What’s it about?
Jeremiah continues to paint the picture of the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem. The word “after” is a clue that things weren’t so hunky dory in Judah before the exile. After harsh labor and affliction… we went into exile.
What did it mean to the original readers?
This talks of something we cannot fathom. We have no idea what it means to live in a Theocracy. We don’t even know, anymore, what it means to live in a country where there is one predominant religion. So it’s awkward to look at language which reflects on missing that. By antithesis, it’s interesting to see what the Jews had to do when the “dwelled among the nations.” I think Daniel captures that well.
What does it mean to me?
I think there is a myth that our country should be striving for a theocracy. While it is evident that our country has a firm Christian foundation, it is at its core a democracy… the opposite of a theocracy. We are a rebellious people by birth-right. When we don’t like something, we rebel against it and try to sway a vote with our opinions… whether God-ordained or not… we feel it is our right.
So rather than long for what we cannot have, I think it’s better that we focus our efforts on living life among people from other nations.
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