The Israelites have gone through 2 calamities which nearly wiped them out of human civilization.
More than 400 years after Jacob and his family settled in Egypt, a Pharaoh felt the threat of the presence of Israelites. He wanted to control their population by killing all newly born male babies (Exodus 1:15-17). Had his plan been successful, there would not have left any more pure-blooded Israelites after the first generation. Their genes could only be passed through females, but their culture would not because ancient civilizations were male-oriented. Judaism would never had come into existence. Luckily, a saviour was born and some eighty years later, he came to liberate the oppressed Israelites, brought them to a holy mountain to establish a covenant with God and they wandered into Canaan to build up an empire some 250 years later.
The next calamity came some 300 years later. Around 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered Israel, the kingdom in the north; exiled the people to Mesopotamia and colonized the land with outsiders. 10 tribes of Israelites had vanished from human history.
Around 586 B.C., the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians, conquered Judah, the kingdom in the south; exiled the people to Babylon and colonized the land with outsiders. Luckily 50 years later, history repeated itself, but with a difference. Cyrus the Persian king defeated the Babylonians but sent the Jews home to rebuild their Temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Had Cyrus failed to defeat the Babylonians, the remaining 2 tribes of Israelites would have vanished in human history like their brothers in the north. Judaism and Jews would never had come into existence. Luckily, the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled.
In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ.' (Jeremiah 23:6)
However, how shall we account for "Israel will dwell securely"?
Among the prophets, Jeremiah was fond of talking about the house of Israel and the house of Judah in the same breath. He wanted to see the two re-united somehow, some time in the future (Jeremiah 3:18). If Jeremiah was thinking in terms of the two divided kingdoms, he probably would have to wait until humanity goes well into the 21st century. But nowadays, we don't have a nation called Judah, but Israel only. Therefore, I don't think Jeremiah was talking about the two kingdoms but the people. Judah, the part and the remnant, would represent Israel, the whole. This is a Hebrew literary device commonly found in psalms and oracles.
More than 400 years after Jacob and his family settled in Egypt, a Pharaoh felt the threat of the presence of Israelites. He wanted to control their population by killing all newly born male babies (Exodus 1:15-17). Had his plan been successful, there would not have left any more pure-blooded Israelites after the first generation. Their genes could only be passed through females, but their culture would not because ancient civilizations were male-oriented. Judaism would never had come into existence. Luckily, a saviour was born and some eighty years later, he came to liberate the oppressed Israelites, brought them to a holy mountain to establish a covenant with God and they wandered into Canaan to build up an empire some 250 years later.
The next calamity came some 300 years later. Around 722 B.C., the Assyrians conquered Israel, the kingdom in the north; exiled the people to Mesopotamia and colonized the land with outsiders. 10 tribes of Israelites had vanished from human history.
Around 586 B.C., the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians, conquered Judah, the kingdom in the south; exiled the people to Babylon and colonized the land with outsiders. Luckily 50 years later, history repeated itself, but with a difference. Cyrus the Persian king defeated the Babylonians but sent the Jews home to rebuild their Temple (Ezra 1:1-2). Had Cyrus failed to defeat the Babylonians, the remaining 2 tribes of Israelites would have vanished in human history like their brothers in the north. Judaism and Jews would never had come into existence. Luckily, the prophecy of Jeremiah was fulfilled.
In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness יְהוָה צִדְקֵנוּ.' (Jeremiah 23:6)
However, how shall we account for "Israel will dwell securely"?
Among the prophets, Jeremiah was fond of talking about the house of Israel and the house of Judah in the same breath. He wanted to see the two re-united somehow, some time in the future (Jeremiah 3:18). If Jeremiah was thinking in terms of the two divided kingdoms, he probably would have to wait until humanity goes well into the 21st century. But nowadays, we don't have a nation called Judah, but Israel only. Therefore, I don't think Jeremiah was talking about the two kingdoms but the people. Judah, the part and the remnant, would represent Israel, the whole. This is a Hebrew literary device commonly found in psalms and oracles.
Then come two further verses which could be disturbing for the Jews because their God had changed!
"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when men shall no longer say, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'
but 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:7-8)
"As the Lord lives" is a formulaic expression commonly used in making an oath. This expression appears 18 times in 1 & 2 Samuel, 14 times in 1 & 2 Kings and 9 times in Jeremiah! Here, we find Jeremiah re-defining this expression, re-defining the concept of God! God was no longer the God of Moses who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the God who had delivered them out of Babylon ("the north country") and out of Diaspora ("all the countries where He had driven them"). If you are like me, who subscribes to the theory of evolution of civilizations, then you will have no difficulty seeing Judaism as an evolving institution. Otherwise, you will be offended and I apology.
"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when men shall no longer say, 'As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,'
but 'As the LORD lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land." (Jeremiah 23:7-8)
"As the Lord lives" is a formulaic expression commonly used in making an oath. This expression appears 18 times in 1 & 2 Samuel, 14 times in 1 & 2 Kings and 9 times in Jeremiah! Here, we find Jeremiah re-defining this expression, re-defining the concept of God! God was no longer the God of Moses who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt, but the God who had delivered them out of Babylon ("the north country") and out of Diaspora ("all the countries where He had driven them"). If you are like me, who subscribes to the theory of evolution of civilizations, then you will have no difficulty seeing Judaism as an evolving institution. Otherwise, you will be offended and I apology.
In the study of theology, there is a concept every theology student has to master: "already, but not yet". I find the theory of evolution very helpful in the understanding of this concept. The whole tree is already present in an acorn. But an acorn is not yet a tree. God's revelation is already fully given to us through Jesus Christ but we have not yet fully understood it.
God is not only the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, but also the God of Moses, the God of David and was no less the God of Temple worship. However, the first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Jews would not give up. They built the second Temple only to be burnt down in 70 A.D. by the Romans. On its site now is an Islamic mosque. Judaism has to evolve in order to survive. It has since shed many of its cultic practices and focused more on the Torah and Talmud since there is no more Temple for them to worship God.
Despite all these changes, there are some core elements which will not change. Our God is always a God who delivers, a God who saves, like what Jeremiah has proclaimed above.
God is not only the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, but also the God of Moses, the God of David and was no less the God of Temple worship. However, the first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Jews would not give up. They built the second Temple only to be burnt down in 70 A.D. by the Romans. On its site now is an Islamic mosque. Judaism has to evolve in order to survive. It has since shed many of its cultic practices and focused more on the Torah and Talmud since there is no more Temple for them to worship God.
Despite all these changes, there are some core elements which will not change. Our God is always a God who delivers, a God who saves, like what Jeremiah has proclaimed above.
Dear Lord, how sweet Your name is. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Amen.
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