©Michael Player
Chapter 29:1-14 (ESV) - These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: “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; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But 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 find your welfare. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.
“For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Question to consider: According to this passage, what is the LORD’s plan for a future and a hope?
Even in times of tremendous heresy, the LORD has a remnant who does not worship the gods of the culture and recognizes the truth of God’s word. In today’s passage, Elasah and Gemariah are two such men. Much like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea in John’s gospel account, these men were highly regarded by the authorities in Jerusalem, and most likely secret followers of Jeremiah. If this wasn’t the case, I would think Jeremiah’s letter would not have been allowed to go out with the other mail being sent to the exiles in Babylon.
One thing I have noticed from the self-proclaimed prophets of today is that they all mimic each other. While it isn’t necessarily premeditated, they seem to admire each other and so (un)consciously borrow phrases from one another, giving the illusion that they are all receiving the same message from the LORD. It effectively validates their ministry and message to onlookers even though it may be false. When anyone questions their prophetic voice, they are castigated and warned that their criticism violates God’s warning in Psalm 105:15, “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”
The warning in Psalm 105:15 was actually to kings who persecuted and killed the likes of Jeremiah and Uriah the son of Shemaiah who was mentioned in chapter 26. A prophet was tested as true by whether their word came to pass, and in Deuteronomy 13, Moses told the people to also test their message according to the Law. Even if a prophet’s message came to pass, if they told people to worship other gods, they should be put to death. Like the church today, the false prophets at the time of Jeremiah were still exalted and given positions of power while they preached lies in the name of the LORD and encouraged Baal worship.
So Jeremiah warned those whom the LORD called the “good figs” in exile that any prophets who affirmed the message that Nebechadnezzar’s yoke had been broken were lying. Instead the people should accept the fact that they would spend the rest of their lives in Babylon along with their children. If they treated Babylon as their home and sought to be God’s people in Babylon, their grand-kids would one day be called from the nations back to Israel and rebuild what had been destroyed.
The LORD’s plan was to prosper them while in Babylon so there would be a faithful remnant coming back to the land at the end of the seventy year exile. In the near term, people could test Jeremiah’s message by the prosperity they would experience. Their grandchildren could then see its fulfillment when they went back to the land. These plans would find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ.
Unfortunately, many Christians have taken this verse regarding the LORD's plans out of this context and framed it as a personal plan of prosperity for individual Christians. The idea was popularized by Rick Warren’s book, “The Purpose-driven Life,” and is considered by many to be a favorite verse as a result. We have not been given a promise of earthly prosperity or glory. Instead we are called to identify with the crucified and risen Christ in our baptism.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for protecting the remnant of Your people exiled in Babylon. Likewise, protect us as we live in exile all throughout the world while we wait for the return of Christ. Until that day comes, please help us to boldly proclaim His name to the world. Amen.