Out of Context: Jeremiah 29:11
Imagine for a moment you are graduating high school, or college. Someone gives you a plaque to hang on your wall with an inspirational Bible verse: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’”
These certainly would be comforting words to someone who is entering a new stage of life. Maybe leaving his parents house for the first time, or stepping into the real world with a big boy job. Hearing that God’s plans for us includes our welfare, and a future and a hope, that sure does sound good!
The intended audience
The problem is, Jeremiah wasn’t writing this to high school or college graduates. He was writing to men and women from Judah who had been taken into captivity because of Judah’s disobedience.
The context
In context, Jeremiah is responding to a false prophet. Judah has been taken into Babylon and in Jeremiah 28:1, an alleged prophet named Hananiah comes along with a “Word from God.” in verse 3: “Within two years I am going to bring back to this place all the vessels of the Lord’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place and carried to Babylon. I am also going to bring back to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles of Judah, who went to Babylon.”
This was great news!! Only two more years of captivity, proclaimed this prophet. The problem is, that is was false. He was telling the people what they wanted to hear, but this was not Good’s true prophet. Jeremiah was God’s true prophet and he responds in 29:4, in a letter sent to the elders in exile. “Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,
“Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, “Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners decieve you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them declares the Lord.’”
“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place.”
The immediate future for the exiles
Verse 11 seems a bit interesting given this immediate context. Jeremiah encouraged them to build houses, plant vineyards, get married and make babies so their babies can grow up, get married, and give them grand babies. Why? Because they would actually be in captivity for 70 YEARS!! The other guy was spreading false prophecy. Sure, it sounded better, but it was a lie. This should be counsel to pastors to preach what is true, not what people want to hear.
In verse 10, God did promise that after 70 years, he would bring them back to their land. But when he says in verse 11, plans for their welfare and not calamity, plans for a future and a hope, the immediate future for those in Babylon, many of them will be to die there. That is why they are told to keep having children and grandchildren. God will fulfill his promise to future generations.
When we read Jeremiah 29:11 in context, the future of these exiles is to live and die in Babylon. Some future and hope that is. Now, this doesn’t seem very encouraging to the high school or college graduate.
The Greater Context-The Bible’s One Story to Redeem the Broken World in Jesus
Even though Jeremiah 29 seems pretty bleak, they aren’t leaving Babylon anytime soon, and the adults will likely die there, God still promised a future and a hope. Is this simply referring to when the 70 years would be over, and they return to their land? All along the way we get glimpses of hope.
Jeremiah 30:3, “For behold days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel and Judah.”
Jeremiah 31:1, “At that time, declares the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.”
In Jeremiah 31:27-34 , we get introduced to this idea of a New Covenant that God will establish where he will put the law, not on tablets of stone, but on their hearts, and he will forgive their iniquity, for I will remember their sin no more.”
When will this new covenant be established. When will their iniquity and sin be blotted out? When will God finally restore his people?
In Jeremiah 33:14-16, we read, “Behold days are coming declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the good word which I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on all the earth. In those days, Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called, “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Jeremiah had already mentioned this Righteous Branch of David in chapter 23:5.
Who is this righteous branch who will spring forth from David? Who will be the one to come from David’s line to save God’s people? When you turn to Matthew 1, the light bulb ought to be going off. The Righteous Branch of David is the one and only, Jesus of Nazareth.
What Jeremiah 29:11 really means
It ought to be crystal clear at this point that Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t promising the college graduate an easy life, and a six figure job right after graduation. What Jeremiah 29:11 teaches us is that even though life may not be what you expected it to be right now. Even if life involves suffering, as it did for those exiles, there is a future and a hope in the midst of this, and His name is Jesus. Jesus is our hope. Jesus is the one who will restore what is broken. Jesus is the one who will restore God’s people into a right relationship with God. Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t about you. Its not even about Israel or Judah. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that Jesus, the righteous branch of David, He is our future and hope.
