Garden of the Gods: Gardens of Residency

It takes a long time to create a garden, and if it is a fruit or herb garden, it takes time to get the produce from the garden. And the garden must be continually tended if it is to continue being fruitful. So having a garden necessitates dwelling where your garden is.

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. (Jeremiah 29:5)

He has sent this message to us in Babylon: It will be a long time. Therefore build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. (Jeremiah 29:28)

The prophet Jeremiah had been predicting the victory of Babylon over Judah and the subsequent captivity of her people in Babylon. The people didn’t believe God would let them be defeated and let His temple be destroyed, even though they were not worshiping God and with their idols had themselves defiled the temple. When the crushing blow came and they were taken captive, they didn’t believe it would be for long. Jeremiah had the hard job of telling them it would be 70 years.

They were not going to be in and out of Babylon and back in their own land soon. They needed to consider themselves residents of their foreign captors’ land. Planting gardens signified their commitment to permanence. And Jeremiah added,

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. (Jeremiah 29:7)

We too are exiles of a sort, no longer native residents of the world, citizens of another country, heaven, but living in the world (Philippians 3:20). We are in the world, but not of it. Yet Jeremiah’s advice is pertinent to us. We must be productive “gardeners” in the world, committed to living productive lives for our own sakes and for the sakes of our “city.” We aren’t to isolate ourselves from unbelievers but pray for them and their prosperity. We are to be

…blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,” shining among them like stars in the sky. (Philippians 2:15)

We must plant our gardens of residency and be exemplary immigrants who care about our world and its inhabitants like we care for ourselves.