Many people in ancient Israel were taken into exile by the conquering nation of Babylon. I cannot imagine how terrible this must have been, forced to leave home and taken to a foreign place. More generally, Babylon has come to represent symbolically any dominant, ruling power where inequality exists. In today's devotion the Rev. Steve Jerbi of All People's Lutheran church in Milwaukee uses the term "Babylon" in this way, suggesting that among us the disparity among rich and poor is its own kind of "Babylon." He writes, "As economically comfortable people of faith, it can have us feeling like 'a stranger in a strange land.'"
I appreciate this devotion because he's naming the complexity of poverty among us. There are many reasons for it, and we are all, in some ways, wrapped up in a system that leads to what we have today. In that sense, we all need God's grace and forgiveness. But, the author suggests, "like Jeremiah said, we cannot flee from the problems." We can neither wash our hands of the problems nor give up in despair. We do "seek the welfare of the city," believing God is already present before us. I admire all the people and organizations that in one way or another work to bring God's love to places that so desperately need it. From time to time I have had a chance to do a small part of that work, as have many of you. Together, "We seek shalom- a marriage of peace and prosperity," for all God's people.
Yes. It is easy to think of world hunger as a problem beyond our own sphere of influence. I like the Jeremiah translation that you used, Pastor Jeff. Our own welfare depends on us recognizing "the gift that is already present", as Rev. Jerbi says. He tells us to "engage more deeply in the midst of broken places". As you point out, we need to believe that God is already present before us, we just need to follow his lead.
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