JEREMIAH 29:4-5 This is what the LORD ALMIGHTY, the GOD of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build house and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 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. 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.” [New International translation]
Summary
Some refer to the Bible as our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth (B.I.B.L.E). Nowhere is this clearer than in Jeremiah’s 29th chapter, “A Letter to the Exiles.”
Jeremiah was the son of a priest. He prophesized about the destruction of Jerusalem and the hardships the Jewish people would suffer because of their flagrant unfaithfulness to GOD. The Jewish people had entered into covenant relationship with GOD but had broken their word to GOD again and again and again. They had built altars and worshipped other gods. They had even gone so far as to sacrifice their own children to idols. The people’s actions were so defiant that GOD withdrew HIMSELF, HIS protection and HIS blessings.
Jeremiah chapter 29 contains the text of a letter that Jeremiah sent to the exiles who had been deported from Jerusalem to Babylon. The letter contained a message from GOD. The message is a recipe for survival. GOD tells the people that their stay in Babylon will not be short. Most of them would be in exile for a lifetime—seventy years (Verse 10).
GOD tells the people what to do to survive the years ahead. HE tells them to “settle down,” “build houses” “plant gardens” and “eat what the gardens produce,” marry, multiply there, increase and not decrease. HE tells them to pray and seek the welfare of the city in which they live because its welfare is now tied to theirs (Verse 7). GOD tells them that HE still has a plan for them (verse 11), but the people would have to seek and wait on the LORD. HE cautions them not to listen to false prophets, peddling invented “dreams,” and making all sorts of claims about greatness, because they are just lies. Instead, they must work hard and have faith in GOD. If the people seek the LORD in earnest, HE will find them.
Plant Winter Gardens
Climate changes and the patterns in some areas make many states quite suitable for planting winter gardens. Some of the types of crops you may want to consider for a Winter garden include:
Root Crops: onions, carrots, beets, carrots, leeks, turnips, radishes, potatoes,
Leaf Crops: collars, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, spinach, mustard greens, leaf lettuces (e.g. Romaine, butterhead, iceberg, leaf, etc.), chard, kale, beans and peas.
For more information about your state’s planting zone and the temperature ranges in your region see The United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone map at: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/. By entering your zip code or your state you can discovery the temperature ranges in your area. This may help you decide what to plant.
Gardening is a great way to exercise and stay fit. It is also a great tool for teaching children about plants, foods, gardening, and healthy eating. It can be a great way to strengthen your family’s diet!
THE BIBLE ---Still Good For Surviving Tough Times
Tough times are happening everywhere. There have been hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding,
mass shootings, food shortages, wars and threats of wars, opiate addiction, wild fires, violent demonstrations, gun violence in our cities, rampant homelessness and many other challenges.
But, the Bible is still our survival guide. It still provides answers for daily living.
Many of the hardships caused by tough times may not end quickly. Some things may take time and continued prayer. Some things will require people coming together to support others in need. We must all continue to be concerned about what is happening in our cities, to our neighbors nearby and around the world. We must continue to be concerned about “the least of these” among us now more than ever. (See, Matthew 25:40).
So, work hard, pray, eat from your garden, increase, serve, help others in need, and have faith in GOD.
Remember, those who earnestly seek HIM, HE will find!
Be a survivor. Plant winter gardens.
Pray and BE BLESSED!
