A SYNTHESIS OF THE LEADERSHIP OF JUDAH DURING THE TIME OF JEREMIAH
2. The Context of the Kings of Judah
2.7. Jeremiah’s Response to the Situation
2.7.2. Babylon as God’s Servant
Jeremiah prophesied against the nations under the Chaldean influence (Leslie 1954:158).102 Jeremiah knew well these nations to whom he handed a cup of wine (50:15-16, 19-24). The issue here is that the prophets were previously Yahweh‟s servants (25:4) to whom the Judean people did not listen. The rise of Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BCE motivated Jeremiah‟s prophecy of doom, which consisted of the destruction of Jerusalem. This was fulfilled afterwards in 587 BCE (Couturier 2000:288). Carroll (1999:81) argues that Nebuchadrezzar is the servant of God, whom the people would have no choice but to accept when he devastates them and Jerusalem (25:9). Jeremiah as the „mouthpiece of God‟ was not listened to by the
101 “When Jeremiah returned from Topheth where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court of the Lord‟s temple and said to all the people, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: „Listen! I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words” (Jer. 19:14-15 NIV).
102 “We note that not all nations are to drink of the cup. We do not have here any conception of a universal destruction. We feel the tension of the situation as, in the original words of Jeremiah the pertinent nations which are destined to come under the Chaldean sphere of influence” are singled out.
“First heading the list comes Egypt (vv. 19-20a) with the Pharaoh, his servants and officials, and the Egyptian foreign population, that is „the whole mixture of nations,‟ such as Ethiopia, Put, Lud, all the Arabians, the Lybians and the Cherethites (Ezek. 30:5), and such as are referred to later in relation to the Chaldeans, “all the foreign people [ha‟erebh] in midst of her (50:37). Second comes the Philistine area (v. 20b), and Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod are included. Third comes the area to the south- east and east (v. 21), Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Fourth comes the Bedouin tribal area (vv. 23-24), the great north Arabian tribes, Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and the lesser tribes of the Arabian desert” (Leslie 1954:158).
134
people. Yahweh aroused his servant to come and make the people hear what they refused to hear.
The Chaldeans (who struck terror among the Judean people) were the instruments of Yahweh (Jer. 25:8-11; Hab. 1:5-6). Yahweh used them as devastating instruments to discipline his people. Babylon seemingly played the role of Yahweh‟s servant.
Indeed, Yahweh appeared to abandon his people when he allowed Nebuchadrezzar to devastate Jerusalem (Brueggemann 2007:35). Nebuchadrezzar had a specific task to inflict punishment on Zion-Jerusalem and its people. Thus, the Judean leadership and people would be corrected and restored in their mind. Eventually, Jeremiah‟s message shifts from the judgment of the guilty people of Jerusalem to that of Babylon. As Carroll (1999:83) can state:
At the same time a reading of Jer. 25:15-38 shows that the motif of the divine act of judgment against Judah-Jerusalem (the subject-matter of chapters 2-24) has been transformed into something approximating to the apocalyptic vision of the destruction of the nations.
The change of the prophetic message is the result of God‟s purpose in the process of punishing his people. Yahweh did not forsake his people while allowing Babylon to devastate the holy city. After the Babylonians had disciplined his people, Yahweh turned against them. This „situation of reversal‟ relates directly to the change of mind of the Judean people. It implies the restoration of Judah which corresponded to the destruction of Babylon (Sharp 2000:433).103 A French proverb states: “le malheur des uns fait le bonheur des autres” (Varrod 2002:600) meaning “bad things are disadvantageous to most people but often turn out to be favourable for some people.”
This brings hope to the people for a better future.
103 “A full-judgment view is countered in the Jeremianic prose by an alternative interpretation of Jeremiah‟s function as a „prophet to the nations,‟ a view in which Jeremiah presents the option of disobedience versus obedience to other nations as well as Judah. Any nation or kingdom theoretically may heed Yahweh‟s voice and be „built‟ or „planted‟ by Yahweh or refuse to obey and be „destroyed‟
(12:14-17; 18:7-10; 27:1-11)” (Sharp 2000:433).
135 2.7.3. A Message of Hope to the People
Jeremiah‟s message of judgment becomes a message of hope for a better future for the people of God. Couturier (2000:274) argues that the announcement of the disaster of the Exile to the Judeans presents a twofold message (29:4-14). It not only points to a learning experience of the people, but also calls for hope for a better future. Such hope consists of a restoration of the people‟s mind and that of the holy city. Brueggemann (2006:173) says that Jeremiah‟s message of judgment arouses hope in circumstances of hopelessness. Despite the punishment, Jeremiah announces a hope for a better future for the people (Jer. 29). The oracle on semah symbolises the arrival of a „loyal leader‟ in Judah (Nürnberger 2004:72).
Jeremiah claims that at the right time Yahweh would give his people a new covenant (31:31). This new covenant is different from the previous one he had made with their forefathers. The new covenant he intends extends and develops the previous ones. It was a salvation promise for the exiles (32:37-41), which focused on the renewal of relationship between Yahweh and his people. It implemented hope for a better future in the land (v. 44). Furthermore, it provided the Judean leadership with a new vision of managing public affairs. The restoration of people‟s minds brought about a real commitment to social change in Judah (Rom-Shiloni 2003:207).
This sort of leadership is God‟s creation. Yahweh would establish “shepherds” (23:4).
This image refers to the leadership situation in the Judean community (22:22). It opens up a new perspective of leadership restoration through the learning experience in Exile (Mavinga 2008:244). These new leaders would be more efficient than the previous ones (Wright 1997:519; Pakkala 2006:446). Yahweh promised this to the Judean community, thereby ensuring that Yahweh would not end his history with his people. However, a „loyal leader‟ would be coming to replace the current „leaders.‟
He would sprout forth from David‟s line to restore public order and maintain it across the land (Wright 1997:23).
The restoration of people‟s mind and of Zion-Jerusalem coincided with the Babylonian destruction as prophesied by Jeremiah. It is quite evident that the destruction of the oppressor liberates the oppressed people. The basic point of Judean
136
liberation (after the disaster of the exile) is the renewal of Judah‟s relationship with Yahweh. This promise of salvation concerns those who survived the disaster in order to prosper and enjoy life back in their homeland (Nürnberger 2004:72). Jeremiah‟s message which had been announced to prevent the Exile was not accepted by the people. The Exile had been an opportunity for the people to learn about themselves and God‟s requirements to renew and maintain the covenant he made with them. It was Yahweh‟s way of providing his people with a new disposition of heart for both the leadership and the people. The change of mind required by the leadership in particular was a key requirement of restoring the Judean community (Robinson 2001:194). From the Exile onwards, it was God‟s means of sustaining hope for his people. It implied that the leadership and their followers would be empowered by God through „hardship‟ in order to enable them to develop a good society.
3. Summary and Conclusion
The chapter has discussed the causes of the failure of the last kings of Judah. The abuse of power turned most of them away from following Yahweh‟s instructions.
They had neither defended the cause of the poor, nor cared for the needy. The Judean kings did not act justly. Jeremiah‟s oracle is both a challenge and a message of hope and encouragement. In a similar way it speaks to the leadership in the DR Congo.
The context of the Judean leadership during the time of Jeremiah motivated the oracle on semah. This sheds light on how to reflect of the restoration of the situation and leadership of the DR Congo. A number of questions should therefore be addressed:
i. What is the expectation of the Congolese leadership regarding the current social situation in the DR Congo?
ii. Does it expect that God could work through it?
iii. If it does, how could God intervene?
iv. What is the attitude of the people concerning their role in the matter?
v. How does the past history of the Congolese leadership and people impact on the current leadership situation?
The next chapter will address the leadership situation in the DR Congo.
137