Reflections on Jeremiah 29—Part 1

All of Scripture is God's inspired word. We know that every page is profitable for teaching, correcting and training us in righteousness. And yet there are certain sections of Scripture that hold a special place in our hearts. These are verses that we cherish.

I think it's safe to say that Jeremiah 29:11-13 is one of these beloved and widely-known passages of Scripture. It's obvious why these verses are so precious to Christians. They tell us that God knows us and he has good plans for us; that He is sovereignly directing our lives. They remind us that God hears our prayers and invites us to seek him and know him. I remember committing Jeremiah 29:11-13 to memory as a teenager. During times of uncertainty, this promise was deeply comforting. I couldn't see the future, but I drew encouragement from the promise that God had a future and hope for me.

The irony of well-known and well-loved passages like this one is that often we have very little knowledge of the original purpose and setting to which they were written. Growing up, I never read the verses that came before or after verses 11-13. I never understood who God was speaking to when he made this promise, or what circumstances the people were facing. I certainly didn't know how these words fit into the bigger picture of Jeremiah and the message God gave him.

So here I want to consider this wonderful section of God's word in a way many of us have never done: in context. I believe that doing so will only make it more meaningful:

1 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. 2 (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) 3 He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the LORD.

10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious 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 upon 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. 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."

Author Robert Linthicum tells the story of seeing this verse on a plaque in someone's home. The words were written in golden letters and were set against a gorgeous nature photograph of pine trees and a crystal-clear lake with a snow-capped mountain in the background. But he points out that this promise wasn't spoken to people in this kind of peaceful idyllic setting. There no pine trees and mountain lakes—it was spoken to Jews living in the urban city of Babylon. It was spoken to people who were heart-broken. People whose nation had been humiliated in war. People who had been torn from their homeland. People who felt alone, out-of-place and alienated. People who didn't want to be where they were.

Let's take a moment to place this time in the overall timeline of events of Jeremiah. For years Jeremiah had been calling the people of Judah to return to God. He urged them to choose the "old paths" of obedience and faithfulness to God. Jeremiah repeatedly warned them of judgment. But they wouldn't listen. Perhaps you've read in chapter 36 how King Jehoiakim burned the scroll of God's word. God judged his stubborn pride. Babylon overthrew him and he died while being deported.

In his place, Jeconiah became King. He followed the same foolish path. He rebelled against Babylon and the city endured a three-month siege before Babylon broke in again. This time Nebuchadnezzer plundered the temple treasures and King Jeconiah was exiled along with the best and brightest of the city, like the deportation that had taken the young Daniel and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego away to Babylon eight years earlier.

So it is in the midst of this sad moment that Jeremiah writes his letter to these exiles in chapter 29. He is writing to the people who have been taken to Babylon—the people who should have listened to him earlier.

Surprisingly, the tone of Jeremiah's message is very different than his past rebukes over their sin. He speaks words of great comfort. He speaks of God's good plans for them.

In the next several posts, I want to consider five things we learn about God's good plan for us from Jeremiah's letter to the exiles.