A Garden of Delight
Our reading from Jeremiah is part of a collection of his prophecies that encompass chapters 30 to 33. These prophecies seem to speak to the exiles in Babylon and forecast a time when they will return to the promised land. This, for some scholars, is problematic. Jeremiah’s career as a prophet was during the years that led up to the Babylonian Exile not during. Instead of being taken to Babylon Jeremiah was left in Judah and then was taken, against his will, to Egypt with many of the Israelites who were left behind by the Babylonians. So where did these prophecies come from? Some appear to have been spoken by Jeremiah at an earlier time to the northern kingdom of Israel and changed by a later editor of the book. It is surmised that this editor also added some of these prophecies that had come from Babylon, possibly written by someone in Isaiah’s tradition. In this prophecy we hear a theme that often is not fully appreciated. That God will lead God’s people along brooks of water and their life will become like a well watered garden.
In today’s world we do not always appreciate the references to water. For us, if we desire water all we have to do is turn on the faucet or open the refrigerator and pull out a bottle. Not so with the Israelites. They lived in a semi-arid region. Water was not always available. Think about the region. Iraq and Saudi Arabia have large tracts of desert. Water was a precious commodity. To the Israelites the promise of walking along a brook of water and having a well-watered garden was a dream. For many it was a long walk to the well to get water. To be able to have water so readily sounded impossible. This promise is not about water, though, it is about God’s salvation. Even though things were looking bad for the Israelite, the forces around them which they could not control had overwhelmed them and they were scattered to the ends of the earth, God would rescue them.
That is our story too. While we have not been forcefully removed from our homes, nor are we threatened by foreign powers, our lives often seem so fragile. We are bombarded by concerns, worries, and doubts. Our lives are not what we wish them to be. These past nine months have certainly been trying. Yet, through it all God has been present in our lives. We heard that in all of our texts today. Paul, in Ephesians, tells us that God has destined us, through our baptism, for adoption through Jesus and in the fullness of time will gather us with all things in him. John reminds us of the same thing that God sent his own son so that we may see God’s light in our own darkness giving us the power to become the children of God.
We, the children of God, now walk by the ever running brook of God’s love and whether we walk in joy or sadness, in hope or fear, or sickness or health, God walks with us. The promise is true. God will gather us from all the ends of the earth and bring us to the promised land. Until then walk in the light of Christ making his salvation known by your words and deeds helping God to water his garden.