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what practical steps could seeking the 'shalom' of my current place involve, even if temporary?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Jeremiah 29:7

“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.”

This verse is part of a letter from the prophet Jeremiah to the exiles from Judah who had been forcibly removed to Babylon. Writing around 597 BCE, Jeremiah urges them to settle down and contribute to the well-being of their foreign captors, rather than hoping for a swift return.

How might seeking the well-being of your current, perhaps imperfect, environment contribute to your own sense of wholeness?

Then — the setting

Jeremiah's letter to the exiles in Babylon was written in the early 6th century BCE (around 597 BCE), shortly after the first wave of Judah's population was deported by Nebuchadnezzar. The people were displaced, grieving, and likely held onto hopes of a quick return to their homeland. Jeremiah's message directly challenged these hopes, instructing them to integrate and work for the good of their captors, a radical and counter-intuitive command for a people in exile. This wasn't about assimilation into Babylonian religion but about contributing to the civic and material flourishing of the place they found themselves, because their own well-being was tied to it.

Across the Testaments

This passage from the Old Testament introduces the concept of seeking the 'shalom' of one's environment, even a hostile one. In the New Testament, while the term 'shalom' (peace) is used, the emphasis often shifts to the inner peace found through Christ, and a call to be peacemakers in the world (e.g., Matthew 5:9). However, the spirit of active, outward-looking concern for others' well-being, even those considered enemies, echoes Jeremiah's command. Jesus' teachings on loving neighbors and even enemies (Matthew 5:43-48) can be seen as a fulfillment and expansion of the ethical demand inherent in seeking the shalom of the city, extending the responsibility beyond a specific city to a more universal ethic of care.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Isaiah 61:1-4
This passage speaks of repairing and restoring communities, which is an active form of seeking shalom.
Matthew 5:9
Jesus blesses the peacemakers, connecting active peace-making with divine parentage, aligning with Jeremiah's call to work for shalom.
Psalm 122:6-9
This psalm encourages praying for the peace (shalom) of Jerusalem, highlighting the connection between the city's well-being and the well-being of its inhabitants.

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