Friday, July 20 Seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you.​—Jer. 29:7.

[GrumpysWife]

Friday, July 20

Seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you.—Jer. 29:7.

 

The Jewish exiles who submitted to the will of God lived a relatively normal life in Babylon. Their captors allowed them to administer their own affairs to some extent. The exiles even had freedom to move about the country. Babylon was a center of trade and commerce in the ancient world, and documents that have been unearthed indicate that many Jews learned the art of buying and selling there, while others became skilled craftsmen. Some Jews even became prosperous. Exile in Babylon was nothing like the slavery in Egypt that the Israelites had experienced centuries before. (Ex. 2:23-25) But would the Israelites ever again be able to worship God in a completely acceptable way? At the time, it seemed most unlikely that they would. Babylon never released its captives. Yet, Jehovah had promised that his people would be liberated, and so they were. God’s word of promise never fails.—Isa. 55:11. w16.11 4:3, 5