Jun
2
Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 This Way!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
God’s Word is filled with words of wisdom, encouragement, and comfort, primarily for those who put their trust in Him. Unfortunately, many biblical texts are taken out of context today, quite often due to a poor — or, at least, inconsistent — hermeneutic. Proverbs, promises, and prophecies are commonly misunderstood and misapplied — made “personal” to the reader and/or their audience. The actual historical context and audience is ignored, and the passage is “claimed” for an individual, a community, or a modern nation.
As I was recently reading in the book of Jeremiah, I came across a verse that a lot of churchgoers like to claim for themselves — as they are taught or socialized into doing — particularly when going through a tough time in their lives, or sometimes chosen as a “life verse”. Of course, that would be Jer. 29:11 (see above). (The NIV and NLT are probably the most common translations I’ve heard this quoted from, so I’m using the NIV for this post.) On some occasions, you might even see the next couple verses quoted, as well.
“12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
Taken together, these verses sound pretty good, right? Who doesn’t like prosperity and freedom from harm? Who wouldn’t like a promise of “hope and a future”? And, it’s great to know that God Himself will listen to us when we pray. But, is this passage really a promise that we present-day Christians can claim for ourselves?
First, I’d like to point out two indicators that the verse(s) in question are, shall we say, part of a larger discussion. 1) Notice that the opening and closing internal quotes are “missing”. This is because the relevant passage begins prior to verse 11 and continues past verse 13. 2) Verse 11 begins with “for” being used as a conjunction. This tells us that it is being used much like “because”, and it is about to tell the reader the reason(s) for what was just said in the preceding verse or passage. To quote apologist Greg Koukl, “Never read a Bible verse.” In other words, reading/understanding the surrounding paragraph or pericope is often necessary to understand the verse in question.
What is the overall context here? As prophesied, the Northern (Israelite) Kingdom (aka Israel) was long since overrun by the Assyrians, and the Southern (Israelite) Kingdom (aka Judah) is now a vassal kingdom to the new, dominant power: Babylon. Also as prophesied, rebellious Judah is about to be conquered by Babylon and (most of) its survivors exiled throughout the Babylonian Empire. A few years earlier (ch. 25), God spoke through his faithful prophet Jeremiah that He would be sending sword, famine, and plague against them as punishment for their continued “evil ways and evil practices”. In addition, they and the surrounding nations will serve Babylon for 70 years.
When this judgement begins, a false prophet named Hananiah tells Zedekiah, king of Judah, and the people that it will only last 2 years, then God will “break the yoke of the king of Babylon” and return the exiles, etc. In other words, he told them what they wanted to hear. Since this is in direct contradiction to what God had proclaimed through Jeremiah, He sends Jeremiah again to set the record straight. After a confrontation with Hananiah (including a prediction of Hananiah’s pending death), Jeremiah puts God’s latest message into a letter. Here’s how chapter 29 begins:
“This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
The letter itself begins much the same way. So, now we know what was going on and who the letter containing the prophecy/promise was addressed to. In the letter’s first paragraph, God tells the exiles that they are to settle in, build houses, plant gardens, have children, and pray for the peace and prosperity of their captors, which they will share in to some degree. He also warns them to not be deceived again by false prophets.
Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
Now, let’s look at the second paragraph of the letter:
“10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.[a] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.””
a) v.14 Or “…will restore all your fortunes.”
These exiles were probably in for a rough life in a strange land. And well-deserved, too. But, just as He is punishing them as He said He would, God says that He will be faithful to His original promise from hundreds of years earlier. They — well, more likely their children and grandchildren — will be released from captivity in 70 years, gathered from the various lands where they have been banished to, and returned to the Promised Land, where they can prosper once again.
This was a very specific promise for a very specific people group (the covenant people of Israel’s Southern Kingdom; not you, me, or America) during a very specific era in their history. To be blunt, we have no right to claim and apply it to ourselves the way that it’s usually done, especially since a) most of us are not in captivity, exiled to a foreign land, and b) we never seem to claim the promises of punishment for ourselves, too.
However, we can gain something from this passage. In his book The Most Misused Verses in the Bible, Eric J. Bargerhuff suggests a “spiritual way” we can apply it.
“This promise ought to bring a great sense of joy to the believer who longs for the “future hope” of experiencing eternal life with God, a restoration that will be experienced in the fullest sense. It is there where we will experience prosperity and protection in abundance, as we are “gathered back” to him.”
Fair enough, though I am quite wary of the tendency to (over)spiritualize things like this. Rather, I prefer to focus on these two lessons: 1) God is always in control and faithful to fulfill His promises, and 2) though He chastises His chosen people, He is a longsuffering and merciful Lord.
I like what Bargerhuff says in his concluding remarks, though:
“The Bible says we should consider ourselves as aliens and strangers in this world. God will fulfill his promises, yes, but not all of his promises were meant to be fulfilled the way we want them to be fulfilled in this life, and we cannot twist Scripture around in order to make that happen, or to make Scripture work for us the way we want it to. We have to live by faith. And those who do will receive what he promised. And when we seek him with all of our heart, we will certainly find him.”
Amen.
P.S. In addition to Bargerhuff’s book, I must also tip my hat to Greg Koukl (str.org) for helping me think more carefully about this passage and others like it.
P.P.S. For a similar examination of a similarly popular verse, check out “Before You “Claim” II Chronicles 7:14, Read This”.
