Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Jeremiah 29:4-7 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. How crushing it must have been to hear that 70 years of captivity meant that many would never return to their homeland. They wanted liberation from Babylon, and quickly. This was not the news they wanted to hear. They were to build houses, dwell in them, plant vineyards, marry, have children and to pray for the peace and prosperity of the city where they lived and not shrink back from all hope. They are encouraged to live and build a life even though in captivity. In this context, the Lord instructs the people not to be overcome by the severity of the judgment but to take heart in a long distant promise. Irrespective of the false-hope message of Hananiah’s short term victory and vindication, God’s judgment for their disobedience was– 70 years of captivity. Hananiah had showmanship and popularity amongst the people. Jeremiah was a man who had stood in the counsel of the Lord and was speaking the very Words of God. Jeremiah on the other hand had a sober and true message–dismal and condemning in the short term but not without a future and hope. At the time, Hananiah’s prophecy would have sounded quite reasonable. Hananiah was preaching short-term prosperity and “peace, peace” when there was to be no peace. Within two years I will bring back all the Temple treasures that King Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon.” Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke off Jeremiah’s neck and broke it in pieces. He said, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “I will remove the yoke of the king of Babylon from your necks. Jeremiah 28:1-3 10 One day in late summer of that same year-the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah-Hananiah son of Azzur, a prophet from Gibeon, addressed me publicly in the Temple while all the priests and people listened. Hananiah’s message directly opposed Jeremiah’s because he told the Judahites that God had certainly broken the power of Babylon and their captivity would end within two and not the declared seventy years. The resultant contest between Hananiah and Jeremiah in chapter 28 is a great case study for discernment and contrast between true and false prophets. Why? They wanted to hear pleasant things. Subsequently, they rounded up prophets and teachers to themselves. Jeremiah’s message was severe and the people did not like it. Later, Jeremiah puts a yoke on his neck in chapter 27 to represent God’s judgment to be in bondage to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon for 70 years of captivity. At the pronouncement of God’s penalty, the leaders attempt to kill the messenger, Jeremiah, for having declared despair, but he escapes. The judgment of bondage against Judah begins in Jeremiah 25 as a result of their disobedience and idolatry, their not listening to God through the prophets. In order to understand the meaning of this scripture contextually, we have to look at the preceding chapters, understanding the history of Israel, the nature of the exile and the promise of the future. Therefore, when reading scripture we should remember three important words – context, context, context! But when they are read in context, their intended meaning becomes clear. When texts are isolated, they can be made to mean almost anything. In fact, the application to us is wonderful but indirect. Does that mean that this verse has no application at all to us as Christians? No, it does not. It was written to a particular group of people living in a particular place, at a particular time. We simply cannot apply this verse directly to ourselves. The context of Jeremiah 29 is exile and therefore verse 11 is not meant as a blanket promise of worldly blessing. In this view, suffering and deprivation signal a lack of faith.īut that is not at all what God was promising to the Judahites, and it’s not what he’s promising us, either. We are not to settle for second best, for we are children of the King. Health and wealth are the lot of Christians. “He has mapped out the course of your life, and you only have to be obedient to Him to step into His blessing.” Some go further and say that this verse promises earthly prosperity. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,” they say. Some have taken this verse and applied it to themselves and others in an unqualified way. We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering I’m going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! “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.’”
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