JEREMIAH 29:4-5 Thus say the Lord of hosts, the GOD of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. [Revised Standard translation]
Summary
Jeremiah 29 is a letter to the exiles. It is a letter that tells a people how to survive in captivity, under a government not to their liking. It is a letter written to a people during an administration that believed in deportations—for many Jews were carried away during various periods from Jerusalem to Babylon. Many sons, daughters, elders and priests and prophets were deported. The sudden régime change, political shift and movement were unsettling to the Jewish people. The people were unnerved. It looked like time had gone backward to Egyptian times, during the time of Abraham, because the people found themselves in slavery once again. The people felt abandoned, afraid and lost. So, Jeremiah pens a letter from GOD outlining a recipe for survival.
First, Jeremiah tells the people upfront that they simply have to face facts. Their stay in Babylon will not be short. The administration confronting them will not go away---not in 100 days, not in a year, not in 3 years, or many, many years. Their administrative captivity would last at least 70 years! So, the people had to stop looking back and start dealing with their new reality. They had to stop their useless complaining and start thinking strategically.
Second, the letter tells the Jewish people that to survive they must build, plan, be productive and re-establish their relationship to GOD. They are to build homes, plant gardens and eat their produce, marry, multiply, stay healthy, increase and not decrease. They people must pray and work for peace (verse 7). They must pray and seek the welfare of the city in which they were now living because its welfare is now tied to theirs. (Verse 7) In other words, simply throwing up their hands and disentangling themselves from the politics around them would not be wise. If anything, they need to become even more involved with the welfare of their cities, towns and neighbors. Jeremiah tells the captives that GOD still has a plan for them (verse 11), but the people would have need to seek and wait on the LORD.
Third, Jeremiah cautions the people not to listen to false prophets or lies (i.e., fake news.) Jeremiah tells them: Don’t be deceived! Instead, they are to turn to “the word of the LORD” (verse 20). They must work hard and have faith in GOD. Jeremiah tells the people that if they seek the LORD in earnest, HE will and find and deliver them.
Plant Gardens
Now is the perfect time to think about planting a garden. Gardening has a number of benefits, including the following:
- Gardening provides healthier, more nutritious, fresh food;
- Gardening teaches children about food and nutrition;
- Gardening promotes physical and mental health and another way to exercise; and
- Gardening can be a way of giving back to the community.
Fresh Food
One of the problems that many grocery stores and supermarkets face today is how to get the food from the field to the homes of consumers, without the food losing its nutritional value. Growing your own foods (e.g. tomatoes, beans, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, salad greens, etc.) solves this problem. It also encourages you and your family to eat more fruits and vegetables because you are literally enjoying “the fruits (and vegetables) of your own labor.”
A study published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association found that preschool children who were almost always served homegrown produce were more than twice as likely to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables a day (and like what they were eating) than kids who never or rarely ate homegrown fruits and vegetables. So, gardening fosters healthy eating and diet.
Gardening For Education
A garden is also wonderful “classroom” for learning. Believe it or not, many children have no real understanding about how foods are grown. While many 8-year olds can send an e-mail or operate a computer, play computer games and operate the controls on a phone, big screen or I-Pad faster than many adults, many children have no real comprehension of foods. When it comes to identifying where their food comes from, many of them don’t have a clue, especially if they did not grow up on a farm or around gardens.
According to one British study, thousands of 8 year olds thought cows lay eggs. Some children (and even some adults) cannot name some of the vegetables they see in stores. For example, how many children could identify a turnip or tell the difference between collard greens, kale, or spin-ach?
Gardening For Health
Gardening is a great way to get a good family workout. According to www.webmd.com, gar-dening provides three kinds of exercise: endurance, strength and flexibility. Just as you would stretch before exercising at the gym, stretch before gardening as well. See, “Get Fit By Garden-ing” by Star Lawrence, www.web.med.com . It you haven’t pulled weeds in a back yard in a while, do it for an hour or two and see how many unused muscles you feel the next day.
Gardening is also a great family “sport.” Everyone can participate. Competitions regarding whose tomatoes or strawberries are the largest can easily be arranged. Gardening is a great way to strengthen the family. Grandparents who grew up in homes where there were family gardens are also a great source of wisdom and knowledge.
Garden Giving
Giving the extra produce from a garden is also wonderful way to “give back” to a community. Seniors, many of whom have downsized or reside in senior facilities or no longer garden, would not only enjoy the visit, but would welcome the extra fruits and vegetables. There are countless people living in make shift sidewalk and under freeway plastic “structures” or sleeping bags, who would welcome some fresh fruit. If your office is not already in the habit of garden sharing, why not start the trend of encouraging everyone to bring in their extra garden and fruit tree produce. Instead of bowls of unhealthy foods, why not have bowls of fruits and vegetables from gardens in the office.
Start Small
You don’t need a lot of land, space or time to garden, container gardening may be for you. Many fruits and vegetables can be grown in pots, pails, buckets, wooden boxes or even plastic bags (e.g. potatoes). Your container should have holes in the bottom for drainage. You can use regular soil, but potting mixtures or vegetable fertilizers will feed your plants and produce healthier plants and a bigger harvest. Be sure to select a sunny location and check every day to make sure your plants get enough water. Your local nursery or hardware store (with nurseries) may also offer free gardening classes, consultants or gardening advice.
THE BIBLE ---Still Has A Good Word For Surviving In Tough Times
Jeremiah’s letter from GOD and instructions on how to survive under strange, foreign or hostile administrations during times of deportation is still as relevant now as it was during the Babylonian Captivity in 597 BC.
Some hardships simply do not end quickly. No matter how much you wish otherwise, you may have to go through some things. There is no magic pill for getting physically fit. Social Security is generally not enough to live on in retirement. The cost of education is still rising. Family members, church members, neighborhoods still need each other to thrive, grow and prosper. Planning, building, sharing, prayer and faith in GOD are still necessary to survive.
As Jeremiah prophesied: For those who earnestly seek HIM, HE will find!
So, be a survivor. And, don’t believe everything you hear. Remember, GOD’s good news.
Plan, build, plant gardens, pray and BE BLESSED!
