When some Israelites had been brought to Babylone as captives, Jeremiah had instructions to them from Jehovah.
(All the quotes taken from The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures)
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said to all the exiled people, whom I have caused to go into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 [b]‘Build houses [/b]and inhabit [them], and plant gardens and eat their fruitage. 6 [b]Take wives [/b]and become father to sons and to daughters; and take wives for YOUR own sons and give YOUR own daughters to husbands, that they may [b]give birth to sons and to daughters[/b]; and become many there, and do not become few. 7 Also, [b]seek the peace of the city [/b]to which I have caused YOU to go into exile, and [b]pray in its behalf [/b]to Jehovah, for in its peace there will prove to be peace for YOU yourselves.
These instructions sound similar to what christians are told:
14 Therefore I desire the younger widows [b]to marry, to bear children, to manage a household, [/b]to give no inducement to the opposer to revile. 1 Timothy 5:14
1 I therefore exhort, first of all, that supplications, [b]prayers[/b], intercessions, offerings of thanks, [b]be made concerning [/b]all sorts of men, 2 concerning [b]kings[/b] and all those who are in high station; [b]in order that we may go on leading a calm and quiet life [/b]with full godly devotion and seriousness. 1 Timothy 2:1,2
28 Peter started to say to him: “Look! [b]We left all things [/b]and have been following you.” 29 Jesus said: “Truly I say to YOU men, No one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the good news 30 who will not [b]get [/b]a hundredfold now in this period of time, [b]houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields[/b], with persecutions, and in the coming system of things everlasting life.
So here are a lot of similarities in the situation of new christians and the exile-jews in the days of Jeremiah.
But there was false prophet, who contradicted Jeremiah. He claimed that the exile-time will shortly end and therefore they should not settle down in Babylon, getting married, getting children, building houses, planting gardens.
Does not the situation ressemble something today? Who has always been predicting that the new world is very close? Who has been telling: Do not get married now, have not children in this world, do not build houses now and so on?
Are they not contradicting apostle Pauls inspired words. Do they not act like the false prophets who contradicted Jeremiah.
Here is the message from Jehovah God to the false prophets in Jeremiah 29:24-32:
24 “And to She·mai´ah of Ne·hel´am you will say, 25 ‘This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “For the reason that you yourself have sent in your name letters to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zeph·a·ni´ah the son of Ma·a·sei´ah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘Jehovah himself has made you priest instead of Je·hoi´a·da the priest, in order to become the grand overseer of the house of Jehovah toward any man maddened and behaving like a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the pillory; 27 now, then, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of An´a·thoth, who is behaving as a prophet to YOU people? 28 For that is why he has sent to us at Babylon, saying: “It is long drawn out! Build houses and inhabit [them], and plant gardens and eat their fruitage,—”’”’”
29 And Zeph·a·ni´ah the priest proceeded to read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.
30 Then the word of Jehovah occurred to Jeremiah, saying: 31 “Send to all the exiled people, saying, ‘This is what Jehovah has said concerning She·mai´ah of Ne·hel´am: “For the reason that She·mai´ah has prophesied to YOU people, [b]but I myself did not send him, and he tried to make YOU trust in falsehood,[/b] 32 therefore this is what Jehovah has said, ‘[b]Here I am turning my attention upon She·mai´ah of Ne·hel´am and upon his offspring.’[/b]
“‘“‘He will not come to have a man dwelling in the midst of this people; [b]and he will not look upon the good that I am doing for my people,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘for he has spoken outright revolt against Jehovah.’”’” [/b]
So, therefore I would like to encourage everyone who wants to get married, have children, build a house, plant a garden, to do that and not to wait untill the "new world". And also, not to forget to pray inbehalf of the superior authorities, who are God's ministers.
Best Regards
Kosonen