Moreover, pray as you do this. The second half of Jeremiah
29:7 reads, “Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it has pros-
perity, you will prosper.” This is the other side of the same coin.
If you believe that you have access, through prayer, to the Cre-
ator God who is omnibenevolent, omniscient, and omnipotent,
how can you seek the prosperity of the land you are in without
prayer? To do so would be foolish. Instead, we should pray for
members of our local communities, such as students, profes-
sors, and residents of Providence, with the belief that the God
of peace will equip us in every good thing to do His will (Heb
13:20-21).
In fact, as Volz, a Biblical commentator, points out, this is the
only place in the Old Testament where prayer for one’s ene-
mies and for unbelievers is commended by God. Why is that the
case? I think it is intrinsically linked to God’s purpose in using
Israel as a light to the Gentiles. Remember that in the ancient
times, the only sure way of becoming a follower of God, was to
become a Jew, which was equivalent to becoming a citizen of
Israel, with painful circumcision and all. Israel’s shalom, then,
was how the peoples of the earth were to know that their God
was the one true God. Given that, if other nations were to pros-
per, what motivation would they have to see Israel as the city of
the true God?
Be that beacon of hope amidst uncertainty, inviting others to
that unshakeable hope you have in the Gospel.
On the other hand, in this case, with the Jews exiled in Babylon,
they were to pray for its flourishing, for, “when it has prosperity,
(the exiles) will prosper.” There are a few layers to this. First,
God goes on to promise to restore the exiles back to Jerusalem
in verses 10-14. If God guarantees that the Jews will return, why
must the Jews pray for the flourishing, instead of the downfall,
of Babylon? This is because God is only going to restore them
after a period of time, and for the Jews to continue to be a light
to the nations while they are still in exile, they must flourish. The
best way for this to happen is for Babylon to flourish. It’s amaz-
ing that God isn’t only at work when Israel is a strong, sovereign
nation; He works through the exile period as well.
This means that when we pray for other nations that perse-
cute Christians, we do not merely pray for their prosperity, but
for the hearts of their leaders to be softened, that Christianity
might spread there.
Back to 410 AD, in response to the impending Sack of Rome,
St. Augustine of Hippo wrote his famous treatise, the City of
God Against Pagans. He draws a distinction between the City
of Men, referring to earthly rule, and the City of God, the ce-
lestial city, of which all Christians are citizens. Recognizing the
peace which the City of Men experienc ed, he writes, “But it is
our interest that it, (the City of Men) enjoy this peace mean-
while in this life; for as long as the two cities are commingled,
we, (the City of God) also enjoy the peace of (the City of Men).
For from (the City of Men) the people of God is so freed that it
meanwhile sojourns in its company. And therefore… the proph-
et Jeremiah, when predicting the captivity that was to befall the
ancient people of God, and giving them the divine command
to go obediently to Babylonia, and thus serve their God, coun-
selled them also to pray for Babylonia, saying, In the peace
thereof shall you have peace, (Jeremiah 29:7)— the temporal
peace which the good and the wicked together enjoy.”
Augustine exhorted the Roman Christians to heed the same
commandment which God gave to the Jewish exiles through
Jeremiah. Here in this similarly foreign land, live faithfully and
obediently as pilgrims, seeking its flourishing and praying for it.
Nicholas Chuan is a senior concentrating in Physics and Philosophy.
What about today? The good news, or Gospel, is that Jesus
came to earth as a man, died for our sins, and was resurrected
from the grave by God, so that not just Jews, but any of us who
call upon His name would be saved from God’s just judgment
of our sins. This salvation is available to all, and hence, one does
not have to become a Jew, or an American for that matter, to
become a Christian. Since the salvation of others can happen
outside the context of a “Christian nation,” we should pray for
the flourishing of other nations, so that the Christians there can
flourish as well, and more might be added to their number.
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