God in the Exile

The people left in Jerusalem had written the exiles off: they have gone far from the Lord, and this land is given to us as a possession.
God inverts that assessment entirely. Though I removed them far off among the nations and scattered them, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.
Sanctuary is temple language, used of people who had no temple. The presence was never tied to the building, and being in exile did not mean being abandoned.
Scripture links:
- Ezekiel 11:16 - I have been a sanctuary to them in the countries where they have gone.
The address changed. The covenant did not.