The background of the text from Jeremiah is the Jewish Exile. The Jews have been defeated in war and carried away into a foreign country where many of them have become slaves of the conquering powerful nation. It is in this situation that brings about a feeling of hopelessness and despair. The Jews not only began to lose hope, but also to doubt the credibility of the promises of God. In fact, they begin to question their very identity as God’s people, which is closely connected to their possessing the promised land. But the promised land is no longer theirs. And it does not seem possible for them at all to be able to return and reclaim the promised land for themselves. Why? Because they lose the war and bring them out of their own land to a foreign country where they were enslaved. What then of God’s promise that the promised land will be theirs forever? What then of God’s promise that He will be their God, and they will be His people? Will they ever go back to the promised land? Will their children ever see the promised land, or will they ever live forever in a foreign land? These questions go right down to the core of their being, and many of them just simply gave up with a sense of utter hopelessness.
It is not hard to draw parallels between this situation and the situation of Filipinos at the present time. Today, the Filipinos have become the Jews of Asia. We are the biggest foreign group in some of our neighboring countries. We are everywhere, mostly the whole of Asia, Middle East, Europe, Canada, Australia, USA, and in the whole world.
Now, the question that I am sure you have asked so many times into yourself: When can we go back to a prosperous Philippines? When can we go back and get jobs as good as, if not better than our jobs right now? When can we stop working for foreign bosses, and begin to work in the Philippines instead?
Now, back to the Jews. In their situation of hopelessness, there comes this message from the prophet, and it is a message of hope! It is a declaration that the Jews will indeed go back to their land. The assurance was there, that they will be gathered from the end of the earth and will march to Jerusalem with songs of joy. And they will rebuild their broken Nation, which will again become prosperous, full of grain and wine and olive oil, with its pastures teeming with sheep and cattle. And the people will have everything they need.
But you may say, is this wishful thinking? How can they have this Hope? The text clearly tells us: “They have this Hope, because of the Lord.” It is the Lord who will bring all of these things to pass. It is the Lord who will make it possible for His people to return to their land. It is the Lord who will match in front of His people, and He will guide them until they reach their destination. The prophet can proclaim a message of hope, because he is certain of the God of hope and the God of promise.
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Christmas Greetings,