Week 22: They That Are Wise and Turn Many to Righteousness
WEEK 22 | Jeremiah 29:4-14
And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3
During a time of transition and hardship have you ever wished that God would just send you a text or an email to tell you what to do? God literally did send the exiles in Babylon four letters through the prophet Jeremiah; in this lesson we are going to read a portion of the first letter. You likely will be surprised by how simply God instructs the exiles to live. He writes as the Lord of hosts, self-existent, sovereign, able to deliver His children from all who oppose Him. This lesson is going to focus on application. Take time now to pray. Ask the Lord of hosts to show you His wise way to live: Simply. Dependent. On Him.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. Jeremiah 29:4-6
1. Consider why God commanded the exiles to build...plant...take...multiply while living in Babylon (vs 5-6). Consider how we saw Daniel, in a sense, build, plant, and multiply. Write down the equivalent of that for you in this time and place. What does each command look like for you now (or what might each look like)? Keep it simple.
o build houses and live in them
o plant gardens and eat their produce
o take wives (husbands) and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters
o multiply there, and do not decrease.
What do you know to be true of God that He will be faithful as you (build, plant, take, multiply) in exile?
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7
2. Consider why God commanded the exiles to seek the welfare of Babylon and pray to Him on its behalf (v7). Consider how we saw Daniel seek the welfare of Babylon and pray to God on its behalf. What do these look like for you now (or what might they look like)? Keep it simple.
o seek the welfare of Laredo
o pray to the Lord on Laredo’s behalf
What do you know to be true of God that He will be faithful as you seek the welfare of Laredo & pray for her? Consider how in the welfare of the city we prosper.
Word junkies have lots of favorite words. Who doesn’t like to say ephemeral, serendipity, gobsmacked or kerfuffle whenever they can squeeze it into a conversation? One of my favorite words for capturing how we are called to live as exiles in Jesus’ countercultural invisible kingdom is paradigm (par-uh-dahym). God’s letter in Jeremiah 29:5-7 served as a paradigm, a model, to generation upon generation of Jews living in foreign countries. If you study Jewish history before and after the world wars, you could even say that their faithfulness to adhere to the paradigm outlined by the Lord of hosts has led to their persecution.
For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the Lord. 10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:8-10
3. False prophets claimed the exile would soon be over, the temple vessels soon returned, etc. So God reminded the exiles that the exile would last seventy years just as He already said (Jeremiah 25:11). The general principle here is that man is changing what God said. In times of turmoil this temptation to circumvent God’s way in order to escape is real.
o What do today’s false prophets tell us about our time on earth and God’s timing?
o Why might you be tempted to listen to them?
In our study of Daniel, he and his friends stood firm on the Word in faith and with courage before kings. In the book of Acts we have many examples of Jesus’ disciples loving their persecuting enemies by teaching the truth without violence of any kind (Matt 5:44-45; Acts 5:29). In Acts 16-18, we see this pattern: Christians are brought before government officials and told to stop preaching, sometimes with physical warning, but the mission continued. We have an example in Paul where he asserted his citizen rights peacefully before corrupt government officials (Acts 22:25-30).
o How can you prepare now to be ready to stand firm in all manners of persecution today and in the uncertain future?
What do you know to be true of God that He will be faithful to help you stand firm amidst all the false teaching that barrages you each day in exile?
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:11-14
4. Often in prophecy, God gives a near prophecy such as the exile will end in seventy years and follows that immediately with a distant prophecy. Here God is promising to give the Jews “hope in the after-part,” the future. This is referring to the final restoration of the Jews after the tribulation when He shall gather them from all over the world. If God fulfilled the 70-year-exile near prophecy literally, then we can expect He will fulfill this distant prophecy literally.
The literal fulfillment of God gathering the Jews in exile after the tribulation does not apply to us. We have already repented by trusting Jesus as our Savior and are living in His (currently) invisible kingdom. But God will fulfill His plans to set Jesus on the throne in the Messianic Kingdom which will last 1000 years. You will serve in this kingdom under King Jesus. After Jesus reigns as promised, then we will all enter into the Eternal Age. We will learn A LOT about these future events in our remaining chapters in Daniel.
We ended Daniel 6 focusing on God’s nature and the nature of His kingdom and the nature of His work to deliver and rescues. Listen to “Fiel” by Majo y Dan. Then write a prayer thanking God for His faithfulness to His children and to you, His child.
5. Knowing the world opposes God’s rule and those who live humbly under Him, Jesus cautioned the twelve apostles to be crafty as serpents and gentle as doves before sending them on mission for the first time. They were to be discerning, but not pushovers while showing the world the dove-like strength of dependency on the Creator. We have many examples of faithful exiles who through their wise meekness won the favor of both God and man.
Read the examples. Take notes as you meditate on their meekness – quiet confidence in God – in action.
Context – Joseph is unjustly imprisoned for a crime he did not commit while in exile in Egypt... the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. Genesis 39:21
Context – At a time when a word from the LORD was rare and evil sons served in God’s House, Hannah weeps before the Lord asking for a son she will set apart to serve Him... And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man. 1 Samuel 2:26
Context – Babylon has defeated Judah and taken her choicest sons to serve her king... Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official. Daniel 1:9
Context – Nehemiah, serving Persian King Artaxerxes in Susa, receives news that Jerusalem’s wall is broken and its gates burned; he fasts and determines to petition the King... O Lord, may Your ear be attentive to my prayer and to the prayers of Your servants who delight to revere Your name. Give Your servant success this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” (At that time I was the cupbearer to the king.) Nehemiah 1:11
Context – Haman persuaded Persian King Ahasuerus to destroy the Jewish people. Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her. Esther 2:15
Context – Jesus, age 12, sat among the teachers in His Father’s House... And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:52
Context – The Spirit fell upon Jesus’ disciples all at once, and Peter immediately preached the gospel to the thousands of Jews in Jerusalem for the Pentecost. The CHURCH was born and believers day by day continued with one mind... praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47
Context – Paul argues for striving to live in truly righteous peace with one another instead of arguing over trivial matters... For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Romans 14:18
What is the pattern for when God bestows His and man’s favor on one of His children? How do you fit within this pattern?
We see in the examples above that following God without compromising our walk can put us in harm’s way. How is living God’s mission not “safe” for you? Consider your finances, reputation, time, relationships, work, etc.
After counting those costs, are you still ready to intentionally put yourself in the world? _______Why?
We see in the examples above that those who find favor with God also find favor with man. Why is it important for you living in a world opposed to God to seek His favor first?
How have you experienced man’s favor because of your meekness (quiet confidence in God)?
6. Love and Legacy
Quote to Ponder – “God shares his grand mission with us – and wants us to live out his mission with others too – because he loves to love with us.”
David Kinnaman, co-author of Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon.
That quote is well and good. But here is the reality. When on mission for God, loving people is hard and is risky. We will fail to love. And we fail A LOT. This is why we love Abraham. He is known as the father of the Jews, but all people whose faith is in God are his spiritual offspring. After failing to wait upon God, Abraham questioned God’s promise to give him a son. So God brought him outside and said,
“Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:5-6).
In the very next chapter, Abraham listens to Sarah and sleeps with her handmaid to procure himself a son his way. He was not loving Sarah or Hagar or his future child. In fact, all his future offspring were deeply wounded by his decision here. But God continued to strive with Abraham and on the day God asked him to lay down his only son, Abraham knew God so deeply, so viscerally, that he did so without question. Abraham’s legacy lived on in Isaac and Jacob and and Judah and... in Daniel, a son of Judah, because God rules from one generation to the next (Daniel 4:3).
We get to partner with God in His rule. As Daniel is concluding his book, he writes: “And they that are wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).
How have you experienced God loving to love with you in His grand mission?
How has your love, extended at risk but with faith in God, turned many to righteousness?
Daniel was wise and to this day is turning many to righteousness. Consider with awe for a moment, how those you have led and loved will love and lead others. Take time to pray for God to strive with them.
How has loving this way, actually grown your wisdom and your love for God and others?
God PLANNED His Commitments to us and He has fulfilled, is fulfilling, and will fulfill each promise. In our Rule of Life homework these past few weeks, we have been planning our commitment to God.
7. Again and again, we learned in Daniel that God rules all and His rule is absolutely trustworthy. Our application for these past weeks has been to PLAN for His rule in our lives and then to live our plan as a practice run over the summer as a way to enjoy God’s loyal love. We are going to plan the fourth and LAST portion of our Rule of Life now.
People Relationships
a. In your notebook or on your device title this 4th and last part of your Rule of LifePeople Relationships
b. This portion will focus on family (spouse, kids, parents, siblings, extended family) friends, accountability partner, people whom you serve and witness to, mentor/mentee, community group, affinity friends, neighbors, co-workers.
c. Choose a Bible verse for this section. A few ideas – John 13:34; Phil 2:3; 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor 13:4-7
d. Write a biblical statement reminding yourself of your call to love others as Christ has loved you.
e. This section is different because we have so many levels of relationships. Use the list in letter b. Higher priority relationships will need daily/weekly, monthly, and some quarterly, yearly connections. Likely many of us spend most of our day at work (as did Daniel) and so we have a great opportunity to love and be a witness to God. See examples.
o spouse first and every possible day enjoy good conversation, affection, and time doing things together; date night once a month/weekend quarterly; vacation yearly somewhere beautiful
o co-workers: eat lunch with staff 2-3 times a week; coach ______ and talk/pray through goals once a week; initiate conversations and be a listening ear; be playful and encouraging and model love of Christ, vision cast/pray with team every quarter
o mentor two ________ a year (formally); meet every other week
o get together with a friend or couple from any circle once a week or more.
o engage with church family every Sunday; encourage and pray with those in need.
Are you behind in writing your Rule of Life? We get it! And we got you! Go to gracelaredo.org/daniel. Click the blue “Study Guides” button. Then look for “Rule of Life.” Here you will find all four portions of the Rule of Life instructions along with other tools to help plan to be faithful to your God and His mission for you.
Pray
In your Daniel study, you have learned what a life lived faithfully for God and sacrificially laid down for Him looks like. You have seen that such an intentional life involves a commitment to know and love God and love others. You have learned how to observe the Bible, interpret it, and apply it. You have shared with your group amazing insights about what you learned from God’s Word and have also shared your walk with God with vulnerability and honesty.
You are growing more and more like Christ.
At Grace our mission is to lead our city into a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Note the word “lead.” Jesus commanded His disciples to pray for God to send more workers for the harvest (Luke 10:2). Church, we live in a city that is underserved with the gospel. We have such an opportunity here, and you have been equipped for that opportunity to lead others to Him.
Pray “God make disciples who would make disciples” Ask God to raise up workers for the harvest in our city. Pray about becoming a leader yourself. If you have been faithful in walking through the book of Daniel with us, then pray about becoming a community group leader. We have so many who walk through our doors each Sunday who have yet to take a seat in a community group as you have done. Pray that they would take a seat at the feet of Jesus and remain until they are ready to lead themselves.
Growing this Summer
o Take a spiritual gifts test (giftstest.com). Have conversations with those who know you well about how they see your spiritual gifts at work in your life. If you would like to take further steps, Grace has resources for helping you process calling and vocation. kpaulson@gracelaredo.org
o Your community group leader posted a list of Gospel Essential Knowledge and Skills (GEKS). Review those and determine something new you would like to learn. Share that with your community group and see if anyone is willing to learn that with you this summer during Summer Good Read. Registration begins May 3rd. gracelaredo.org/goodread
o We will be offering a How to Read Your Bible class this summer. Since the Bible is the best “good read,” you can register for that on the Summer Good Read form. Registration opens May 3rd. gracelaredo.org/goodread
o Reading books or watching videos are both great ways to grow in spiritual knowledge and skills. Bridge Ministries in Laredo has a nonprofit bookstore and their staff are always ready to help you find resources in their store and can order them for you as well. Grace Bible Church gives you free access to Right Now Media where you can find all kinds of videos and Bible studies on all kinds of subjects. gracelaredo.org/rightnowmedia
o Finish and live your Rule of Life. Go to gracelaredo.org/daniel for Rule of Life instructions and tools to help you stay on track
Prayer
Share a prayer request for your personal spiritual growth and for one person you wish to lead in growing spiritually this summer.
As a group, pray for the requests listed under “Pray” above.
God’s joy & strength to you!