Seek the Peace

In Jeremiah 29, God tells Jeremiah to go to the captives of Jerusalem and tell them what He wanted them to do while they were in exile. Of course, the natural tendency of captives is to fight, to escape, but God had other plans. Jeremiah obediently delivered the message, part of which said:

“Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” (vv. 5-7)

Even though most of us have not been wrenched from our homes and marched away to a foreign land, we who belong to Christ are, in a sense, in exile. Hebrews 11 lists many faithful men and women who have gone before, pointing out that “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.” (vv.13-14)

Earlier in the passage, it is said of Abraham that while he sojourned in the land of promise, “he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (v.10) Abraham was looking forward, past the literal land of promise, to his heavenly home. We, too, are to follow the example of Abraham and the others mentioned in Hebrews 11, who lived as “strangers and pilgrims on the earth”.

But living with our eyes fixed on heaven does not mean we neglect this land in which we dwell as we await the end of our exile. Just as the exiles of Judah, we, too, are to “seek the peace” of the city, state, and nation in which God has placed us.

Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” It is appropriate for the Christian to obey the laws of the society in which they live, so long as those laws do not contradict the clear commands of Scripture. If ever there were a group of model citizens, it should be the followers of Christ.

Romans 13 also states that we ought to: “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”(v.7) This means that, as much as we dislike having to pay taxes, God does want us to be faithful (and honest) in rendering to the government all it is lawfully due. –And if you think about it, this verse was written during the time of Roman tax collectors like Zacchaeus, who unlawfully exacted more than was due. We have much to be thankful for!

I Timothy 2:1-2 gives us another way we are to “seek the peace”: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thnks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peacable life in all godliness and honesty.” So we are to pray for our leaders. All our leaders. Even (and especially) those we dislike or disagree with.

Colossians 3:17 does not have our civic responsibilities as its specific context, but I think it is a good verse to remember when thinking through the implications of how we can seek the peace of our land. It says: “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” With this verse, I would specifically encourage you to vote to the glory of God.

The Christians in New Testament times did not have the rights and freedoms we have, but the rights and freedoms we enjoy come with responsibility. We have the opportunity to influence the selection of our leaders, whether on the county, state, or federal levels of government. We have the responsibility to exercise the right to vote, and we also have the responsibility use that right to vote for the glory of God.

That means being informed and taking the time to think carefully and prayerfully through each issue on the ballot with an open Bible and a heart to see God’s righteousness be done. That also means examining each candidate’s platform with the same mix of prayerfulness and attention to the principles and truths of Scripture, and vote for the candidate that lines up the closest with God’s Word.

I’ll be honest: this takes work. As someone who is not really interested at all in politics, it can be difficult to find the motivation to think through the issues and candidates, but it all comes down to this: am I willing to obey God and use the freedoms I have in this land in which He has placed me, and am I willing to make the effort to use those freedoms for His glory?

I don’t know if you needed any of these reminders to “seek the peace” of your land, but I hope you are encouraged about these matters of Christian responsibility in our exile this side of heaven.