By Todd Paetznick, November 7, 2024

God does not act as we want Him to or how we think he should, but His patience, justice, and mercy are ever present.  

The Old Testament contains four times more examples of God’s mercy than the New Testament. It is filled with stories of people, including the entire nation of Israel, doing whatever they wanted, partly because they thought they could get away with it because they were God’s chosen people. Disobedience has consequences, but when repentance occurs, God is merciful.

Around 1,500 years ago, the people of Judah discovered that God took their rebellion against Him seriously.  As an act of judgment, God used the Babylonians to destroy Judah, Jerusalem, and even the Temple built by Solomon.  Most of the Jewish survivors of the siege were taken to the capital city of Babylon to live as slaves.     

Of course, the Jewish people did not enjoy being servants to the Babylonians.  In those days, some people claiming to be prophets told the people what they wanted to hear; they would soon have their freedom and could return to Jerusalem.  The problem was that God did not give this message to the so-called prophets; it was untrue.  (Lesson #1: be careful not to be too quick to believe what we want to hear). Instead, an actual prophet sent by God, Jeremiah, delivered a very different message, explaining that they would be in exile for seventy (70) years.  (Lesson #2: listen to the message delivered by an actual prophet who also gave miraculous signs to confirm his authenticity).

A Long-Term Attitude Toward Business

We often approach business and personal decisions based on a time element.  As an example, if we expect to sell a house soon, we will be less likely to make significant improvements to that house.  Having a short-term attitude, we might not care as much about the neighborhood, the community, or local schools because we do not plan to be there for long.  On the other hand, when we plan to live somewhere for many years, improvements to our home are considered a worthwhile investment we can enjoy.  

Businesses sometimes approach their customers with a similar attitude.  Long-term mutually beneficial relationships are approached very differently than one-time transactional relationships.  Looking out for the best long-term interests of a customer is a mark of integrity that individuals and organizations can apply.  

A Long-Term Attitude Toward Our Temporary Home

Christians are “strangers and aliens” wherever we are in the world.  The world is not our eternal home.  However, Peter encourages believers to live such exemplary lives that the people around them observe their good deeds and glorify God (1 Peter 2:12).  The attitudes, character, and actions of people claiming to be Christ-followers must be so good that they develop a reputation that gets back to God.  This attitude is not to blend in and be like everybody else in the community; it needs to be so superior that it gets noticed by outsiders to the faith.  

In the same way, through the prophet Jeremiah, God told the exiles in Babylon they would be there for seventy years.  This is a lot more time than they likely expected.  Most exiles would live the rest of their lives in Babylon and never return to the freedom or the homes they once enjoyed in Jerusalem.  Instead of having a short-timer’s attitude and not caring about their community, however, God instructed the Jewish people to ”Seek the prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD in its behalf; for in its prosperity will be your prosperity.’” (Jeremiah 29:7 NASB20).  They were to build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat the produce.  Marry and have children and grandchildren.  And they were to pray to God for His blessing on the city.  The attitude of the Jewish people in exile in Babylon needed to be like someone who would be there for a long time.  God intended for His people in exile to do good and stand apart from every other culture the Babylonians had assimilated. 

God Remains in Control

This recent election may not have generated the results some of us wanted.  Remember that God was in control of the election’s outcome and remains in control of future events.  For the Christ-follower, this world is not our eternal home.  Yet, like God’s words to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, we are to seek the good of the cities in which we live.  Help our neighbors and do so much good that word of our deeds will get back to God.  God remains in control, and we, His followers, still have the mission to do good wherever we are.