ultimate desired home.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 137:1-4
This psalm expresses the deep sorrow and longing of the exiles by the rivers of Babylon, reflecting their initial despair.
Genesis 12:1-4
Abram's call to leave his home and go to an unknown land shows a different kind of divinely directed displacement.
Ruth 1:16-18
Ruth's commitment to Naomi and her new land, Moab, illustrates choosing to build a life in an adopted place.

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